Alice Dracott

“ THE STORY OF VICKRAMADIT
A king once asked his daughters to tell him the reason why they were so comfortable and always clothed in fine raiment, with jewels to wear, and a Palace to live in.
They all said: “It is because we are your daughters, O King!”
But the youngest said: “I am what I am through my favourable destiny, and not because I happen to be your daughter; if good fortune be destined for us we shall have it under any circumstances.” ”

“ There was once a Rajah who had six daughters, none of whom were married, although all were grown up.
One day he called them to him, and asked each in turn whether she was satisfied with her lot in life and what fate had given to her. Five of the daughters replied: “Father, our fate is in your hands: you feed and clothe us, and all that is to be provided for our future you will provide: we are well satisfied with our lot in life.” The youngest daughter alone kept silent, and this vexed her father, who enquired why she made no reply. ”

“ THE BUNNIAH’S GHOST
Far away in a valley in the Himalayan mountains lies a little village, where once lived a good man who had his home beside a field in which grew a beautiful mulberry tree—so big and so beautiful that it was the wonder of the country round.
Hundreds of people were wont to gather together beneath it, and the poor carried away basket loads of its fruit. Thus it became a meeting place where a mela, or fair, was held when the fruit season was on.
Now the fame of it reached a certain Rajah who had rented out the land, and one day he came with all his retinue to see it. ”

“ The same day Mahadeo and Parbatti were passing that way, and Parbatti, who is ever described as a wilful Goddess, always wanting her own way, asked Mahadeo to see what was in the tree. They soon found the dead boy; and Parbatti insisted that he should be made alive again, so Mahadeo sprinkled a few drops of blood upon him, and he sat up alive and well.
Close to this place a Rajah had just died, and his people placed his crown in the trunk of an elephant, leaving it to him to place it upon the head of any man there; and that man would be their future King. ”

“ We have no money and no clothes.”
She was silent for a long time, and then said: “We must sell our jewels, but in the meantime take this”—giving him one of the rubies—“and sell it.”
Now this ruby was worth a very great deal of money, and the Bunniah took it gratefully, thinking all the time what a wise girl his daughter-in-law was, to think of bringing it as she had done.
He then went to a rich merchant, who in reality was not a merchant at all, but a clever thief, and who, as soon as he set eyes on the ruby, knew it to be a valuable one, and determined to have it. ”

“ On her way she met the same old Fakir, who accosted her, and asked her whither she was going.
He was much grieved when she told him her story, and said: “Brave men have lost their lives, and you, a woman, without half their strength, are going. I pray you be advised and return.”
“No, no,” she returned; “if men have lost their courage, I, a woman, shall not lose mine. I am very brave, and I mean to go.”
So the Fakir bade her God-speed very sadly, and gave her the same parting gift as he had given her brothers, directing her what to do with it. ”

“ While he slept a young woman of low caste came to draw water. Seeing the beautiful fairy, she enquired of her if the sleeping man was the King’s youngest son, and if she was the Anar Pari whom he had gone to seek.
Hearing that this was so, she was filled with envy, and planned in her mind how she might take the life of the fairy. So she went up to her, and said: “O fairy, you are most beautiful, but I would be beautiful too if I had on your clothes: come, let us exchange our dresses (or sarees) , and see how you look in my clothes.” ”

“ Now in the well were some frogs, so the elder sister said: “Sister, do you see these frogs? The name of the Rajah you are about to marry is Dhuddoo, or Frog, and you think that he is a man, but he is, in reality, a frog.” ”

“ Now, in the forest was a hole, which led to the home of the Great Snake, which, together with a bull, holds up the universe. Into this hole the black cow poured five seers of milk daily to feed the snake. This pleased the snake so much that he said one day: “I must go up into the world and see for myself the creature who is so good to me and who sends me such good milk to drink.” ”

“ Two sisters, the daughters of a Rajah, were betrothed to two Princes, the eldest to a poor man with few followers, the youngest to a rich man with many followers. About eight days before their marriage, the elder called the younger and said: “Sister, we shall not be long together, let me comb your hair for you beside the well;” but in her heart she was jealous of her sister Soorthe, and had it in her mind to kill her, for she did not wish her to marry a rich man. ”

“ On this the oil dealer called out: “Do not fear, I am not a spirit; but God has released me, as my days upon earth are not yet fulfilled. The man who ought to have died is Kungra, the vegetable man; go and see whether he is dead or alive.” ”

“ Next morning, when the soldiers came to call him out to fight the enemy, he very proudly asked: “What enemy? Did I not go out at night, and kill hundreds of our enemies and drive the rest away?”
True enough, there was now no camp to be seen, and several dead men were found on the spot; so Panch Mar Khan’s reputation as a brave man spread far and wide, and he was handsomely rewarded by the Rajah.
Some days after news came that a tiger was prowling about; and a brave man was required to go out that night and kill it. [58] Who was so brave as Panch Mar Khan! ”

“ The next time she went out, it was to follow very miserably in the wedding procession of the snake; and his mother had arranged that Sukkia should have torches to carry on her head and in her two hands, so that, when the wind blew towards her, she would be burnt to death. All happened as arranged, but when Sukkia cried out, “I am burning, I am burning!” Rajah Bunsi Lall heard her and quickly ran to her rescue. Together they ran away and escaped to the upper world, and found their former home, where they lived happily ever after. ”

“ Then she filled her chattie with water, and enjoyed a bath in the sunshine.
After a time the water sank to its usual level. Thus far all was well, but her father noticed how quickly the cattle had been watered, and how soon his daughter returned home: also he missed the long rope which she always carried on her arm. He began to suspect that some unknown man, a stranger to himself, used to help her, and determined to watch.
A great fig tree grew beside the well; and one day he concealed himself in its branches. ”

“ The snake which lived inside Vickramadit heard the sound, and hissed in reply. Then they began a conversation.
The snake on the mound said: “You traitor! You were given permission to drink water; and this is how you treat the holy Fakir, and break your promise to return without doing him any harm! You shall now be given a certain seed to eat which will entirely destroy your body, and you will die in agonies.”
The other snake replied: “You miser! You ‘dog in the manger,’ who live over a mound beneath which lies vast treasures and priceless jewels! ”

“ One day the Rajah passed that way, and asked the Brahmin how he had built such a lovely Palace in the place of his old mud-hut.
The old man told him how he had found the box, and all about the Queen, his wife, whom he thought was dead.
The Rajah owned his sin, and implored forgiveness of his wife. At first she refused to forgive him, but after a time she listened, and the Rajah said that, if ever again he did anything to vex or hurt her, the old Fakir might punish him as he thought best.
Now the Indian people dread the punishment of a holy Fakir ”

“ So the Zemindar promised, and, as a reward, the turtle bore him across the river on its back.
After another long journey, when he was both hungry and footsore, the Zemindar spied in the distance a most beautiful plum tree. It was the season for plums, so he determined to have a good feast of the fruit, and plucked one of the largest and best, but it tasted so bitter that he quickly threw it away, and, [98] turning to the tree in anger and disappointment, cursed it.
“You are fair to look at, but otherwise good for nothing,” he cried bitterly. ”

“ It too took him to all sorts of new and interesting places which were the haunts of fairy beings.
Now only one door was left, and Bickermanji determined to open that also; and when he did, he beheld a donkey, standing inside. The donkey complained just as the other animals had done, and begged for its release; but as Bickermanji mounted it for his usual ride, he found himself back in his old kingdom.
“My back aches,” said the donkey; “leave me a while to rest, and go you, in the meantime, to the nearest bazaar for food. When you return you will find me here.” ”

“ A young married woman one night listened to the jackals’ cry, and heard them say: “Near the river lies a dead man; go and look on his finger and you will find a ring worth nine lakhs of rupees.” She therefore rose and went to the riverside, not knowing that her husband secretly followed in her footsteps. ”

“ The Rajah replied not a word, for his heart [153] was filled with envy; and that night, before going to bed, he gave orders that, on a certain day, in the early dawn, before anybody was astir, a party of armed men should take their axes to the village, and fell the mulberry tree even with the ground. But ill dreams disturbed the Rajah’s rest, and he could not sleep.
Could it be fancy, or did he really see a strange man standing before him?
The strange man spoke: “O King, live for ever! I am the spirit of a Bunniah (or merchant) who died in yonder village many years ago. ”

“ A little further on was a man with a plough, a horse, and a bullock. “Take these sweets,” said the rabbit, “and I will yoke your plough for you.”
But, instead of doing this, he ran away with the horse, and soon after met a marriage procession, in which the bridegroom was walking beside the bride’s litter or dooly. “Get on my horse: why do you walk?” said the rabbit gaily.
So the man got on, and the rabbit ran off with the bride; but her husband ran after, and advised his wife to kill the rabbit. ”

“ The Ranee consented, and while thus blindfolded, became the mother of six sons and one daughter.
As soon as they were born, the old dhai carried them outside and threw them into a hole in a potter’s field, and there left them to die, while she told the Ranee that she had given birth to a piece of iron! The poor Ranee was terribly disappointed, and so was the Rajah, but they submitted to what they thought was the will of God. But the potter’s wife found the children, and as she was childless, she carried them home and looked well after them, so that they all lived and grew. ”

“ At a place called Drug, near Raipur in the Central Provinces of India, there once lived an old woman who had a very beautiful daughter.
The old woman was most unwilling that her daughter should go out into the streets, for she said: “You are so beautiful, my daughter, that I tremble lest any one take you from me.”
But the girl replied: “Mother, I must go and earn our daily food. Let me, I pray you, sell milk and curds as usual: no harm will come to me.”
The mother very reluctantly let her go; but that day a Rajah happened to pass by and saw her. ”

“ THE MONKEY, THE TIGER, AND THE PRINCESS
Once upon a time there was a King who had seven sons, and he made up his mind that he would not let them marry unless they married seven sisters, so he sent his Brahmin to seek a Rajah who had seven daughters, and to bring him word. After a time the Brahmin succeeded, and found a Rajah who had seven daughters; so arrangements were speedily made for their marriage.
When the time came for the seven Princes to go and fetch their brides, the youngest said to his father: “If we all go, who is to look after the house, and all your property? ”

“ But the Vizier’s son was very clever, and soon persuaded the executioner to spare his life, for he told him the Rajah’s son would very soon weary of being alone, and would ask for him back; and if the executioner could not bring him, he would most probably suffer death himself; thus he escaped, and went and hid himself. [50]
In the meantime the Rajah’s son chanced to walk by the riverside, where he saw a very beautiful woman sitting beside her husband. He admired the woman very much, and communicated his feelings in looks, though he dared not do so in words. ”

“ In one or two instances I was asked if I would allow a Paharee man, well versed in local folk-lore, to relate a few stories to me; but, for obvious reasons, I was obliged to decline the offer, for many Simla Village tales related to me by women, and not included in this book, were grotesquely unfit for publication.
The typical Paharee woman is, as a rule, extremely good-looking, and a born flirt; she has a pleasant, gay manner, and can always see a joke; people who wish to chaff her discover an adept at repartee. ”

“ Himalayan folk-lore, with its beauty, wit, and mysticism, is a most fascinating study, and makes one grieve to think that the day is fast approaching when the honest rugged hill-folk of Northern India will lose their fireside tales under the influence of modern civilisation. ”

“ There is at a place in India called Agar, a tank or pond known as the “Bunjara Tullao,” yet no Bunjara will ever drink water there.
Many years ago no pond existed in that spot, and in all the country round a water famine prevailed, and the poor were perishing for want of water.
A Fakir prophesied that if a man would kill his son and daughter as a sacrifice to the Gods, water would be found and last always. ”