________________
FEBRUARY, 1898.)
FOLKLORE IN SALSETTE ; No. 20.
55
Upon this, the woman, still shaking with fear, bat being partly encouraged by the kind speech of the king, with the greatest reluctance and with a faltering voice, informed the king of the object of her visit. No sooner the king heard what the woman had to say, his rage knew no bounds, and he thundered like a tiger:
“How could you ever dream of making sach an audacious and extremely stupid proposal? Get out of my presence at once, or in a minute you shall be no more a live person."
The poor woman ran away as fast as her legs would carry her before even the king had finished his words, and going home she told her son what kind of reception she had met with at the hands of the king, and with what result. The son, on his part, seemed to be even more offended at the refusal of the king than the king himself at the proposal of the woman, and thus gave vent to his feelings :
“The king has rejected my proposal, has he? And, that is not all, he has insulted my mother, and driven her out of the palace, has he? I shall make him rue the moment in which he treated her thus brutally, and I shall see that he gives up his daughter in marriage to me!"
So saying, he went and covered up with his wings the only tank in the country, from which all, without exception, drew their water-sopply. Now, when the women of the place came to fetch water, the crane would not allow any one to take water on any account. Thereupon, all the people went in body to the king, and informed him of what had happened ; and, as they had learnt what had transpired between the king and the mother of the crane, they suggested to the king that he should got one of the maid-servants richly dressed and grivon away in marriage to the crane, and thus avert their misfortune. The king fell in with the suggestion of his sabjects, and immediately issued orders that one of the maid-servants of the princess be dressed in the clothes of the princess, and, wearing also her ornaments, go to the tank, and, offering herself in marriage, ask the orane to allow the people to take water without further hindrance. The order must be obeyed. So one of the maidservants, having dressed herself and put on fine ornamente, went to the tank, and thus spoke (sang) to the crane
“ Sórá, sórd, Baglójí, raitéchá páni kari ga,
Hötainie túmckí lagnacki rani kan gå. Let go, oh let go, Mr, Crane, the water of the subjects,
I will become your queen by marriage." To which the crane replied (singing):
Tu té káis ránichi batkin kasi go, Nakim sória raitéchá pari kam gô. You are only a maid-servant of the riņi (princess),
I will not let go the water of the subjects." Seeing that she was detected and that she could not prevail upon the crane to release the water supply, the maid-servant went and reported the matter to the king. The king, thereupon ordered that another maid-servant, dressed better than the first, and wearing more ornaments, should go and offer herself as the princess in marriage to the crane in return for a free water-supply. So another maid-servant, without loss of time, dressed in very fine clothes and profusely decorated with ornaments, went and presented herself before the crane, and thus spoke (sang) to the crane :
"Sórá, sárd, Baglóji, raitéchá páni kam gd,
Hôtain túmchí lagndchi rání kai gá. Let go, oh let go, Mr. Crane, the water of the subjects, I will become your queen by marriage."
