Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 3 1885.djvu/348

 340 FOLK-TALES OF INDIA.

loan of two bullocks from a friend, ploughed with them all day, fed them with grass, and then went to the owner's house to return them.

At that moment he (the owner of the bullocks) was sitting in his house, along with his wife, eating rice.

The bullocks, too, familiarly entered the house, and, as they entered, the owner held up his plate, and the wife removed it. Gamam, seeing that they would not invite him to eat with them, left without returning the bullocks (formally to their owner). During the night, thieves broke into the cow-pen and drove off the bullocks. In the morning the owner entered the cow-pen, and, not seeing the cows, became aware that they had been stolen, but determined to hold Giimani responsible for them. So he came to him and said, " Give me (back) my bullocks, sir."

" Did not the bullocks go into your house ? " he asked. " But pray were they handed over to me ? " " They were not given up to you (formally).'' " Well, then, here's a king's messenger (come) for you."

Now it was a custom among these people to take up a pebble or potsherd and to say, " Come, here's a king's messenger for you." Wlioever refused to go was punished by the king ; so, as soon as he heard the word " messenger," off he started. As he was going along, with the owner of the bullocks, to the king's court, he came to a village, wherein lived a certain friend of his. " Oh ! I am very hungry. I'll go into the village, and get some food; and be so good as to wait here until I return." So saying, he entered his friend's house, but his friend was not at home. On seeing him his friend's wife said, " Sir, there's no food cooked (at present); wait awhile, and I'll at once cook some, and give it you." But while, in a great hurry, she was mounting the steps into the rice-granary, she fell to the ground, and, being seven months gone with child, the fall forthwith caused a miscarriage. At that instant her husband returned, and, seeing Gamawi, said, '* You have struck my wife, and brought on a miscarriage. Come ! here's a king's messenger for you." And thereupon he took him prisoner and set off.

Then the two men went on their way with Gamani between them.

Now, at the entrance of a certain village there was a groom