Laos Folk-Lore of Farther India Part 8

Having thus disposed of his captors, the cunning little fellow joined some men going to his native city, and as he walked along, he thought, "I was ever wanting to see other places, and now I have been carried a long journey, and have silver to last me many days ... surely, I have much _boon_."[16]

16: Merit.

"To Aid Beast is Merit; To Aid Man is but Vanity"[17]

A hunter, walking through a jungle, saw a man in a pit unable to escape.

The man called to him, "If thou wilt aid me to escape from this snare, always will I remember thy grace and merit." The hunter drew him out of the pit, and the man said, "I am goldsmith to the head chow, and dwell by the city's gate. Shouldst thou ever want any benefit, come to me, and gladly will I aid thee."

As the hunter travelled, he met a tiger caught in a snare set for an elephant, and the tiger cried, "If thy heart prompts thee to set me free, thy aid will ever be remembered by me." He helped the tiger from the snare, and it said, "If ever thou needest aid, call and I will come to thee."

Then again the hunter went on his way, and came to a place where a snake had fallen into a well and could not get out, and the snake cried, "If thou wilt aid me, I can aid thee also in the time soon to come," and he a.s.sisted the snake. "When the time comes that thou needest me, think of me, and I will come to thee with haste," said the snake.

Now, it had happened that on the day that the hunter had rescued the tiger it had killed the chow's child, but of this the hunter knew nothing. And it came to pa.s.s that three days after, the hunter desiring to test the words of the tiger, went to the forest. Upon calling it, the tiger came to him immediately and brought with him a long golden chain, which he gave to the hunter. The hunter took the chain home, and, wishing to sell it, sought the goldsmith whom he had befriended. But the goldsmith, seeing it, said, "You are the man who has killed the chow's child." And he had his men bind the hunter with strong cords and took him to the chow in the hope of gaining the reward offered to any who might find him who had killed the child.

The chow put the hunter in chains and commanded he die on the morrow.

The hunter begged for seven days' respite, and it was granted him. In the night he thought of the snake he had helped, and immediately the snake came, bringing with him a medicine to cure blindness. While the household of the chow slept, the snake entered and cast of its venom in the eyes of the chow's wife, and she was blind.

Throughout all the province the chow sought for some one to restore the eyes of his afflicted wife, but no one was found.

It happened on a day, that word came to the chow's ears that the hunter he had in chains for the death of his child, was a man of wisdom and knew the merit of all the herbs of the field, therefore he sent for him.

When the hunter came into the presence of the chow unto where the wife sat, he put the medicine which the snake had brought him into the eyes of the princess, and sight, even like unto that of a young maiden, was restored unto her.

Then the chow desired to reward the hunter, and the hunter told him how he had come into possession of the golden chain, of the medicine which the serpent had given him because he had aided it in its time of trouble, and of the goldsmith, who had not only forgotten benefits received, but had accused him so he might gain a reward. And when the chow learned the truth, he had the ungrateful goldsmith put to death, but to the hunter did he give half of his province, for had he not restored the sight of the princess?

17: This only of the Folk Tales has been written before. It is taken from an ancient temple book and is well-known in all the Laos country.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The "Chow" and his Palace.]

VIII The G.o.ds Know and the G.o.ds Reward

Love's Secrets

There was once a poor woodsman, who went to the jungle to cut wood, so he might sell it and buy food for his wife and child. And upon a day, when the cool evening had come, wearied, the man lay down to rest and fell into a deep sleep.

From his home in the sky, the G.o.d who looks after the destiny of man was hot-hearted[18] when he saw the man did not move, and he came down to see if he were dead. When he spake in the wood-cutter's ear, he awoke and arose, and the fostering G.o.d led him home. As they came near the gate, the G.o.d said, "Stand here, whilst I go and see to the welfare of thy wife." Listening without, the G.o.d heard the fond wife say to the little child, "I fear some evil hath befallen thy kind father. Ever doth he return as it darkens about us."

The G.o.d knew from her words that the wife was good, and taught the child love and reverence for its father, therefore was he pleased, and returning to the woodsman, sent him in haste to his home, and said, "I, myself, will lay the wood in its place."

The next morning, when the eye of day opened, the fond wife went for wood to build a fire that her husband might eat of hot food ere he went to his daily labor, and, lo, when she saw the wood which her husband had brought home, all was turned into gold! Thus had the cherishing G.o.d rewarded a husband faithful in his work, and a wife loving and thoughtful.

Leaving the house of the worthy woodsman, the G.o.d met a man tardily wending his way home with a small, poorly-made bundle of sticks.

Approaching him, the G.o.d said, "Wait at the steps. I will go first and see how it is with thy wife." And the G.o.d went up unseen, and heard the wife say to her son, "Ever is it thus. Thy father thinks naught of us; he stays away so he need be with us but little."

Sadly the G.o.d returned to the laggard, took the bundle from him, and bade him go to his wife and child, saying he would put the wood in its place.

Late the following day, long after the husband had gone to his work, the wife went for some wood, and, lo, found all the wood had turned to venomous snakes! Then was she afraid, and she grew kinder of heart and strove to make her husband better and happy.

18: Anxious.

Poison-Mouth

There was once a poor father and mother who had a little daughter, called "Poison-Mouth."

And it happened on a day that a great number of cows came into the garden, and when the mother saw them she cried angrily, "You but destroy our garden. I would you were all dead."

"Poison-Mouth" hearing her mother's angry words, called out, "Die, all of you, for you are destroying our garden." And immediately all the cattle dropped dead.

Upon another day, the bees were swarming and great companies flew over the house, and the mother said complainingly, "Why do you never come to us that we may have honey?"

Little "Poison-Mouth" called: "Come to us that we may have honey." And, lo, before the eye of day had closed, the house was filled with bees and the poor people had more honey than they could use.

Word of "Poison-Mouth" reached a great chow, and, prompted by the G.o.d of love to sweeten the poisoned mouth, he sent ten men with this message to the child's parents: "Take good care of your child; let her hear no evil, and when she is old enough, I will take her to wife."

When the men approached the home of "Poison-Mouth" they said, "O, poor people," but the mother would not permit them to finish, as their words angered her, and she exclaimed, "You are bad dogs!" And the men were no longer men, but dogs, snapping and snarling, for little "Poison-Mouth"

had also cried, "Bad dogs are you."

Though greatly distressed, the chow sent yet again twenty men with his message. And again, when the mother beheld these men, she exclaimed, "See, the dogs coming yonder!" "Poison-Mouth" echoed, "Yes, twenty dogs are coming now," and they also changed into dogs, fighting on the streets.

"Who can help me?" cried the chow, distressed though not despairing.

An old man answered, "I will help you. I will go to the child." And, while the mother was absent, he sought the little one, and thus softly said, "My child, thy tongue is given thee to bless with, and not to curse. Come with me, and learn only that which is good." The little one answered, "I will come," and the old man took her to the chow, who, from that time forth, spoke no evil, and, little "Poison-Mouth," hearing none but beautiful and good words, grew beautiful and good, and her words brought blessings ever.

Strife and Peace

There was once a husband and wife who ever quarrelled. Never were they pleasant with each other.

A wealthy man sought to see if they could spend but a day in peace, so he sent two men with one hundred pieces of silver to them, saying, "If this day be spent without strife, this silver shall be yours." Then the two men hid themselves near the house to watch after what fashion they spent the day.

"If we are to earn the reward, it were better thou shouldst hold thy tongue with thy hand, else thou canst not endure throughout the day,"

said the husband.

"Ever am I quiet. It is well known of all the neighbors that thou, and thou alone, art ever quarrelsome," retorted the wife.

And thus they disputed until both grew angry, and the quarrel was so loud that all the people living near heard it. Thereupon the two men came forth from their hiding-place, and said, "The silver does not belong to you, of a certainty."

Determined to find virtue, the rich man sent the two men with the silver to a husband and wife who never quarrelled, and bade them say, "If this day, you will strive one with the other, these one hundred pieces of silver shall be yours."

The husband greatly desired the money and sought to anger his wife. He wrought a basket which she wanted to use in sunning the cotton, with the strands of bamboo so wide apart that the least wind would blow all the cotton out of the basket. Yet, when he handed it to his wife, she pleasantly said, "This is just the right kind of a basket. The sun can come in all about the cotton, as though it were not in a basket at all."