Story 248 - Concerning a Royal Princess and Two Thieves

IN a certain country there was a King. There was one Princess, only, of the King's. Except the King’s Queen and Princess, only, there was not any other child. At the time when the Princess was twelve years old the King died. After he died any person does not go to do the work at the royal house as in the time when the King was there. By reason of this, the Princess and Queen are doing the work in the palace without any one.

When not much time had gone, two men came to the royal house without [anything] to eat and to wear.

At that time this royal Queen asked,

“What have ye come for ?”

Thereupon these men said that being without [anything] to eat and to wear they came seeking a means of subsistence.

Then the Queen said,

“It is good. If so, remain ye here.”

The men having said,

“It is good,”

stayed there. The work she gave them, indeed, was [this]: she told one person to cause the cattle to graze; she told one person to pour water [on the plants] at the flower garden.

After that, the man who looks after the cattle having taken the cattle to a garden of someone or other and left them, was lying down under a tree. At that time the owner of the garden having come, and having beaten him and the cattle, drove them away. After that, the man having put the cattle somewhere else, [after] causing them to graze there went to the palace.

The man to whom was given the charge to pour the water, from morning until evening comes having drawn water, became much fatigued.

On the following day, with the thought of changing [the work of] both persons that day, he asked the man who went to cause the cattle to graze,

“Friend, how is the work you went for ? Is it easy or difficult ?”

Thereupon the man who looks after the cattle said,

“Ane! Fiiend, having taken the cattle and put them in a garden, I lie down. When it becomes evening I come driving them, and tie them up. Except that, there is not any difficulty for me,”

he said. Having said thus, the man who looks after the cattle asked the man who pours the water,

“How, friend, is your work ?”

The man said,

“What, friend, is my work ? Having poured a bucket or two of water on the flower trees I simply amuse myself.”

Then the man who looks after the cattle said,

“If so, friend, I will pour the water at the flower garden to-morrow; you take the cattle.”

Thereupon the man, being thankful, said,

“It is good.”

On the following day both persons did accordingly. That day, also, he beat the man who looks after the cattle, in an inordinate manner. The man who remained at home, having poured water until it became night, was wearied.

Having seen that these two works were difficult, both these men in the evening spoke together very softly. The Queen and Princess having become frightened at it, put all the money into an iron box, and having shut it and taken care of it, put it away.

These men having heard that noise, and having waited until the time when the Princess and the Queen were sleeping, these two, lifting up that box, came away with it. There was a waterless well. Having said they would hide it in the 'well, one told [the other] to descend into the well. What did the other do ? Taking a large round stone, he dropped it into the well, so that the man who was in the well should die. Having dropped it, the man, taking the cash-box, went somewhere else. That stone not having struck the man who descended into the well, with much exertion he came to the surface of the ground, and when he looked the man was not [there].

On the following day, the Queen having arisen, at the time when she looked she perceived that the cash-box was not [there]. Having perceived it, she asked the man who remained [regarding it]. The man said,

“Ane! I don’t know.”

When the Queen asked,

“Where is the other man ?”

this man said,

“That man himself will have taken it. The man is not here.”

The Queen having said,

“Well, what can I do ?”

remained without doing anything.

The man who stayed at the palace having inquired on the following day, when he looked about met with the cash-box, [the other man] having placed it in the chena jungle. Having taken it, he came back and gave it to the Queen.

Thereupon, the Queen being very thankful, and having married and given that Princess to the man, he remained [there] exercising the kingship virtuously, as [was done] before.

Western Province.

 

Notes:

In Folk-Tales of Bengal (L. Behari Day), p. 160, two thieves determined to live honestly, and were engaged by a householder, one to tend a cow, the other to water a Champaka plant, at which he was told to pour water until some collected round it. The dry earth absorbed all he poured, and in the afternoon, tired out, he went to sleep. The cow taken out by the other man to graze was a wild vicious one; it galloped about into rice fields and sugar-cane plantations, and did much damage, for which the man was well scolded, together with fourteen generations of his forefathers. At last he managed to catch the cow, and bring it home. Each man told the other of the easy day he had had, intending to get the other man’s work; and at last they arranged to exchange duties. On the following day, when they met in the evening, both worn out, they laughed, and agreed that stealing was preferable to what people called honest labour. They decided to dig at the root of the plant, and learn why it took so much water. Their subsequent adventures are given in vol. ii, p. 94. A similar story is given in Folklore of the Santal Parganas (Dr. Bodding), p. 139, the men being two brothers who went off and were engaged as labourers, one by an oilman and the other by a potter.

In The Indian Antiquary, vol. xxv, p. 21, in a story by Natesha Sastri, two rogues who agreed to work for an old woman had similar experiences, each boasting of the easy day he had had. In this tale the woman had secret subterranean channels which carried the water to a field that she cultivated. Afterwards, as she overheard them arranging to rob her she buried her treasure in a comer of the house, filled the box which had contained it with stones and pieces of old iron, told them she hid it in the well during the dark half of the month (when thieves might try to take it), and made them carry it there and drop it in. At night they went to remove it, the man who descended opened it in the well and found she had tricked them, but being afraid the other would leave him in the well he emptied it, sat in it, said it was full of treasure, and told the other to draw it up. The man absconded with it as soon as he raised it, until a voice told him to walk more slowly, on which he opened it and found the other rogue in it.