Page:Old Deccan Days.djvu/122

 82 One day he went out as usual into the jungle to cut wood, and, being tired, he fell asleep under a tree and began to dream; and he dreamed that he was a very rich man, and that he married the beautiful Nautch-girl, and that he took her home to his house, and gave his wife, as a wedding present, a thousand gold mohurs!

When he went into the bazaar that evening as usual to sell wood, he began telling his dream to his friends, saying, 'While I was in the jungle I had such an absurd dream! I dreamed that I was a rich man, and that I married the Champa Ranee, and gave her as a wedding present a thousand gold mohurs!'

'What a funny dream!' they cried, and thought no more about it.

But it happened that the house by which he was standing whilst talking to his friends was Champa Ranee's house, and Champa Ranee herself was near the window, and heard what he said, and thought to herself, 'For all that man looks so poor, he has then a thousand gold mohurs, or he would not have dreamed of giving them to his wife; if that is all, I'll go to law about it, and see if I can't get the money.'

So she sent out her servants and ordered them to catch the poor woodcutter, and when they caught him, she began crying out, 'O husband! husband! here have I been waiting ever so long, wondering what has become of you; where have you been all this time?' He answered, 'I'm sure I don't know what you mean. You're a great lady, and I'm a poor woodcutter; you must mistake me for somebody else.'

But she answered, 'Oh no! don't you remember we were married on such and such a day? Have you forgotten what a grand wedding it was? and you took me home to your palace, and promised to give me as a wedding present a thousand gold mohurs! but you quite forgot to give me the money, and you went away, and I returned to my father's house till I should learn tidings of you; how can you be so cruel?'

The woodcutter thought he must be dreaming; but all Champa Ranee's friends and relations declared that what she said was true. Then after much quarrelling they said they would go to law about it; but the judge could not settle the matter, and referred it to the Rajah himself. The Rajah was no less puzzled than the judge.

The woodcutter protested that he was only a poor woodcutter; but Champa Ranee and her friends asserted that he was, on the contrary, a rich man, her husband, and had possessed much money,