Santal (South Asian people) -- Folklore; Santali literature -- Translations into English; Tales -- India
It so happened that the Jugi sometime after went to the house of a
village chief, and after playing a tune or two on his fiddle asked
something to eat. They offered to buy his fiddle and promised a
high price for it, but he rejected all such overtures, his fiddle
being to him his means of livelihood. When they saw that he was not
to be prevailed upon, they gave him food and a plentiful supply of
liquor. Of the latter he partook so freely that he presently became
intoxicated. While he was in this condition, they took away his fiddle,
and substituted their own old one for it. When the Jugi recovered,
he missed his instrument, and suspecting that it had been stolen
requested them to return it to him. They denied having taken it,
so he had to depart, leaving his fiddle behind him. The chief's son
being a musician, used to play on the Jugi's fiddle, and in his hands
the music it gave forth delighted the ears of all within hearing.
When all the household were absent at their labours in the fields,
the bonga girl emerged from the bamboo fiddle, and prepared the family
meal. Having partaken of her own share, she placed that of the chiefs
son under his bed, and covering it up to keep off the dust, re-entered
the fiddle. This happening every day the other members of the household
were under the impression that some female neighbour of theirs was in
this manner showing her interest in the young man, so they did not
trouble themselves to find out how it came about. The young chief,
however, was determined to watch, and see which of his lady friends was
so attentive to his comfort. He said in his own mind, "I will catch
her to-day, and give her a sound beating. She is causing me to be
ashamed before the others." So saying, he hid himself in a corner in
a pile of firewood. In a short time the girl came out of the bamboo
fiddle, and began to dress her hair. Having completed her toilet,
she cooked the meal of rice as usual, and having partaken herself,
she placed the young man's portion under his bed, as she was wont,
and was about to enter the fiddle again, when he running out from
his hiding place caught her in his arms. The bonga girl exclaimed,
"Fie! Fie! you may be a Dom, or you may be a Hadi." [9] He said,
"No. But from to-day, you and I are one." So they began lovingly
to hold converse with each other. When the others returned home in
the evening, they saw that she was both a human being and a bonga,
and they rejoiced exceedingly.
Through course of time the bonga girl's family became very poor,
and her brothers on one occasion came to the chief's house on a visit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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