________________
MAY, 1906.]
FOLKTALES FROM NORTHERN INDIA.
149
Bhagwan heard her prayer, The earth opened, and she joined her lover in the grave. On this the earth closed again. After a time her servants came to search for her, and when they could not find her they made enquiries of the Faqir. He said: "This much I know.. Just now she was standing here when the earth opened its mouth, and she was engulfed in the grave with her lover. Such is the power of true love!"
XII.
The Modest Weaver,13
Once upon a time there was a very lovely princess as she was sitting at her window she saw a weaver lad passing by with his water vessel13 in his hand. She fell in love with him and sent her servants to fetch him. When he came in he began to weep and said: "Alas! for my water-pot? Alas! for my water-pot!"
"Why are you lamenting your water-pot!" She asked: "I want you to marry me and then you can have thousands of water-pots like this."
But he went on weeping and said: "I know, princess, that if I marry you I can have vessels of gold and silver. But this pot I have used for years, and it has seen me at my ablutions. This is why I am lamenting it."
The princess thought to herself: "If this weaver's son is so modest why should I hold my honour so cheap ?" So she rewarded him handsomely and let him take his old water-pot and go home.
XIII.
The Riddles of the King,14
Once upon a time there was a king whose wont it was to roam in the streets of his capital to find out the condition of his subjects. One day, as he was out, he came to a well where three young married women were talking about their husbands.
One of them said: "My husband is a professional thief. Some day he will be put to death or imprisoned. And so I am worn away with anxiety."
The second said: "My husband is always swimming across the river, and I fear that some day an alligator will devour him."
The third said: "My husband is quite a boy and is no good to me."
Then the girls went their way, and the king saw a woman gaily dressed with all her jewels, going along the road. He followed her and saw her come to the river, which she began to swim across. As she was in the midst of the water an alligator seized her by the leg, but she struck at the beast and it let her go. As she reached the other bank, she came face to face with a tiger, which she killed with one blow and went on. Then she met her lover who was waiting for her, and after a time she swam back again.
The king went another way and came to a jungle. There he saw a tigress who was being delivered of cubs. Just then three or four elephants came up and rushed at her. But one of the cubs, which had just been born, struck an elephant on the head, killed and began to devour him. The other elephants were afraid and ran away.
Next day the king saw the same woman who had swum across the river going over again and driving a buffalo with her. When she reached the other bank the buffalo ran away and she called her brother, whose name was Har Deo, to help her to catch it.
12 Told by Akbar Shah Manghi of Manbasa, Dudhi, Mirzapur- one of the aboriginal races: recorded by Pandit Ramgharib Chaube.
is The word used is badhand, the lotd with a spout used by Muhammadans for ablution.
14 Told by Shiu Nandan Râê of Surajpur, and recorded by Shaikh Didar 'All of Bibipur, Azamgarh District, N.-W. P.
