In a certain country there are a King and a Queen, it is said. There is
also a Prince (son) of those two persons. Having given seven thousand
masuran, a Princess was brought, and given to the Prince by the King
and Queen.
The Prince that night having spoken to the Princess, told her to warm
a little water and give him it. To that having said, "I will not,"
the Princess went to sleep. On that account, next morning the Prince
went and sent away the Princess.
After that, again having given seven thousand masuran, and brought
yet [another] Princess, they gave [her to him]. In that very way
having told that Princess to warm water, because she did not warm
it he went and sent her away. Thus in that manner having brought six
Princesses, because they did not warm water in the night he sent away
the whole six.
After that, having given ten thousand masuran, and come summoning
yet a Princess, they gave [her to him]. That Princess at the time
when the Prince told her, having warmed water gave it.
Well then, while he is causing the days to pass with much affection
for the Princess, the whole of the men of that country became ready
to go to Puttalam. This Prince also having thought of going, when
he asked [permission] at the hand of the King, the King and Queen,
both of them, said, "Don't go. If you eat the things that are here and
stop [here], it will be sufficient for you. They go to Puttalam near
the city of the courtesan woman. When they are going away from there
the courtesan woman catches and takes them, having said, 'Don't even
go.'" They said many things.
But the Prince without hearkening to it went away to Puttalam with the
men. Having gone, he went to the city of the courtesan woman. Then
certain men having been there, said, "Here, indeed, is the tavalam
place [99]; throw down the sacks." Well then, this party threw down
the sacks.
Having thrown down the sacks, when they were becoming ready to cook,
the courtesan woman having come, said, "Don't you cook; I am preparing
food for all." The woman, however many persons should come, gives
food to the whole of them.
That night, also, having prepared food for these people, and called
them to the house, and apportioned the cooked rice and given it, she
said, "Having eaten this cooked rice and eaten betel, should my cat
be holding the light at the time when it is becoming finished, this
multitude, the cattle, and the sacks are mine. Should it be unable
[to do] thus, my city, people, cattle, sacks, and all my goods are
yours," she wagered and promised.
This multitude having become pleased at it, began to eat the cooked
rice. When they began, the cat came, and sitting down in the midst
of the multitude remained holding the light. Having eaten both
the cooked rice and the betel, because at the time when they were
finishing it remained holding the light, the multitude, the cattle,
the sacks, became attached [100] to the courtesan woman (i.e., became
her property).
This multitude being unable to go away, a number of years went by. The
Princess's parents having ascertained that that Prince's Princess is
living alone, without the Prince, the two came to go away with the
Princess. That King and Queen (the Prince's parents), having said
that on the top of the sorrow at the loss of the Prince they cannot
send away the Princess also, were much agitated. But the Princess's
parents without listening to it, joining with the Princess went to
the Princess's country.
Well then, the Princess, for the purpose of bringing the Prince,
spoke to the men of the Princess's country: "Let us go to Puttalam."
The men said, "Having gone away to Puttalam, so many persons were
caught at the courtesan woman's city so many years ago; if, again,
we also go and should be caught, how shall we come back? We will not."
Thereupon the Princess said, "Without your becoming caught, I will
save you; without fear do you become ready to go with me." After that,
many persons got ready.
The Princess having cut a long bamboo stick, and cleaned it inside,
caught seven mice and put them in it; and having caught a few frogs
and put them in it for food for the mice, closed both ends and put a
little polish on the outside. The Princess having dressed in Hetti
dress, taking that staff made the name [for it], having said that
the name was "tavalam staff."
Well then, this Hettirala (the Princess) went away to Puttalam with
those many persons. Having gone, when they came to the city of the
courtesan woman, certain men having been [there] said, "Here, indeed,
is the tavalama place; throw down the sacks."
Well then, having thrown down the sacks, when they were becoming ready
to cook, the courtesan woman came and said, "I am preparing food for
you also; don't cook;" and in the very manner [in which she behaved]
to that first party, gave rice and made the promise.
When this party were eating cooked rice, the cat, sitting in the midst
of this party, is holding the lamp. [101] This Princess who was the
Hettirala, having opened one side (end) of the tavalama staff, sent two
mice to go near the cat's head. The cat, not having even opened its
eyes, did not look [at them]. This Princess sent still two mice. At
that also it did not awake and look; silently it remained holding
the light. Then she sent the other three mice. Instantly the cat,
having let go the lamp, sprang to catch the mice.
Well then, the city, the multitude of the city, the cattle, the sacks,
and the whole of the goods became the property of the Princess. Well
then, the Princess having told about this to the Princess's Prince
also, and having started off that party [who accompanied her] to the
Princess's country, the Prince and Princess went with the party from
the Prince's country.
When they were coming along to the Prince's country, the Prince's
mother and the King too, remained weeping and weeping under a tree
in the rice field, wearing a sort of ugly clothes, the hair of the
head unfastened and hanging down, and mucus trickling down, filthy
to the extent that they could not look at them.
The Prince and Princess having seen from very far that these two
are [there], dressed themselves. But the two persons were unable to
recognise the Prince and Princess. Having come very near they asked
the King and Queen, "What are you weeping there for?"
Thereupon, the two say, "There was only a single son of ours. There
is news that that son, having gone away to Puttalam, has been caught
at the courtesan woman's city. Now then, we have nobody; because of
it we are weeping."
Thereupon these two persons said, "Well then, what shall we do about
that? Will you give us a resting-place in your kingdom?" they asked.
Then these two persons having said, "We can," and having gone summoning
them to the palace, gave them the resting-place. This Princess,
taking off the Hetti clothes, and the Prince, having put on other
clothes in such a manner that they can recognise them, and having
summoned the King and Queen, the Princess told all this account from
the top to the root, and having said, "Behold! Your Prince is [here],"
she handed him over to them.
Thereupon, this King and Queen having prepared sandal milk, [102]
and caused the Prince and Princess to bathe in it, gave charge of
the King's kingdom to the Princess; and in that very palace these
four persons passed the time in a good manner.
North-western Province.
In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 149, a woman who kept
a gambling house was accustomed to win from everyone by the aid of
her cat, which brushed against the lamp and extinguished it when the
play was going against her. A young woman whose husband had in this
way lost everything he possessed, and who had lost his liberty also,
went in search of him, bribed the servants to tell her the secret of
the gambling woman's success, and then went to play disguised as a
man, having a mouse concealed in her sleeve. When the cat approached
the lamp she released the mouse, which was chased by the cat. In the
meantime she won back all that her husband lost.
In Folklore of the Santal Parganas (collected by Dr. Bodding), p. 115,
a Prince while travelling was robbed of all his belongings by a Raja,
and became a labourer. His wife, hearing of it, went to the same place,
and it was settled that the person towards whom the Raja's cat jumped
should possess the wealth taken from the Prince. The Princess had
taken a mouse with her, and kept partly uncovering it and covering
it again with her shawl. When the cat was released it sprang towards
her to seize the mouse, so she regained the property.
In Folk-Tales of Tibet (O'Connor), p. 39, a young man bet a person at
whose house he halted that when it became night a cat would not carry
a lantern into the room. Each person wagered all his property. The
landlord's cat being trained to bring in the lantern, he won the
wager, and the man became his servant. His wife came in search of him
disguised as a man. She made the usual bet, got her husband to conceal
in his bosom a box containing three mice, and to release these in turn
when the cat approached. The cat allowed the first two to run off,
but dropped the lantern and chased the last one. The man and his wife
returned home with all the landlord's goods as well as their own.