One day a merchant, going for a stroll, came across a date tree;
reaching up his hand, he plucked a date and threw the stone away.
Now, near the spot where it fell there lived a wicked magician,
who suddenly appeared before the frightened merchant, and told him
he was going to kill him.
"You have put out my son's eye," said he, "by throwing the stone into
it, and now you shall pay for the deed with your life."
The poor merchant begged and implored for mercy, but the magician
refused. At last the merchant asked that he might be allowed to go
home and settle his affairs. and distribute his goods amongst his
family, after which he promised to return.
To this the magician consented, so the merchant departed, and spent
a last happy year with his wife and children. Then, after dividing
his goods amongst them, bade them farewell, and with many tears,
left them, that he might return to the magician and fulfil his promise.
Arrived at the spot, he saw an old man, who asked him why he came
to such a place. "A wicked magician lives here," said he, "who kills
people, or else changes them into animals or birds."
"Alas!" cried the unfortunate merchant, "that is just what my fate
will be, for I have come in fulfilment of a promise to return after
a year and be killed."
Just then two other old men came, and, while the four were conversing
together, the magician, sword in hand, suddenly appeared and rushed
at the merchant to kill him.
On this the old man interceded, and said: "O Magician, if what I have
suffered be more than you have suffered in the loss of your son's
eye, then indeed give this man double punishment: let me, I beg you,
tell my story."
"Say on," said the magician.
"Do you see this deer?" said the old man; "it is my wife. I was once
married to a wife, but after a time I wearied of her, and married
another wife, who presented me with a son. I took both the woman and
her child to my first wife, and asked her to feed and take care of
them; but she, being jealous, changed my wife into a cow, and my son
into a calf. After a year I returned and enquired after my wife and
child. My first wife said: 'Your wife is dead, and for the last two
days your child has been missing.'
"Now it happened at that time that I wanted to offer a sacrifice, and,
asking for a suitable offering, my second wife was brought to me. She
fell at my feet, and looked so unhappy that I could not kill her,
and sent her away. Then my wife grew very angry, and insisted upon
the sacrifice. At last I consented, and the poor cow was killed. [6]
"Then I asked for another offering, and the calf was brought. It too
looked at me with tearful eyes, and I had not the heart to kill it,
but gave it to a cowherd, and told him to bring it back to me after a
year. He kept it with his other cattle, and one day a young girl who
saw it began to laugh and cry. On this the cowherd asked her reason
for such conduct, and she replied: 'That calf is not really what it
appears to be, but is a young man, and his mother was the cow who
was sacrificed some time ago.'
"Then the cowherd ran to me and told me the girl's story, and I went
at once to her to ask whether it was really true, and if she could
not restore my son to his original shape again. 'Yes,' she replied,
'on two conditions. One, that I may be allowed to marry your son,
and the other, that I may do as I please with your first wife.'
"To this I consented, so she took some water and sprinkled it upon the
calf, which at once turned into my son again. With some of the same
water she sprinkled my wife, who there and then turned into a deer.
"Now, I might easily kill her if I liked; but, knowing that she is
my wife, I take her with me wherever I go."
Then the second old man said: "Hear my story. I was one of three
brothers. My father died, and we divided his clothes and money amongst
us. My eldest brother and I became merchants, but my third brother
ran away, wasted and squandered his money, and became a beggar. He
returned home, and begged us to forgive him, which we did, and gave
him one thousand rupees to buy merchandise.
"We three then went across the seas to buy goods. On the seashore I
saw a very beautiful woman, and asked her if she would come across
the sea with me. She consented; but when my brothers saw her they grew
jealous, and, as soon as the ship sailed, they took her and threw her
into the sea, and me after her. But she, being an Enchanted Being,
rose to the surface of the water unhurt, and, taking me up, carried
me to a place of safety on the seashore.
"Then she said she was very angry with my brothers and meant to kill
them both. I begged in vain that she would spare them, so at last
she consented to punish them in some other way instead of killing them.
"When next I visited at the house of my brothers, two dogs fell at
my feet and cowered before me. Then the woman told me that they were
my brothers, and would remain dogs for twelve years, after which time
they would resume their natural shapes."
The third old man began to tell his story. "I had the misfortune to
marry a witch, who, soon after my marriage, turned me into a dog. I
fled from the house, and ate such scraps of food as were thrown away
by the store-keepers in the market place.
"One day one of the men there took me home, but his daughter turned
away her head each time she looked at me. At last her father enquired
her reason for doing this, and she replied: 'Father, that is not a
dog, but a man whose wife is a witch, and it is she who has changed
him into a dog. I will restore him again to his former shape.' So
she sprinkled water upon me, and I forthwith regained the shape of
a man. I then asked her if I might not punish my wife, and she gave
me some water and told me to go and sprinkle it upon the wicked witch.
"I did this, and she became a donkey! Yet I keep her, and take care
of her, and pray you, even as we had mercy, to so have mercy upon
this man."
So the magician forgave the man, and let him go.