Santal (South Asian people) -- Folklore; Santali literature -- Translations into English; Tales -- India
He called them again and again. The dogs heard the voice, and
struggled to get loose, and at length, by a great effort, they
succeeded in breaking the ropes with which they were bound, and
ran in the direction from which the sound proceeded. Now and again
the cries ceased, and they stood still until they again heard them,
when they ran as before. Having reached the valley that separated the
two hills, they could no longer hear the wailing as before, and they
were greatly perplexed. They ran hither and thither, hoping to catch
it again, but not doing so they directed their course to the large
hill, on reaching the foot of which it again became audible. They
now recognized the voice of their master, and ran rapidly forward.
When the elder brother saw the dogs approaching, he quickly aimed a
blow with the sickle at his younger brother's head, but he, jerking
aside, escaped. Before there was time for him to strike again, the
dogs had arrived, and their master hounded them upon his assailant
and they quickly tore him to pieces. They then bit through the ropes
with which his brother had bound him, and set him at liberty. He
then returned home accompanied by his dogs, and when they enquired of
him where his brother was, he replied, "He left me to follow a deer,
I cannot say what direction he took. We did not meet again." He wept
as he related this, and they enquired, "Why do you weep?" He said,
"My two dogs lay down on the ground, and howled, and fear possesses
me that some wild beast has devoured my brother."
The next day a party went in search of him, and found him as the dogs
had left him. When they saw him lying torn and bloody, they said,
"Some wild beast has done this."
They brought the body home, and committed it to the flames of the
funeral pile, and sorrowfully performed all the ceremonies usual on
such occasions.
After the death of the elder brother, they all lived together in
peace and harmony.
THE STORY OF LELHA.
I.
There once lived a certain raja, who had three wives. The two elder had
two sons each, and the younger only one, whose name was Lelha. [12]
The four sons of the first two wives were very friendly with each
other, being seldom separate, but they despised Lelha, and never
permitted him to join them in any of their pastimes or sports.
The raja had a plot of ground set apart for a flower garden, but
there was nothing in it. One day a certain Jugi came to him, and said,
"Oh! raja, if you fill your garden with all kinds of flowering plants,
your whole city will appear enchanting." Having said this, the Jugi
went to his home. The raja was greatly affected by what the Jugi had
said, and was immediately seized with a fit of the sulks. There was
an apartment in the palace set apart for the exclusive use of those
who happened to be in that state of mind. Such an one shut himself
up in this chamber until the fit wore off, or until he was persuaded
to be himself again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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