"Champa Ranee Nautch girl, your prayer is heard!" (She thought the
idol himself was speaking to her, and listened attentively.) "This is
what you must do: sell all you possess, and give the money to the
poor; you must also give money to all your servants and dismiss them.
Level also your house to the ground, that you may be wholly separated
from earth. Then you will be fit for heaven. Come, having done all I
command you, on this day week to this place, and you shall be
transported thither body and soul."
Champa Ranee believed what she heard, and forgetful of Vicram
Maharajah Parrot's threat, hastened to do as she was bidden. She sold
her possessions, and gave all the money to the poor; razed her house
to the ground, and dismissed her servants; which being accomplished,
on the day appointed she went to the temple, and sat on the edge of a
well outside it, explaining to the assembled people how the idol
himself had spoken to her, and how they would shortly see her caught
up to heaven, and thus her departure from the world would be even
more celebrated than her doings whilst in it. All the people listened
eagerly to her words, for they believed her inspired, and to see her
ascension the whole city had come out, with hundreds and hundreds of
strangers and travelers, princes, merchants and nobles, from far and
near, all full of expectation and curiosity.
Then, as they waited, a fluttering of little wings was heard, and a
parrot flew over Champa Ranee's head, calling out, "Nautch girl!
Nautch girl! what have you done?" Champa Ranee recognized the voice as
Vicram's; he went on: "Will you go body and soul to heaven? have you
forgotten polly's words?"
Champa Ranee rushed into the temple, and, falling on her knees before
the idol, cried out, "Gracious Power, I have done all as you
commanded; let your words come true; save me; take me to heaven."
But the Parrot above her cried, "Good-bye, Champa Ranee, good-bye; you
ate a chicken's head, not mine. Where is your house now? where your
servants and all your possessions? Have my words come true, think you,
or yours?"
Then the woman saw all, and in her rage and despair, cursing her own
folly, she fell violently down on the floor of the temple, and dashing
her head against the stone, killed herself.
It was now two years since the Rajah Vicram left his kingdom; and
about six months before, Butti, in despair of his ever returning, had
set out to seek for him. Up and down through many countries had he
gone, searching for his master, but without success. As good fortune
would have it, however, he chanced to be one of those strangers who
had come to witness the Nautch girl's translation, and no sooner did
he see the Parrot which spoke to her than in him he recognized Vicram.
The Rajah also saw him, and flew on to his shoulder, upon which Butti
caught him, put him in a cage and took him home.
Now was a puzzling problem to be solved. The Rajah's soul was in the
Parrot's body, and the Carpenter's son's soul in the Rajah's body. How
was the latter to be expelled to make way for the former? He could not
return to his own body, for that had perished long before. The Wuzeer
knew not how to manage the matter, and determined therefore to await
the course of events.
It happened that the pretended Rajah and Butti each had a fighting
ram, and one day the Rajah said to the Wuzeer, "Let us set our rams to
fight to-day, and try the strength of mine against yours." "Agreed,"
answered the Wuzeer; and they set them to fight. But there was much
difference in the two rams; for when Butti's ram was but a lamb, and
his horns were growing, Butti had tied him to a lime tree, and his
horns had got very strong indeed by constantly rubbing against its
tender stem and butting against it; but the Carpenter's son had tied
his ram, when a lamb, to a young teak tree, the trunk of which was so
stout and strong that the little creature, butting against it, could
make no impression on it, but only damaged and loosened his own horns.
The pretended Rajah soon saw, to his vexation, that his favorite's
horns being less strong than its opponent's, he was getting tired, and
beginning to lose courage, would certainly be worsted in the fight;
so, quick as thought, he left his own body and transported his soul
into the ram's body, in order to give it an increase of courage and
resolution, and enable it to win.
No sooner did Vicram Maharajah, who was hanging up in a cage, see what
had taken place, than he left the parrot's body and re-entered his own
body. Then Butti's ram pushed the other down on its knees and the
Wuzeer ran and fetched a sword, and cut off its head; thus putting an
end, with the life of the ram, to the life of the Carpenter's son.
Great was the joy of Anar Ranee and all the household at recovering
the Rajah after his long absence; and Anar Ranee prayed him to fly
away no more as a parrot, which he promised her he would not do.
But the taste for wandering and love of an unsettled life did not
leave him on his resuming his proper form; and one of the things in
which he most delighted was to roam about the jungles near the palace
by himself, without attendant or guide. One very sultry day, when he
was thus out by himself, he wandered over a rocky part of the country,
which was flat and arid, without a tree upon it to offer shelter from
the burning sun. Vicram, tired with his walk, threw himself down by
the largest piece of rock he could find to rest. As he lay there, half
asleep, a little Cobra came out of a hole in the ground, and seeing
his mouth wide open (which looked like some shady cranny in a rock),
crept in and curled himself up in the Rajah's throat.
Vicram Maharajah called out to the Cobra, "Get out of my throat." But
the Cobra said, "No, I won't go; I like being here better then under
ground;" and there he stayed. Vicram didn't know what to do, for the
Cobra lived in his throat and could not be got out. At times it would
peep out of his mouth, but the moment the Rajah tried to catch it, it
ran back again.
"Who ever heard of a Rajah in such a miserable plight?" sighed he to
Butti--"to think of having this Cobra in my throat!"
"Ah, my dear friend," Butti would answer, "why will you go roaming
about the country by yourself? Will you never be cured of it?"
"If one could only catch this Cobra, I'd be content to wander no
more," said the Rajah, "for my wandering has not brought me much good
of late." But to catch the Cobra was more than any man could do. At
last, one day, Vicram, driven nearly mad in this perplexity, ran away
into the jungle. Tidings of this were soon brought to Butti, who was
much grieved to hear it, and sighed, saying, "Alas! alas! of what
avail to Vicram Maharajah is his more than human wisdom, when the one
unlucky self-chosen gift neutralizes all the good he might do with it!
It has given him a love of wandering hither and thither, minding
everybody's business but his own; his kingdom is neglected, his people
uncared for, and he, that used to be the pride of all Rajahs, the
best, the noblest, has finally slunk out of his country, like a thief
escaping from jail."
Butti sent messengers far and wide seeking Vicram Maharajah, but they
could not find him; he then determined to go himself in search of his
lost friend; and having made proper arrangements for the government of
the country during his absence, he set off on his travels.
Meantime Vicram wandered on and on until at last, one day, he came to
the palace of a certain Rajah, who reigned over a country very far
from his own, and he sat down with the beggars at the palace gate.
Now, the Rajah at whose gate Vicram Maharajah sat had a good and
lovely daughter, named Buccoulee.[65] Many Princes wished to marry
this Princess, but she would marry none of them. Her father and mother
said to her, "Why will you not choose a husband? Among all these
Princes who ask you in marriage there are many rich and powerful--many
handsome and brave--many wise and good; why will you refuse them all?"
The Princess replied, "It is not my destiny to marry any of them;
continually in my dreams I see my destined husband, and I wait for
him." "Who is he?" they asked. "His name," she answered, "is the Rajah
Vicram; he will come from a very far country; he has not come yet."
They replied, "There is no Rajah, far or near, that we know of, of
this name; give over this fancy of yours and marry some one else."
[65] Said to mean some sort of water-plant.
But she constantly refused, saying, "No, I will wait for the Rajah
Vicram." Her parents thought, "It may be even as she says. Who knows
but perhaps some day a great King, greater than any we know, may come
to this country and wish to marry the girl; we shall then be glad that
we had not obliged her to marry any of her present suitors?"
No sooner had Vicram Maharajah come to the palace gate, and sat down
there with the beggars, than the Princess Buccoulee, looking out of
the window, saw him and cried, "There is the husband I saw in my
dreams; there is the Rajah Vicram." "Where, child, where?" said her
mother; "there's no Rajah there; only a parcel of beggars."
But the Princess persisted that one of them was the Rajah Vicram.
Then the Ranee sent for Vicram Maharajah and questioned him.
He said his name was "Rajah Vicram." But the Rajah and Ranee did not
believe him; and they were very angry with the Princess because she
persisted in saying that he, and no other, would she marry. At last
they got so enraged with her that they said, "Well, marry your beggar
husband, if you will, but don't think to remain any longer our
daughter after becoming his wife; if you marry him it shall be to
follow his fortunes in the jungle; we shall soon see you repent your
obstinacy."
"I will marry him and follow him wherever he goes," said the Princess.
So Vicram Maharajah and the Princess Buccoulee were married, and her
parents turned her out of the house; nevertheless, they allowed her a
little money. "For," they said, "she will fast enough find the
difference between a king's daughter and a beggar's wife, without
wanting food."
Vicram built a little hut in the jungle, and there they lived; but the
poor Princess had a sad time of it, for she was neither accustomed to
cook nor wash, and the hard work tired her very much. Her chief grief,
however, was that Vicram should have such a hideous tormentor as the
Cobra in his throat; and often and often of a night she sat awake,
trying to devise some means for catching it, but all in vain.
At last, one night, when she was thinking about it, she saw close by
two Cobras come out of their holes, and as they began to talk, she
listened to hear what they would say.
"Who are these people?" said the first Cobra. "These," said the
second, "are the Rajah Vicram, and his wife the Princess Buccoulee."
"What are they doing here? why is the Rajah so far from his kingdom?"
asked the first Cobra.
"Oh, he ran away because he was so miserable; he has a Cobra that
lives in his throat," answered the second.
"Can no one get it out?" said the first.
"No," replied the other; "because they do not know the secret." "What
secret?" asked the first Cobra. "Don't you know?" said the second;
"why, if his wife only took a few marking nuts,[66] and pounded them
well, and mixed them in cocoa-nut oil, and set the whole on fire, and
hung the Rajah, her husband, head downward up in a tree above it, the
smoke, rising upward, would instantly kill the Cobra in his mouth,
which would tumble down dead."
[66] _Semecarpus anacardium._
"I never heard of that before," said the first Cobra.
"Didn't you?" exclaimed the second. "Why, if they did the same thing
at the mouth of your hole, they'd kill you in no time; and then,
perhaps, they might find all the fine treasure you have there!" "Don't
joke in that way," said the first Cobra; "I don't like it;" and he
crawled away quite offended, and the second Cobra followed him.
No sooner had the Princess heard this than she determined to try the
experiment. So next morning she sent for all the villagers living near
(who all knew and loved her, and would do anything she told them,
because she was the Rajah's daughter), and bade them take a great
cauldron and fill it with cocoa-nut oil, and pound down an immense
number of marking nuts and throw them into it, and then bring the
cauldron to her. They did so, and she set the whole on fire, and
caused Vicram to be hung up in a tree overhead; and as soon as the
smoke from the cauldron rose in the air it suffocated the Cobra in
Vicram Maharajah's throat, which fell down quite dead. Then the Rajah
Vicram said to his wife, "O worthy Buccoulee! what a noble woman you
are! You have delivered me from this torment, which was more than all
the wise men in my kingdom could do."
Buccoulee then caused the cauldron of oil to be placed close to the
hole of the first Cobra, which she had heard speaking the night
before, and he was suffocated.
She then ordered the people to dig him out of his hole, and in it they
found a vast amount of treasure--gold, silver and jewels. Then
Buccoulee sent for royal robes for herself and her husband, and bade
him cut his hair and shave him; and when they were all ready, she took
the remainder of the treasure and returned with it to her father's
house; and her father and mother, who had repented of their harshness,
gladly welcomed her back, and were both surprised and delighted to see
all the vast treasures she had, and what a handsome, princely-looking
man her husband was.
Then one day news was brought to Vicram that a stranger Wuzeer had
arrived in the palace as the Rajah's guest, and that this Wuzeer had
for twelve years been wandering round the world in search of his
master, but, not having found him, was returning to his own home.
Vicram thought to himself, "Can this possibly be Butti?" and he ran to
see.
It was indeed Butti, who cried for joy to see him, saying, "Oh
Vicram, Vicram! do you know it is twelve years since you left us all?"
Then Vicram Maharajah told Butti how the good Princess Buccoulee had
married him and succeeded in killing the Cobra, and how he was then on
the point of returning to his own country. So they all set out
together, being given many rich presents by Buccoulee's father and
mother. At last after a long, long journey, they reached home. Anar
Ranee was overjoyed to see them again, for she had long mourned her
husband as dead. When Buccoulee Ranee was told who Anar Ranee was and
taken to see her, she felt very much frightened, for she thought,
"Perhaps she will be jealous of me and hate me." But with a gentle
smile Anar Ranee came to meet her, saying, "Sister, I hear it is to
you we owe the preservation of the Rajah, and that it was you who
killed the Cobra; I can never be sufficiently grateful to you, nor
love you enough, as long as I live."
From that day Vicram Maharajah stayed in his own kingdom, ruling it
wisely and well, and beloved by all. He and Butti lived to a good old
age, and their affection for each other lasted as long as they lived.
So that it became a proverb in that country, and instead of saying,
"So-and-so love each other like brothers" (when speaking of two who
were much attached), the people would say, "So-and-so love each other
like the Rajah and the Wuzeer."
[Decoration]