Story 59 - The Gamarala And The Washerman

IN a certain country there are a Gamarala and a Washerman. ^[1] Those two persons cut a chena. As they were cutting the chena a jungle-cock crowed.

The Gamarala said to the Washerman,

“Please catch that crowing jungle-cock, and come back.”

Then the Washerman said,

“Will you do the chena work until I catch the jungle-cock and come back ?”

he asked.

“Until you come I will do the chena work,”

he said.

From there that man came home, and remained there. When the chena [crop] was ripening he caught the jungle-cock, and went back.

“I shall not give thee a share of the chena,”

the Gamarala said.

Thereupon the Washerman instituted a lawsuit against him.

When they were going for it on the day of the trial, he borrowed a cloth from the Gamarala, and went after putting it on.

When the action was being heard the Washerman said,

“He will say next that this cloth is that gentleman’s.”

Then the Gamarala said,

“It is so indeed. If not, Bola, whose is that cloth ?”

he asked.

The Washerman said,

“There ! I said so. O Lord, when coming on account of this day of the trial, was it necessary for me to ask for a cloth from that gentleman ? Am I without clothes to that extent ?”

After that, the judge told them to divide the chena in two, [and each take half of it]. Afterwards, having come there they divided it in two.

Again, this Washerman and the Gamarala sowed a paddy field (rice field). Of the paddy plants in the field, those things that were above the ground were for the Washerman, they said. Those which were below the ground were for the Gamarala, they said. Having cut the paddy when the crop ripened, they threshed it by trampling [with cattle], and the Washerman took the paddy. Afterwards they cut the ground ; there was nothing for the Gamarala.

Again, these two persons planted onions. This time, those things that were above the ground were for the Gamarala, they said. Those that were below the ground were for the Washerman, they said. When the crop was ready, the Gamarala having cut off the onion stumps, heaps them up together; the Washerman dug up and got the onions.

After that, those two persons got a buffalo bull. The front part of that bull was for the Washerman, they said ; the after part for the Gamarala, they said.

Next, the two persons got a buffalo cow. The front part was for the Gamarala ; the after part for the Washerman, they said. Thereupon the calves which the buffalo cow bore belonged to the Washerman, he said.

When the Gamarala asked for calves because the front part did not give birth to calves,

“There is nothing for you,”

he said.

After that, the Gamarala, in order to build a house, cut Waewarana, Kaetakala, Milla, Kolon trees (good timber trees commonly used in building houses).

The Washerman, also, saying,

“I also must build a house,”

cut Paepol, Eramudu, Murunga trees (all of which are soft woods, quite useless for any kind of work).

When the Gamarala’s wife was coming near his house, the Washerman, taking the Naekat Pota (an astrological book which deals with prognostications), read aloud from it [these sham prognostications regarding the results to the occupiers if these woods be used in house building]:

“For a house of Waewarana, diarrhoea ; for a house of Kaetakala, quarrel; for a house of Milla, hanging; for a house of Eramudu, purity ; for a house of Paepol, land.”

Then the Gamarala’s wife ha\ ing heard this, goes and says to the Gamarala,

“You have done a foolish thing again. We shall have only sickness and trouble if we build the house with those trees. In the Naekat Pota it is so written. If we use the trees that the Washerman has cut we shall be fortunate.”

So the Gamarala went to the Washer-, man, and persuaded him to exchange trees with him. Then the Washerman built himself a good house with the Gamarala’s trees. The trees which the Gamarala got were of no use to him.

Duraya. North-western Province.

 

Note:

The incident at the trial in the first part of this story occurs in a slightly different form in a folk-tale that I heard in Cairo. As I am not aware that it has been published I give it here, condensing the first portion (see No. 60).

The planting incidents are related by Rabelais, in Pantagruel, chapters 45 and 46. For the benefit of readers in Ceylon, I give the account:—

 

The Devil and the Husbandman

This devil having arrived at the place, addressed a husbandman and asked him what he did. The poor man replied to him that he sowed that field of early wheat to assist him in living during the following year. “But really,” said the devil,

“this field is not thine ; it is mine and belongs to me . . . ; however, I leave thee the field. But it is on condition we shall share the profit.”

“I agree to it,” replied the husbandman.

“I mean,” said the devil,

“that of the coming profit we shall make two shares. The one shall be what grows above the ground, the other what shall be covered in the earth. The choice belongs to me, for I am a devil of a noble and ancient race ; thou art only a villein. I choose that which will be in the ground, thou shalt have that above. When will the reaping be ?”

“In the middle of July,” replied the husbandman.

“Now,” said the devil,

“I need not be present here. In other respects do thy duty. Work, villein, work.”

The middle of July having come, the devil presents himself again at the place, accompanied by a squadron of little chorister devilets. Meeting there the husbandman, he said to him,

“And now, villein, how hast thou been since my departure ? It is requisite to make our division now ?”

“That is right,” replied the husbandman.

Then the husbandman, with his people, began to reap the corn. The little devils similarly drew the stubble from the ground. The husbandman threshed his corn in the air, put it in sacks, and carried it to the market to sell. The devilets did the same, and at the market seated themselves near the husbandman to sell their stubble.

The husbandman sold his corn very well, and with the money filled an old sock which he carried at his belt. The devils sold nothing, but on the contrary the peasants jeered at them in the midst of the market.

The market being over, said the devil to the husbandman,

“Villein, thou hast cheated me this time ; at another thou shalt not deceive me.”

“My Lord Devil,” replied the husbandman,

“how have I cheated you who have chosen first ? True it is that in that choice you thought of cheating me, hoping that nothing would come out of the ground as my share, and to find, below, the whole of the corn that I had sown. . . . But you are very young at the trade.”

... “Leave this discourse,” said the devil;

“with what canst thon sow our field this following year ?”

“For profit,” replied the husbandman,

“and good economy it is expedient to sow radishes.”

“Now then,” said the devil,

“thou art an honest man; sow plenty of radishes. I shall protect them from tempests, and shall not hail at all on them. But, understand thoroughly, I keep as my share what shall be above ground; thou shalt have what is below. Work, villein, work.”

The time for the reaping having come, the devil was present at the spot with a squadron of household devilets. There, meeting the husbandman and his people, he began to reap and collect the leaves of the radishes. After him the husbandman dug and drew out the large radishes, and put them into sacks. So they went all together to the market. The husbandman sold his radishes very well. The devil sold nothing. What yva3 worse, they jeered at him publicly.

“I see well, villein,” the devil then said,

“that I am cheated by thee. I want to make an end of the field between thee and me.”

I add a variant of the cultivating caste, as some incidents are new.

 

The Gamarala and the Washerman. (Variant.)

In a certain country there is a Gamarala, it is said. A Washerman, having come there, became friendly with the Gamarala. Having become friendly, he takes charge of the Gamarala’s cattle for grazing. During the time while he was grazing them the two persons chop chenas and do rice field work.

Well then, the two persons having become very thoroughly friends, at the time while they were thus, the cattle grazed by the Washerman increased by a buffalo bull and a buffalo cow. Afterwards, the Washerman having come [to the other man] said,

“Now then, Gamarahami,^[2] we must divide the two cattle between us.”

The Gamarala said,

“Ha. Let us divide them.”

Afterwards the Washerman having gone and caught the two cattle, tied them up.

The Gamarala went there. Then the Washerman said,

“Now then, the Gamarahami indeed has cattle. I myself have no cattle. Because of it, let the after portion of this buffalo cow be for me. The front portion the Gamarahami will be good enough to take.”

The Gamarala, having consented to that, said,

“Ha. It is good.”

Well then, in complete agreement they shared the buffalo cow.

Again, to share the buffalo bull the Washerman said,

“Gamarahami, let the front side of the buffalo bull be for me, the after side the Gamarahami will be good enough to take.”

Well then, the Gamarala having consented to that also, by the agreement of the two persons they divided the buffalo bull also.

During the time while they were thus, the Washerman having taken the buffalo bull ploughs for himself. The Gamarala also one day was going to take the buffalo bull to plough. Then the Washerman quarrelled with him:

“The front part belongs to me; the after part belongs to you. I will not allow you to plough with my side,”

he said.^[3] The Gamarala having become angry came home.

The buffalo cow having gone to the Gamarala’s house eats by stealth. Men having come told the Gamarala,

“ Gamarala, your buffalo cow comes to our rice field [and eats the crop]. On that account attend well to its grazing”

Then the Gamarala said,

“Don’t tell me. Tell that to the Washerman.”

Then the men having gone, told the Washerman,

“Washerman, the buffalo cow that you are causing to graze eats by stealth [in our rice field]. Attend well to its grazing.”

The Washerman said,

“What are you telling me ? Doesn’t the front half belong to the Gamarahami ? Isn’t it the Gamarahami who must attend to the grazing ?” ^[4]

The Washerman having come to the Gamarala’s house, quarrelled with the Gamarala [over it]. The Gamarala became very angry.

Afterwards, the Gamarala went to institute a lawsuit against the Washerman [on account of these matters]. That day, having entered the suit, and having come back to the village, he went to the Washerman to tell him the day of the trial. Having told him, the Gamarala came home.

On the following day, the Washerman came to the Gamarala. Afterwards, the Gamarala .having given the Washerman to eat and drink, and having made ready to go for the day of the trial, the Washerman said,

“Gamarahami, I have no [suitable] cloth to wear when going.”

The Gamarala gave (that is, lent) him a cloth. The Washerman putting on the cloth, both of them went for the trial-day.

After they went, the assessors ^[5] having assembled heard the lawsuit. When they asked the Gamarala [regarding the matter], the Gamarala said,

“The after portion of the buffalo cow belongs to the Washerman; the front portion belongs to me.”

When they asked the Washerman he said,

“Because the front portion of the buffalo bull belongs to me, I will not allow him to plough with the buffalo bull. Because the front portion of the buffalo cow belongs to the Gamarahami, the Gamarahami must attend to the grazing,”

he answered.

Then after the assessors had thus asked him they said,

“What the Washerman said is true.”

Thereupon the Washerman says,

“That gentleman (Ra-hami) will now say that this cloth which I am wearing is the gentleman's, maybe !”

The Gamarala asked,

“Yes, indeed. Whose is it, Bola, if that cloth is not mine ?”

Then the Washerman says to the assessors,

“There ! Be good enough to look. Didn’t that gentleman just now say that the cloth I am wearing is the gentleman’s. In that manner, indeed, he has brought this lawsuit, also.”

At that time the assessors said to the Gamarala,

“There is not a thing for us to say regarding this [except that] he is to gain [the action] against you.”

Then the Gamarala having lost, came back with the Washerman to the village.

At that time, while the Gamarala was angry with the Washerman, the Gamarala, having said that he must build a house for himself, and having gone to the jungle, cut Halmilla, Milla, Waewarana trees; these three sorts [of good timber trees].

Then the Washerman, having got news that he had cut these woods, also went to the jungle, and having said,

“I also must build a house for myself,”

cut Paepol wood, Murunga wood, Eramudu wood ; those three sorts [of soft useless woods]. After heaping them together, he wrote a book [of sham prognostications]:

“For the house [built] of Halmilla, begging ;
for the house of Waewarana, killing ;
for the house of Milla, begging;
for the house of Paepol, land ;
for the house of Eramudu, purity ;
for the house of Murunga, purity.”

After writing these, the Washerman taking up the book while the Gama-Mahage (the Gamarala’s wife) was going past for water, says them over every day for the Gama-Mahage to hear.

The Gama-Mahage having heard them, said to the Gamarala,

“A book of the Washerman’s says thus. Because of it, come with the Washerman, and having given him our small quantity of timber speak with him to allow us to take his small quantity of timber.”

Afterwards, the Gamarala having gone to the Washerman, asked at the hand of the Washerman,

“Washerman, give me your small quantity of timber, and take for yourself my small quantity of timber.”

Then the Washerman says,

“ I don’t know [if I can do it], Sir (Rahamiye). I cannot [willingly], through sorrow [at the loss to me], give you my small quantity of timber, indeed; but because the gentleman says it, any way whatever is good. Be good enough to take it.”

Afterwards the Gamarala brought [home] the Washerman’s small quantity of timber. The Washerman brought the Gamarala’s small quantity of timber. Having brought it, the Washerman with the small quantity-of the Gamarala’s timber thoroughly built the house for himself, the Gamarala also building the house for himself from the Washerman’s timber. When only three months had gone, the Gamarala’s house fell down, and the Gama-Mahage, having been underneath it, died. The house which the Washerman built from good timber remained in good condition.

North-western Province.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Senawalaya.

[2]:

A contraction of Gama-ralahami. Hami is an intermediate form between swami, “lord”, and himi ; Wanniyas still use the latter.

[3]:

The yoke of the plough is placed on the neck and fastened there, on the Washerman's half of the animal.

[4]:

Because the mouth which grazes is in the Gamarala’s half of the cow.

[5]:

Rate wissa. The word is new to me ; this appears to be the meaning.