Page:Folk-lore of the Telugus.djvu/32

 X.

THE BRAHMIN AND HIS TWO SONS.

At Madura lived a Brahman who had two sons. After hoarding up immense riches, he at last died. The two sons collected the money altogether, and effected a division of it equally. Each put his share into a sealed bag, entrusted it to an old woman, saying that they were going to a far off country on a pilgrimage, and told her to return the amount safely on their return, when they would both come and ask for it. This was agreed to.

After traversing a short distance, the younger brother devised measures to dupe the elder. He rose one night at midnight, went back to their starting point unknown to his brother, visited the old woman, and told her that while they were both wandering along, a tiger had put an end to the elder brother, and that that was why he was obliged to return alone, and requested her to return the money entrusted to her by both the brothers. The old woman was a little