When the Son of the Chan was carrying off Ssidi, as formerly, Ssidi
related the following tale:--
"A long while ago, there was in the very centre of a certain kingdom
an old pagoda, in which stood the image of Choschim Bodissadoh (a
Mongolian idol), formed of clay. Near unto this pagoda stood a small
house, in which a beautiful maiden resided with her aged parents. But
at the mouth of the river, which ran thereby, dwelt a poor man, who
maintained himself by selling fruit, which he carried in an ark upon
the river.
"Now it happened once, that as he was returning home he was benighted
in the neighbourhood of the pagoda. He listened at the door of the
house in which the two old people dwelt, and heard the old woman say
unto her husband, 'We are both grown exceedingly old; could we now but
provide for our daughter, it would be well.'
"'That we have lived so long happily together,' said the old man, 'we
are indebted to the talisman of our daughter. Let us, however, offer
up sacrifice to Bodissadoh, and inquire of him to what condition we
shall dedicate our daughter--to the spiritual or to the worldly.
To-morrow, at the earliest dawn, we will therefore lay our offering
before the Burchan.'
"'Now know I what to do,' said the listener; so in the night-time he
betook himself to the pagoda, made an opening in the back of the idol,
and concealed himself therein. When on the following morning the two
old people and the daughter drew nigh and made their offering, the
father bowed himself to the earth and spake as follows:--
"'Deified Bodissadoh! shall this maiden be devoted to a spiritual or
worldly life? If she is to be devoted to a worldly life, vouchsafe to
point out now or hereafter, in a dream or vision, to whom we shall
give her to wife.'
"Then he who was concealed in the image exclaimed, 'It is better that
thy daughter be devoted to a worldly life. Therefore, give her to wife
to the first man who presents himself at thy door in the morning.'
"The old people were greatly rejoiced when they heard these words; and
they bowed themselves again and again down to the earth, and walked
around the idol.
"On the following morning the man stepped out of the idol and knocked
at the door of the aged couple. The old woman went out, and when she
saw that it was a man, she turned back again, and said to her husband,
'The words of the Burchan are fulfilled; the man has arrived.'
"'Give him entrance!' said the old man. The man came in accordingly,
and was welcomed with food and drink; and when they had told him all
that the idol had said, he took the maiden with the talisman to wife.
"When he was wandering forth and drew nigh unto his dwelling, he
thought unto himself, 'I have with cunning obtained the daughter of
the two old people. Now I will place the maiden in the ark, and
conceal the ark in the sand.'
"So he concealed the ark, and went and said unto the people, 'Though I
have ever acted properly, still it has never availed me yet. I will
therefore now seek to obtain liberal gifts through my prayers.' Thus
spake he, and after repeating the Zoka-prayers (part of the Calmuc
ritual), he obtained food and gifts, and said, 'To-morrow I will
again wander around, repeat the appointed Zoka-prayers, and seek food
again.'
"In the meanwhile it happened that the son of the Chan and two of his
companions, with bows and arrows in their hands, who were following a
tiger, passed by unnoticed, and arrived at the sand-heap of the maiden
Ssuwarandari. 'Let us shoot at that heap!' cried they. Thus spake
they, and shot accordingly, and lost their arrows in the sand. As they
were looking after the arrows, they found the ark, opened it, and drew
out the maiden with the talisman.
"'Who art thou, maiden?' inquired they. 'I am the daughter of Lu.' The
Chan's son said, 'Come with me, and be my wife.' And the maiden said,
'I cannot go unless another is placed in the ark instead of me.' So
they all said, 'Let us put in the tiger.' And when the tiger was
placed in the ark, the Chan's son took away with him the maiden, and
the talisman with her.
"In the meanwhile the beggar ended his prayers; and when he had done
so, he thought unto himself, 'If I take the talisman, slay the maiden,
and sell the talisman, of a surety I shall become rich indeed.' Thus
thinking he drew nigh unto the sand-heap, drew forth the ark, carried
it home with him, and said unto his wife, who he thought was within
the ark, 'I shall pass this night in repeating the Zoka-prayers.' He
threw off his upper garment. And when he had done so, he lifted off
the cover of the ark, and said, 'Maiden, be not alarmed!' When he was
thus speaking, he beheld the tiger.
"When some persons went into the chamber on the following morning,
they found a tiger with his tusks and claws covered with blood, and
the body of the beggar torn into pieces.
"And the wife of the Chan gave birth to three sons, and lived in the
enjoyment of plenty of all things. But the ministers and the people
murmured, and said, 'It was not well of the Chan that he drew forth
his wife out of the earth. Although the wife of the Chan has given
birth to the sons of the Chan, still she is but a low-born creature.'
Thus spoke they, and the wife of the Chan received little joy
therefrom. 'I have borne three sons,' said she, 'and yet am noways
regarded; I will therefore return home to my parents.'
"She left the palace on the night of the full moon, and reached the
neighbourhood of her parents at noontide. Where there had formerly
been nothing to be seen she saw a multitude of workmen busily
employed, and among them a man having authority, who prepared meat and
drink for them. 'Who art thou, maiden?' inquired this man. 'I come far
from hence,' replied the wife of the Chan; 'but my parents formerly
resided upon this mountain, and I have come hither to seek them.'
"At these words the young man said, 'Thou art then their daughter?'
and he received for answer, 'I am their daughter.'
"'I am their son,' said he. 'I have been told that I had a sister
older than myself. Art thou she? Sit thee down, partake of this meat
and this drink, and we will then go together unto our parents.'
"When the wife of the Chan arrived at the summit of the mountain, she
found in the place where the old pagoda stood a number of splendid
buildings, with golden towers full of bells. And the hut of her
parents was changed into a lordly mansion. 'All this,' said her
brother, 'belongs to us, since you took your departure. Our parents
lived here in health and peace.'
"In the palace there were horses and mules, and costly furniture in
abundance. The father and mother were seated on rich pillows of silk,
and gave their daughter welcome, saying, 'Thou art still well and
happy. That thou hast returned home before we depart from this life is
of a surety very good.'
"After various inquiries had been made on both sides, relative to what
had transpired during the separation of the parties, the old parents
said, 'Let us make these things known unto the Chan and his
ministers.'
"So the Chan and his ministers were loaded with presents, and three
nights afterwards they were welcomed with meat and drink of the best.
But the Chan said, 'Ye have spoken falsely, the wife of the Chan had
no parents.' Now the Chan departed with his retinue, and his wife
said, 'I will stop one more night with my parents, and then I will
return unto you.'
"On the following morning the wife of the Chan found herself on a hard
bed, without pillows or coverlets. 'What is this?' exclaimed she; 'was
I not this night with my father and mother--and did I not retire to
sleep on a bed of silk?'
"And when she rose up she beheld the ruined hut of her parents. Her
father and mother were dead, and their bones mouldered; their heads
lay upon a stone. Weeping loudly, she said unto herself, 'I will now
look after the pagoda.' But she saw nothing but the ruins of the
pagoda and of the Burchan. 'A godly providence,' exclaimed she, 'has
resuscitated my parents. Now since the Chan and the ministers will be
pacified, I will return home again.'
"On her arrival in the kingdom of her husband, the ministers and the
people came forth to meet her, and walked around her. 'This wife of
the Chan,' cried they, 'is descended from noble parents, has borne
noble sons, and is herself welcome, pleasant, and charming.' Thus
speaking, they accompanied the wife of the Chan to the palace."
"Her merits must have been great." Thus spake the Son of the Chan.
"Ruler of Destiny, thou hast spoken words! Ssarwala missdood
jakzang!" Thus spake Ssidi, and burst from the sack through the air.
Thus Ssidi's eleventh relation treats of the Maiden Ssuwarandari.