At a certain city, a lion having been caught by the King of the city
had been put in a house. While the King's Prince and the Minister's
Prince were playing at ball near the house in which was the lion,
the royal Prince's ball fell into the cage in which the lion is
lying. Thereupon the Prince asked the lion for the ball. Then the
lion said, "Should you let me go I will give the ball." Then the
Prince having said, "It is good," and having cheated him, asking for
[and getting] the ball remained without letting the lion go.
Having come on the following day, while those two were playing at
ball, that day, also, the royal Prince's ball went and fell at the
place where the lion is. The Prince that day also asked the lion for
the ball.
At that time the lion says, "You shall not cheat me as on that day,
indeed; to-day indeed, unless you let me go I shall not give it." Then
the Prince having let the lion go, asking for [and getting] the ball,
played.
The King having come, when he looked the lion was not [there]. "Where
is the lion?" the King asked the party of Ministers. The party of
Ministers said, "By the Prince the lion [was] sent away."
Then the King having said, "Should the disobedient Prince remain at
this palace I will kill him," sorrow seized the Queen regarding it, and
having given the Prince expenses, and given him also a horse, and said,
"Having gone to any country you like, get a living," sent him off.
The Prince having mounted on the horse, when he was going the
Minister-Prince (son of the Minister), the friend of the Prince, asked,
"Where are you going?"
Then the Prince says, "Having been guilty of sending away the lion,
it has occurred that I am to go away, not staying in this country."
Thereupon, the Minister-Prince, having said, "If my friend the Prince
be not here my remaining is not proper," set off to go with the Prince.
Having set out, when the two had gone a little far together, [they saw
that] a letter had been written, and fixed on a tree. Having taken
the letter, when they looked in it there was said that should one
go to the right district good will happen, should one go to the left
district evil will happen. Thereupon, having looked at the letter the
Minister-Prince went to the right district, the royal Prince went to
the left district.
While the royal Prince was going he met with a gambling place. He,
also, having gone there gambled. Having gambled he lost all the money
he took. After that, being without money, while he was staying looking
on, owing to a rich Hettiya's being there he sold him the horse,
and taking the money played [again]. That also he lost.
After that, having written himself as the slave of the Hettiya, and
having said, "Should I be unable to bring back the money I will do
slave work," taking the money he gambled [again]. That also he lost.
At that time, the Hettiya, having mounted upon the horse, calling
the Prince for the horsekeepership went away. The Hettiya having gone
home established the name "Sokka" [243] for the Prince.
That Sokka he told to look after the horse, having well attended to
it and bathed it. That Sokka not giving food and water to the horse,
the horse went decrepit. Owing to it, the Hettirala having become
angry, said, "Sokka, you cannot look after the horse. Because of it,
work you in the flower garden."
Then Sokka says, "Hettiralahami, in our kingdom it was that very work
that was mine. I am much accustomed to it." Having said this he took
charge. [After] taking charge, every day uprooting and uprooting
the best (lit., good good) flower trees (plants) he began to plant
[them afresh].
The Hettirala having gone one day, when he looked saw that all the
flower trees had died. Having said, "Sokka, thou canst not [do] this
work; thou hast completely done for my flower garden," he beat him.
He said, "After that, that work is of no use for thee," and gave him
charge of a plantain garden. Having handed it over he said, "Sell
the plantains; having brought the money thou art to give it to me."
Then Sokka said, "It is good, Hettiralahami; I am accustomed to
that work."
Well then, what does that Sokka do? Leaving aside the ripe plantains,
having cut the immature plantains he takes them to the shop. No one
taking them, having brought them back he throws them away. By this
means, all the plantain garden went to waste.
The Hettirala having gone one day, when he looked the plantain garden
had been destroyed. Thereupon, having called Sokka, and having said,
"Where is the revenue obtained from this? Thou art a Yaka come to
eat me," he became angry, and scolded him.
Having said, "Thou canst not do that work. Look here (Menna); from
to-day attend thou to the grazing of these cattle," he gave him charge
of them.
Then Sokka, having said, "It is good, Hettiralahami. In our country
I do that for a livelihood; I am well accustomed to it," took charge
of them. Taking charge, he went driving the cattle to the jungle.
Having gone there he looked for a bull to eat, and having killed it,
cutting a haunch he came home [with it]. At that time the Hettirala
having seen the haunch of flesh, asked, "What is that, Sokka?"
Then Sokka says, "As I was going a leopard was [there], seizing
a deer. Then I said 'Hu.' Then the leopard sprang off and ran
away. After that, because I was unable to bring it I came [after]
cutting off a haunch."
Thereupon the Hettiralahami said, "Sokka, it is good," and stroked
his head, and said, "Give ye abundantly to eat to Sokka."
By that method he began to bring the haunch every day, one by one. The
Hettirala and the Hetti-woman on those days were very kind to Sokka.
When a few days had gone, because of the eating of the deer's meat
it appeared that the cattle of the herd were finished. Then, having
called Sokka, he asked, "Where are the cattle?"
Sokka says, "I could not drive the cattle to the stalls; they are in
the jungle."
The Hettirala, not trusting the word he said, went into the jungle
to look at the cattle. When he was going, the stench [of the dead
bodies] began to strike him to the extent that he was unable to go
into the jungle. Having gone in, when he looked he saw that there are
the heads and legs of the cattle. "Sokka is good! I ate the meat. I
must kill Sokka," he got into his mind.
The Hettirala had taken a contract to give firewood to a ship. He
told Sokka to cut firewood by the yard account for the ship. Because
he must give firewood once a month, having cut the firewood by the
yard account he was to heap it up. At that time, Sokka, having said,
"It is very good, Hettiralahami," taking that work also, went for
cutting firewood.
The ship came after a month. The Hettirala went and looked, in order to
give the firewood. There were only three or four yards of firewood;
there was no firewood to give to the ship. When the ship person,
having called the Hettirala, asked for the firewood, there being no
firewood to give a great fault occurred. Having fined the Hettirala
he destroyed the firewood contract.
"After Sokka came there was great loss of money; this one lost it. I
must kill him," the Hettirala got into his mind.
Getting it in his mind, he said to the Hetti-woman, "I am going to
the quarter in which younger sister is. Having prepared something to
eat on the road please give me it." The Hetti-woman having prepared
a box of sugared food, and made ready a box of clothes, and tied them
as a pingo (carrying stick) load, placed [them ready].
The Hettirala having arisen at dawn in the morning and mounted on
horse-back, and said, "Sokka, taking that pingo load, come thou,"
the Hettirala went on horse-back in front.
Sokka, while going on and on (yaddi yaddi), ate the sugared food
until the box was finished. When going a little far in that manner,
the whip that was in the Hettirala's hand fell down. Sokka picked it
up and threw it into the jungle.
The Hettirala, having gone a little far, asked, "Where [is the whip],
Bola? You met with it."