After this, for some time, the whole family led a very happy life, for
they never wanted good food; every day the Brahmin, his wife and his
six daughters found inside the chattee a most delicious dinner; and
every day, when they had dined, they placed it on a shelf, to find it
replenished when next it was needed.
But it happened that hard by there lived another Brahmin, a very great
man, who was much in the Rajah's confidence; and this man smelt daily
the smell of a very nice dinner, which puzzled him a great deal. The
rich Brahmin thought it smelt even nicer than his own dinner, for
which he paid so much, and yet it seemed to come from the poor
Brahmin's little cottage. So one day he determined to find out all
about it; and, going to call on his neighbour, he said to him, "Every
day, at about twelve o'clock, I smell such a very nice dinner--much
nicer than my own; and it seems to come from your house. You must live
on very good things, I think, although you seem to every one to be so
very poor."
Then, in the pride of his heart, the poor Brahmin invited his rich
neighbour to come and dine with him, and lifting the magic chattee
down from the shelf, took out of it such delicate fare as the other
had never before tasted. And in an evil hour he proceeded to tell his
friend of the wondrous properties of the chattee, which his
son-in-law, the Jackal, had given him, and how it never was empty. No
sooner had the great man learned all this than he went to the Rajah,
and said to him, "There is a poor Brahmin in the town who possesses a
wonderful chattee, which is always filled with the most delicious
dinner. I should not feel authorized to deprive him of it; but if it
pleased your Highness to take it from him, he could not complain."
The Rajah, hearing this, determined to see and taste for himself. So
he said, "I should very much like to see this chattee with my own
eyes." And he accompanied the rich Brahmin to the poor Brahmin's
house. The poor Brahmin was overjoyed at being noticed by the Rajah
himself, and gladly exhibited the various excellences of the chattee;
but no sooner did the Rajah taste the dinner it contained than he
ordered his guards to seize it and take it away to the palace, in
spite of the Brahmin's tears and protestations. Thus, for a second
time, he lost the benefit of his son-in-law's gift.
When the Rajah had gone, the Brahmin said to his wife; "There is
nothing to be done but to go again to the Jackal, and see if he can
help us."
"If you don't take care, you'll put him out of all patience at last,"
answered she. "I can't think why you need have gone talking about our
chattee!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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