________________
November, 1898.]
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE; No. 21.
305
There, as she had anticipated, the louse found plenty of all things - food as well as clothes, and lived happily for some time.
One day the lorse said she would make átfolan if the rat would fetch some rice and spices and jaggree. The rat went about and soon brought what was necessary from shops and elsewhere, and handed it to the louse, who set about making the attolan. As the át!olant was cooking, the rate smelt a fine savour, which made him restless as to when it would be ready, so that he might eat it. The loase, who observed the restlessness of the rat, and knew well the greedy propensities of thet animal, warned him not to peep into the pot, as he might possibly fall inside. Having thus warned the rat, the louse went to fetch water. As the aftolasi became more and more savoury in the course of the cooking, the rat became more and more restless, so restless that he could restrain himself no longer, and, disregarding the warning of the louse, got up on the oven to have a look at the átfolan, but down he fell in the pot and died.
When the louse returned with water she missed the rat, and easily guessed that he had not heeded to her warning: and right enongh, on looking, she found him dead in the pot in which the diolah was being cooked. But what was to be done now? She threw away the áltolan, dug a hole near a hedge, and buried the rat. In digging the hole, some of the roots of the trees that formed the hedge were cut op, and consequently the trees became somewhat shaky.
Now it happened that a bagla (a crane) was in the habit of every day coming and taking his stand on one of the trees. For many a day the crane bad found the tree steady, and was, therefore, surprised when it shook as he alighted on it, and thought to himself: - "Kál mi id zhdrávar baislun te eni zhár hálat ndtasa, áz baislun te zhar háltei, Yesterday when I sat upon this tree it did not shake, but to-day as I sat down it shook." So he asked the tree for the reason of it.
The tree replied:- "Undir máma mele te oiche falli gárile, oi reli muldin vin, ani baglan rela pinsási vin, Uncle rat died and was buried at the side of the hedge, so the hedge became rootless, and the crane became featherless."
Upon hearing this, "gal gal gal gal" the crane dropped all his feathers and flew away and alighted upon a banyan tree. The banyan tree which had often seen the crane before with his feathers on, now began to wonder at seeing him featherless, and began to think within itself :-“ Kál evi bagian dilari te tilla pinsan hotin, da dilaith te tiáld pinsan nai, Yesterday when this crane came be bad feathers, to-day he has come, but he has no feathers" - and the tree asked the crane for the reason of it.
Said the crane: "Undir mámd melo te oiche falli garile, oi reli mulau vin, baglan relax pinsan vin, ani vôr relá pánari vin, Uncle rat died and was buried at the side of the hedge, so the hedge became rootless, the crane became featherless, and the banyan tree became leafless."
Upon this "khal khal chal khal" fell off all the leaves of the banyan tree. Now a horse, that was in the habit of grazing in that part of the forest, often took protection from the rays of the sun under that tree, and was quite surprised to see the tree leafless. The horse began to think over the matter, and thought within itself: - "Kál diluan te id vóráld pánara hotin, az áilu ani bagitaim te pánam nai, Yesterday when I came I saw that the tree had leaves, to-day when I come I see that there are no leaves apon it." So he asked the tree for the reason of it.
The tree replied: - “Undir mámd mele te oiche fatti gárile, oi reli mulasi vin, baglari relami pinsan vin, vôr rela pánáin vin, ani ghorá reld kánási vin, Uncle rat died and was buried at the side of the hedge, so the hedge became rootless, the crane became featherless, the banyan tree became leafless, and the horse became earless."
1 This is a sort of gruel, prepared out of new rice, with the addition of jacgree and some ingredients such as cardamoms to sweeten and lend flavour to it. Almost every Bombay East Indian family makes affolam on All Souls' Day.
