Story 49 - Mr. Janel Sinna

IN a certain city there are a King and a Queen, it is said. There are six Princes. The youngest Prince of the six plays with (lit. beats) the ashes on the ash-heap at the corner of the hearth; the other five Princes are doing work, and going on journeys together.

The King said at the hands of the Queen that he must behead the Prince who was [idling] on the ash-heap. Then the Queen said,

“What is the use of beheading him ? Let us send the Prince whom we do not want to any place where he likes to go.”

Having come to the Prince, the Queen says,

“Son, the King says that he must behead you; on that account go away to any place you like.”

Then the Prince said,

“If so, give me a bundle of cooked rice, and a thousand masuran, in order to go and trade.”

So the Queen gave him a package of cooked rice and a thousand masuran.

The Prince took the masuran and the package of cooked rice, and having gone on and on, when he was coming to a travellers’ shed [saw that] a man was taking a brown Monkey,^[1] in order to throw it into the river. This Prince called the man, and the man thereupon brought the Monkey and came to the travellers’ shed.

The Prince asked,

“Where are you taking that Monkey ?”

The man said,

“I am taking this to sell.”

The Prince asked,

“For how much will you give it ?”

The man said he would give it for a thousand masuran. The Prince gave the thousand masuran that were in his hands, and got the Monkey, and that man having taken the thousand masuran went away.

The Prince having unfastened the package of cooked rice, and given some to the Monkey also, and the Prince himself having eaten, took the Monkey and came back to the very city of the King. When he came there the King was not at the palace ; only the Queen was there.

The Queen asked,

“What sort of goods have you brought ?”

The Prince says,

“Mother, having given that thousand masuran I have brought a Monkey.”

Then the Queen says,

“Ane ! Son, should the King and the rest of them get to know that, he will behead you and behead me. As you have taken that Monkey put it away somewhere.”

So the Prince took the Monkey and put it in a rock cave in the jungle, and shutting the door came to the palace. While he was there the King saw him, and having seen him, called the Queen and said,

“I shall not allow that one to stay in my palace for even a paeya (twenty minutes). I shall behead him to-morrow.”

Afterwards the Queen came to the Prince and said,

“Son, the King says he must behead you to-morrow, therefore go to any place you like, and do not come back.”

The Prince said,

“Give me a package of rice., and a thousand masuran.”

Afterwards the Queen having cooked a package of rice gave him it, and a thousand masuran. The Prince taking them, and having gone to the rock cave where the Monkey was, took it and went to [another] city. At that city he ate the package of rice at the travellers’ shed, and having gone to the hearth the Prince slept on the ash-heap.

The Monkey went away to dance in cities. Having gone and danced, collecting requisite articles, he came back to the place where the Prince was, and the Prince cooked some of the things he brought, and gave him to eat. The Monkey goes every day to dance ; and having danced, the Prince and Monkey, both of them, eat the things he brings. In that way the Monkey brings things every day.

One day, the Monkey having gone to a city and danced, fell down at the palace at that city.

Then the King came and asked,

“What is it, Monkey ? Why have you fallen down there ?”

The Monkey says,

“I have come to beg and take the measure¹ in which masuran are measured.”

Afterwards the King gave him the measure for measuring masuran. The monkey having taken it and having been absent for as much as a month, brought the measure back.

Then the King asked,

“What is this, Monkey, that having taken the measure thou hast been such a time [in returning it] ?”

The Monkey says,

“ For just so much time I measured masuran.”

The King asked,

“Having measured them did you finish ?”

Then the Monkey said,

“Ando ! Could it be finished ? Not even a quarter was finished.”

The King said,

“Aha !”

and was silent.

The Monkey that day also having danced in that city, the King gave him many presents. Taking them, and stealing a cloth from a field where clothes were spread out [to dry], while he was coming a man having met him in the road asked the Monkey,

“Monkey, to whom dost thou give the articles that thou art taking every day ?”

The Monkey says,

“I give them to our Mr. Janel Sinna. I am supporting that gentleman.”

The Monkey having gone to the place where the Prince was, says,

“Here is a cloth. It is good for the gentleman, is it not ?”

and he showed him the cloth which he had stolen.

The Prince threw it aside, and said,

“This cloth which I have is enough.”

Next day the Monkey having come to that city and danced, lay down on the lawn of the palace. Then the King asked,

“What is it, Monkey, that you have fallen down there for ?”

Then the Monkey sajrs,

“Our Mr. Janel Sinna burnt his cloth while drinking. I have come to ask you to cause the cloth to be woven for him [anew].”

The King said,

“If so, bring it.”

Afterwards the Monkey having gone to the place where the Prince was, brought a thin cloth and gave it to the King. Afterwards the King caused one to be woven, and gave it to him.

Then the Monkey says at the hand of the King,

“You ought to marry your Princess to our Mr. Janel Sinna.”

The King said,

“Ha. It is very good.”

The Monkey, begging two copper pots,^[3] went away, and having gone, heated water in the two copper pots, and having made the Prince bathe, said to the Prince,

“Do not eat largely of the sorts [of food] after I have cooked and given [the food] to you [at the palace]. I have asked for a [Princess in] marriage for you after I went there.”

Afterwards the Monkey, summoning the Prince also, went to the palace of the King of that city. Having gone there, and prepared a seat at the King’s table, and made ready the food, after the Prince sat down to the food seven Princesses themselves began to divide [and serve] it.

Then that Prince began to eat very plentifully. The Monkey having come and nudged him with his finger, said,

“You have eaten enough.”

Taking no notice of it, the Prince went on eating. Having eaten that, he shaped his hand [into a cup] and reversing it there [when full], ate in excess.

Then the King asked the Monkey,

“What, Monkey, is [the reason of] that ?”

The Monkey said,

“Our Mr. Janel Sinna having been overheated [by his bath] could not eat. Through that indeed it has befallen that he has lost his senses.”

That also the King kept in mind.

Then the Prince and the King’s eldest daughter were married.

After that, the Monkey said that he wanted a thousand bill-hooks, and a thousand digging-hoes, and a thousand axes, and a thousand people. The King gave him a thousand bill-hooks, and a thousand digging-hoes, and a thousand axes, and a thousand people. [With these the royal party set off to deliver the Princess at the Prince’s palace.] Afterwards, having given the tools to those people, the Monkey goes in front. The King and the Princess and the Prince come after. That Monkey goes [in the trees] jumping and jumping, and changing branches. The thousand people went footing and footing the road.

While going thus they met with a city. Then the King quietly told the Monkey to halt; it stopped.

Then the King asked the Monkey,

“Whose is that city that is visible ?”

The Monkey says,

“This city is our Mr. Janel Sinna’s. It has been rented out to his work-people.”

Afterwards the King went on, keeping that also in his mind. ,

The Monkey again went in front. Then again they met with a city. Again the King having called the Monkey asked,

“Whose is that city ?”

Then the Monkey says,

“It is our Mr. Janel Sinna’s. It has been rented out to his workpeople. In that way are the cities belonging to our Mr. Janel Sinna [given out].”

Again the Monkey went off in front. Having gone thus, he went to the house of a Rakshasa, and having made the house ready in a second, when he stepped aside the King and the Prince and Princess went in.    .

The King made the thousand workpeople stay there, and having handed over the Princess, next day went back to his city.

Afterwards the Monkey asked at the hand of the Prince, " For the help that you gave me I also am assisting you. What favour besides will you give me? ”

Then the Prince says,

“When you have died I shall weep abundantly, and having made a coffin, and put you in the coffin, I will bury you.”

Then the Monkey said,

“So much indeed is the assistance I want.”

One day the Monkey lay down, trickishly saying that he was getting fever. The Prince did not even go in that direction. Next day and the next day he stayed thereon those days he did not go.

On the third day the Monkey cunningly shutting his eyes remained as though he had died. The Prince said to a man,

“Look if that Monkey is dead.”

The man having gone near the Monkey, when he looked it was dead [in appearance]; he said at the hand of the Prince that it was dead. The Prince said,

“Having put a creeper round its neck, drag it in the direction of that jungle, and having thrown it there come back.”

When the man tried to put the creeper on the Monkey’s neck the Monkey got up.

“Don’t put the creeper on my neck,”

he said.

Having gone near the Prince he said,

“After I was dead [apparently], you were taking me without having put me in a coffin. Why do you [arrange to] drag me, having put a creeper on my neck ? Don’t take even so much trouble.”

Having said this, the Monkey went off to the midst of the forest, and died.

Tom-Tom Beater. North-western Province.

 

Note:

Of course, this is an Eastern form of Puss-in-Boots.

In Folk-Tales of Bengal (Day), p. 226 fi., there is an account of a clever match-making J ackal which induced a King to marry his daughter to a weaver.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Macacus pileatus.

[2]:

Berae.

[3]:

Haeliya.