The Hettirala having said, "If so, take these two bundles," gave him
the two packages. Just as he is taking the two bundles in his hand,
the Prince asks, "What are these?"
Thereupon the Hettirala says, "One bundle is my clothes; one is things
for us for the road, to eat."
The Prince taking them, when he was starting to go on the journey
the Hettirala's wife gave him yet a package. The Prince asks, "What
is this?"
Thereupon the woman says, "For our son-in-law there is need of snakes'
eggs; in that packet there are snakes' eggs. Having gone, give that
packet into either son-in-law's hand or daughter's hand." The Prince,
taking the packet, put it away.
The Hettirala, dressing well, mounted upon the back of a horse, and
calling the Prince went off. When he had gone a considerable distance,
the Prince alone ate the package which she prepared and gave him to
eat for the road. Taking the food which was in the packet that she told
him to give to the son-in-law, having said they were snakes' eggs, he
ate of them to the possible extent; and having thrown the remaining
ones there and here, and seen an ant-hill on the path when coming,
he broke a stick, and taking it, prodding and prodding [the ground]
round the ant-hill he began to cry out. The Hettirala having turned
back, when he looked the Prince says, "The snakes that were in this
packet, look! they entered this ant-hill!" Thereupon the Hettirala,
ascertaining that he is telling lies, having said, "It is good; if so,
you come on," calling him, goes on.
At that time, the time for eating cooked rice at noon having arrived,
the Hettirala, stopping the horse, said, "Bola, I am now hungry. Take
out even the packet which you brought to eat for the road."
Thereupon to the Hettirala the Prince says, "Hetti-elder-brother,
what is this you say? Because you said, 'They are for the road, to
eat,' I threw them away for the road to eat, and came. For eating
for the road, what shall we eat?"
Well then, much anger having gone to the Hettirala, because there
was not a thing to do he said, "If so, come, to go."
As they were going, the Hettirala, having hunger which he was unable to
bear, says to the Prince, "Bola, can you climb this tree, and pluck a
young coconut for me and give it?" Thereupon the Prince says, "I can."
Having climbed the tree, and gone round the stems of the branches of
the tree, holding two stems firmly, with his two feet he began to
kick down the clusters of [ripe] coconuts into the jungle, and the
clusters of young coconuts into the jungle. Thereupon the Hettirala
having descended from the horse's back, began to shout, "Ha! Ha! Don't
pluck them, don't pluck them!" At that time the person who owned the
place having come, prepared to beat him.
Thereupon the Hettirala says, "It is I who sent him up the tree to
make him pluck a young coconut. He is a great fool; don't beat him."
The man, treating with respect the Hettirala's saying, said, "It is
good. If so, having eaten as many young coconuts as possible, go ye";
and the man went away.
Thereupon the Prince having eaten young coconut with the Hettirala,
when they set off to go the Hettirala says, "Having struck [thy hand]
on my head, swear thou in such a way that thou wilt not go [in future]
by even a foot-bridge (edanda) in which a coconut trunk is laid,
putting [out of consideration] going up a coconut tree."
Thereupon the Prince having struck on the Hettirala's head, swears,
"I will not go up a coconut tree, and I will not go by a foot-bridge in
which a coconut trunk is placed." Having sworn this, they began to go.
When going they met with a bridge in which a great many coconut trunks
were placed. The Hettirala having gone to the other side, spoke to the
Prince, [telling him to follow]. Thereupon the Prince says, "Ane! I
cannot come. Having struck on the head of the Hetti-elder-brother
and sworn, how can I come?"
Thereupon the Hettirala having descended from the back of the horse,
came [across]; and lifting up the Prince and having gone [over],
placed him on the other side. Through that disturbance the cloth that
was on the Hettirala's head fell on the ground. The Hettirala did not
see it. The Prince having seen that the cloth fell, took it with his
foot, and having thrown it into the bush went on.
When going a considerable distance, ascertaining that the cloth on
the Hettirala's head was not [there], he asks the Prince, "My cloth
fell on the ground; didn't you see it?"
Thereupon the Prince says, "The thing which the Hetti-elder-brother
has thrown away when coming, why should I bring? I threw it into the
bush with my foot."
Then the Hettirala says, "Since you threw away the cloth and came,
beginning from this time when anything has fallen from us don't leave
it and come."
The Prince says, "It is good. If so, beginning from this time,
without throwing it away I will bring it."
Beginning from there, taking the horse-dung and earth from the
staling-place he went along putting and putting them in the Hettirala's
clothes box. Having gone there, when they came near the house of the
Hettirala's daughter, [the Hettirala] having spoken to the Prince
asking for the bundle of clothes, he unfastened it. When he looked,
he saw that the horse-dung and mud were in the bundle of clothes,
and much anger having gone to the Hettirala, he said, "Æ! Enemy,
what is this?"
Thereupon the Prince says, "What, Hetti-elder-brother, are you
saying? At first you said, 'Don't throw away anything that falls from
us.' What is this thing you are saying now?"
Then the Hettirala thought to himself the word he said at the beginning
was wrong; bearing it because of it, he says, "With these clothes on
my back I cannot go to the house of son-in-law's people. My clothes
are very dirty. I shall come when it has become night. Thou having
gone immediately (daemmama) say that I am coming." Having said [this],
and told the Prince the road going to the house, he started him.
Thereupon the Prince having gone to that house and having spoken,
says, "The Hetti-elder-brother started and came in order to come
with me. Thereupon he got a stomach-ache. [240] Before this also
[241] he got a stomach-ache. The Hetti-elder-brother having told me
the medical treatment he applies for the stomach-ache, and started
me quickly, sent me to prepare the medicine," he said.
Thereupon the Hettirala's daughter having become much afraid, asked,
"What is the medicine?"
The Prince says, "Don't be afraid; it is not a difficult medicine [to
prepare]. Taking both coconut oil of seven years and the dust of Ma-Vi
(the largest kind of paddy), and having ground them together, when you
have made ball-cakes (aggala), and placed them [ready], it will do;
that indeed is the medicine. Don't give him any other thing to eat."
Thereupon, the Hettirala's daughter very quickly having ground
up coconut oil and Ma-Vi dust, and made ball-cakes, placed them
[ready]. When, after a very long time, the Hettirala came, quickly
having given him to wash his face, hands, and feet, as soon as he
had finished she gave him that ball-cake to eat.
Thereupon the Hettirala thinks, "My daughter and son-in-law having
become very poor, are now without a thing also to eat"; but through
shame to ask he remained without speaking. Well, then, at the
time for eating rice at night, although the whole of the [other]
persons ate cooked rice and finished, she did not give cooked rice
to the Hettirala. Having made ready [the necessary things,--mat and
pillow]--to sleep, only, she gave them.
The Hettirala lay down. Having been in hunger during the daytime and
night, when he had eaten the ball-cakes he began [to experience the
purgative effect of the oil]. After he had [been affected] four or
five times, being without water to wash his hands and feet, having
spoken to the Prince he asks, "Bola, the water is finished; there is
not a means to wash my hands and feet. Didn't you see a place where
there is water?"
Thereupon the Prince says, "I saw it. There is a sort of
water-pot." Having gone to the place where there are pots of palm
juice, and filled a cooking pot, he brought the palm juice, and saying
it was water gave it.
Thereupon the whole of his body having been smeared with the palm
juice, he says, "Bola, this is not water; it is a sort of palm
juice. Seek something to wipe this, and give me it."
Then the Prince having torn in two the pillow that was [there] for
placing the head upon, gave him the cotton to wipe off the palm
juice. When the Hettirala was wiping off the palm juice with the
cotton, the palm juice and cotton having held together, it became
more difficult than it was. Thereupon having become very angry with
the Prince, and having looked to that and this hand, finding a little
water and slightly washing himself he came to the bed, and made ready
to go to sleep. Again [the purgative affected him violently, and
he was compelled to utilise a cooking-pot which the Prince brought
him]. When he was removing it in the early morning, unobserved by
the people at the house, [the Prince] having gone running says to the
Hettirala's daughter, "Look there. Last night it was very difficult
for your father. Having become angry that you did not pay attention
to him he is going away."
Thereupon the Hettirala's daughter having gone, embraced the
Hettirala. When she embraced him, the Hettirala and the Hettirala's
daughter were [befouled by the contents of the vessel].
The Hettirala having become very angry said, "He having done me
much injury until this time, now he smeared this on my body, didn't
he?" Being unable to bear it, and having told his son-in-law all
these matters in secret, "Taking him, we will go away and put him in
a distant country," he said.
The son-in-law having said, "It is good," and having spoken to the
Prince, says, "We two are to go on a journey. The three [of us] having
gone together, let us return." So saying, on the following day after
that, the Hettirala, and the Prince, and the Hettirala's son-in-law,
the three persons together, went to the wharf (naew-totta).
Thereupon the Prince thought, "Now then, it is not good; I must spring
off and go." Having thought [this], when he said to the two persons,
"I must go aside [for necessary reasons]," the two said, "If so,
having gone, come back."
Having gone running from there to the place where the Hettirala's
daughter is, he says, "They told me to ask for the money which he
gave yesterday to be put away, and to go back quickly." Having said
it, asking for [and getting] the money from the Hettiya's daughter,
he bounded off and ran, and in much time arrived at his city.
The Hettirala and the Hettirala's son-in-law having remained looking
till the Prince comes, said, "Let that fool go to any place he
wants." When they went home, ascertaining that he went [after] taking
the money also, [they searched until] they became much fatigued,
but did not succeed in finding him.
The Minister-Prince, who having joined with the royal Prince
went away, [after] trading very well and gaining profit, again
arrived in happiness at the city. Having seen the royal Prince,
while the two are [there], having discussed each other's happiness
and sorrow, and binding their friendship in the very first manner,
when the royal Prince's father the King died, the royal Prince was
appointed to the sovereignty, and gave the post of Chief Minister to
the Minister-Prince.
Western Province.
(By Saddhunanda Sthavira of Ratmalana Wihara.)
In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 149, a young man who
went to gamble lost everything he possessed, and was himself made a
prisoner until he was rescued by his wife.
Regarding some of the Hettirala's experiences, see the story of the
Moghul and his servant, of which a condensed account is appended to
the tale numbered 195 in this volume.
In "The Story of Hokka," given by Mr. W. Goonetilleke in The
Orientalist, vol. i, p. 131 ff., there is the incident of the tying
up of the cattle. The order of the Gamarala was that the man was to
look after them, but the Sinhalese word balapiya means also "look
at," and the servant acted accordingly after tying up the cattle,
the result being that they were too weak to stand when the Gamarala
went to inspect them.