Bengal Fairy Tales. Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt
They rightly thought that he must be an accomplice of the robbers; and one of them went so far as to throw out inuendoes regarding his complicity, and to advise his instant dismissal from the court, after he had been severely chastised. The object of this treatment, without making any protest, went away, and when he met his friends, they concocted a plan for the punishment of the courtier. What that plan was, we shall see later.
The court rose, and people went to their own homes in no enviable humour. They were all filled with suspense. Nobody knew who was to be the next victim. The security offered by the presence of the police was no security at all, and most of the citizens thought of leaving their homes for some other country. Human succour could no longer be relied upon, and appeal was made to the gods for the removal of the curse. The king resigned himself to the hands of fate, and after attending the special devotional services that were held, sought his bed.
Let us now divert our attention to the four men who had caused him and his people so much trouble. With a basket of sweetmeats, they knocked at the gate of the courtier who had that morning insulted one of them. The owner of the house, unwilling to receive strangers at so late an hour, did not open the gate, but asked from inside who his visitors were. To this they replied that they were bearers of presents from the king. The poor man's gullibility got the better of his judgment and half opening the gate, he thrust forth his right hand to receive the gift. But, alas, that hand would never more be used, for the greater part of it was chopped off, and the courtier rolled on the ground in great agony. His assailants vanished before his shrieks could be heard by his people, and hurriedly proceeded towards that side of the palace where the king's bed-room stood. Through its open window, they thrust the courtier's hand, tied to a pole, so that it touched the king's head. The king, instantly jumping up, cut at it with the sword lying beside him, and exulted greatly at the idea of having dismembered one of those who had so long been his pests and having thus found a clue to the discovery of the whole gang.
The next morning the king got up and instructed the kotál to send his men round to find out a man whose right hand had been cut off. But the man had not far to go for the unfortunate courtier was found coming to the palace, with his mutilated wrist hidden in a bandage slung round his neck. This at once aroused suspicion in their minds, and taking off the bandage they saw that the hand was missing and at once jumped to the conclusion that the man they wanted was before them. They led him bound to the king, and the account he gave of the night's adventure not being believed, he was sentenced to be tortured until he named his accomplices, and finally, if he did not confess, to be executed. The work of torture was about to commence, when the four young men, the cause of his misfortune, came to the court, dressed according to their rank, and made a clean breast of everything. They had brought with them all their spoils, and they laid them at the king's feet with many apologies for the trouble they had caused. The king, too generous and humorous not to understand their motives, embraced them, and sent them away with many presents, giving the hand of his daughter to the prince. The kotál and the merchant also had marriageable daughters, and these they gave to the two young men whose fathers in their own country were of the same rank as themselves. The prime minister had a young maiden niece whom he married to him who had once impersonated his son-in-law. A veil was drawn over the past, and the four friends with their wives returned safely to their own country, not forgetting to make ample amends to the confectioner and the boatman for the deception they had practised upon them.
1 ↑ One of the best Indian sweetmeats.
2 ↑ Flies.
3 ↑ Musical sounds that Bengali women make on joyous occasions by moving their tongues inside their mouths.
Katmanush, or the Human Being who was made of Wood
VII
KATMANUSH, OR THE HUMAN BEING WHO WAS MADE OF WOOD
AT a fair held on the borders of two contiguous kingdoms, there assembled a large crowd, but amongst all those who gathered there, two especially attracted the chief attention; the prince of one of the kingdoms, and the princess of the other. They were complete strangers to one another and happening both to fancy the same exquisite article which was for sale, they began bargaining for it. Taking advantage of the competition, the seller raised its price, till at last the prince thought it to be too high, and left the article for the princess to buy. But he was galled at the disappointment and beckoning the princess aside, he whispered into her ear, "If I ever possess you as my wife, I shall leave you, even on the day of our marriage." The princess also in a whisper made the reply, " If what you suppose takes place, I shall make you eat jhole-bhát[1] for six months." By this threat, she meant that she would make him lie prostrate on a sick-bed for six months.
The two then parted, though neither of them forgot the episode. In the course of a few months, the prince's father, thinking of marrying his son, sent Ghataks[2] to the neighbouring kingdoms, and the princess's father happened at the same time to do the same with regard to his daughter. The Ghataks of both countries met, and patched up a contract of marriage between the prince and the princess, to be in time confirmed by their fathers. The contract was ratified, and the required preliminaries having been gone through, the marriage day was fixed. The two young persons most interested in the affair remained in ignorance of the fact that there was soon to be the very relationship between themselves that they had, but a few months ago, imagined and made vows concerning. Great therefore was their astonishment when they met before the priest, to be united in the bonds of matrimony.
The ceremony duly came to an end and the prince and the princess were about to be conducted into the bridal chamber, when the former, alleging some urgent duty as a plea, left the palace never to retrace his steps. The bride therefore was compelled to pass the night without her husband. She understood full well what his absence meant but instead of regretting her former impertinence, she rather bragged of it to herself, and renewed her own vow a thousand times.
Months passed without the husband or wife hearing of each other. Their parents kept a good understanding between themselves but the chief parties remained indifferent. One morning, a woman, apparently made of wood, but possessed of the power of moving, speaking, and acting like a human being, came to the prince's mother, and asked service of her. The whole house was in amazement at this prodigy. But the voice and words of sense coming from the abnormal form so captivated the queen that she could not refuse the services offered. The woman gave her name as Kátmánúsh[3] and closed the contract, saying that there were two conditions that must be made; one, that she should never be told to cook, and the other, that she must be permitted to sleep alone in her own room. Being promised these things, she worked as an ordinary servant.
Time passed, and Kátmánúsh endeared herself to every one in her mistress's family. The prince talked kindly to her and the king bestowed especial favour on her. One evening there was a fair held near the palace and its inmates went there, leaving her behind. She being alone and thus free to act as she liked, emerged from her wooden frame, which as the reader may by this time have guessed, had been assumed by her as a disguise, and went to the roof of the palace to take the evening air, not suspecting that any one would intrude. But she was wrong in her calculations, for the prince returning to the house on some urgent business, knocked at the gate. She hastily resumed her wooden frame and opened the door to him, whereupon he at once asked who the lady of unrivalled beauty on the roof was. She said she was ignorant of any lady being in the house, and though the prince remained silent, the vivid impression made upon him by the extraordinary manifestation of beauty his eyes had seen could not be effaced from his mind. There was hardly a moment when he did not think of her who had captivated his heart, and he greatly longed to see her again. But his longing was vain, for the time being at least, and he gradually pined away. Great mental