________________
MAY, 1906.)
FOLKTALES FROM NORTHERN INDIA.
143
were discussing what they should do. Suddenly the lightning flashed and they saw the Rájâ at the door of the temple. So they seized bim and were just about to sacritice him, when one of them said: 'Let us examine him to see if perc hance he have not lost any part of his body. If so, he will not serve our parpose, as it is unlawful to offer a victim who is defective in any way."
When they examined the Raja they found that he had lost one of his fingers ; so they let
him go.
The Rája came back to his palace, and when his contiers were assembled, he said : " Let the Wazir be summoned to the presence.” When he arrived the Rajâ told him what had happened and said : "Now I know that whatever Bhagwan does is for our good, and it was my fault that I drove such a wise man as you froin my Court."
The Wazir answered : " Bhagwan had in this good in store for me also." The Râjâ asked: " What good bad He in store for you?" The Wazir replied: * Had I not been expelled from the presence, surely you would have taken me with you. I would not have failed to accompany you to the temple, and the thieves in that case would certainly have sacrificed me in your stend as I had no bodily defect."
The Raja was pleased with the sagacity of his Wazir and advanced him to great honour.
How the Faqir lost his ear. There was once a Râjâ who excelled in the science of archery ; many archers contended with him, but he ased to defeat them all, and whenever he defeated a rival he would make him his slave. Daily he used to go to the river bank and test his skill by shooting at the fishes in the water. One day he went there as asual, and as he was shooting bis arrows at the fish a man in the garb of a Faqir approached him and continued watching him for some time. At last the Faqir said: “This habit of yours is not good. You had better give it up." Then the Faqir went to bathe in the water close by, and when the Râjâ observed him attentively he saw that he had lost one of his ears. So he asked the Faqir to go with him to his palace, and there he entertained him. But he was puzzled to discover how the Faqir had lost his ear, and he enquired the cause; bat when he asked him, the Faqir was wroth and remained silent. At last one day the Raja insisted that the Faqir should tell his tale, and, though unwilling as he was to speak, at length he replied: -
"O Maharaja! I was once like you famous for my skill as an archer, and so skilled was I that I despised the whole world. One day I was wandering about and came to the house of a wealthy merchant. His wife, one of the most beautiful women of the age, was sitting at the door, and when I saw her my heart was inflamed with love and I implored her to yield to my wishes. But she refused with indiguation and said: 'I am not such as you suppose. I love my husband alone. You had better leave the house, or when my husband comes, I will tell him and he will slay you with his arro v.'” I was so lost in love to her that I remained sitting there, and by and by her husband came back, and when he heard from his wife what had passed he said: 'I hear that you pride yourself as an archer. When I have eaten my food I will test your power.' So he sat down and ate, and when his meal was done he said: • Take your bow and a hundred arrows and do your best to shoot me. I took my bow and arrows and shot at him, hoping that I might slay him and then win the love of the lady. But he guarded himself so skilfully with his shield that I failed to hit the mark, and when all my arrows were spent he said: 'Take my bow and fix an arrow to it.' I took the bow; but do what I would, it was beyond my power to string it, and then I fell at his feet and prayed his pardon. But with two fingers he took me by the ear and put me outside his door, and such
1 Told by Moban Lal, student of the school at Ghazipur, Fatehpur District,
