The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India Part 6

"What's the matter?" said he.

"Don't go into that pool!" said the King of the Monkeys. "If you do, you will be drowned, like our two poor friends!"

Then they told him how their friends had gone into the water to drink, and how they had both been pulled underneath and drowned, none of them could tell how.

The man understood at once that it was a Goblin. So he pulled up a long reed that was growing on the bank of the pool and cut off the ends, and then he put down one end of it into the water and sucked at the other end, and the water came up from the pool into his mouth. At this the Monkeys were delighted, and they all pulled up reeds from the bank (for you know a monkey always imitates what he sees men do), and sucked up the water through them, and so quenched their thirst without going into the pool. And the Goblin, finding that no more food was to be got, died of starvation; and a good thing too.

THE FOOLISH FARMER AND THE KING

Once there was a foolish Farmer, who had a son at court, serving the King. This Farmer was a very poor man, and all he had to plough his fields with was one pair of oxen. Two oxen was all he had, and one of them died.

The poor Farmer was in despair. One ox was not enough to draw the plough over the heavy land; and he had no money to buy another. So he sent a message to his son, that he was wanted at home.

When the son came, his father told him that one of his oxen was dead, and he had no money to buy another. So he begged his son to ask the King to give him an ox.

"No, no," said his son, "I am always asking the King for something. If you want an ox, you must ask him yourself."

"I can't do it!" said the poor Farmer. "You know what a muddle-head I am. If I go to ask the King for another ox, I shall end by giving him this one!"

"Well, what must be, must be," said his son. "Anyhow, I cannot ask the King: but I'll train you to do it."

So he led his father to a place which was dotted all over with clumps of gra.s.s. The young courtier tied up a number of bundles of this gra.s.s, and arranged them in rows. "Now, look here, father," said he, "this is the King, that is the Prime Minister, that is the General, here are the other grandees," pointing to each bundle as he said the name. "When you come into the King's presence, you must begin by saying: 'Long live the King!' and then ask your boon." To help him to remember, the son made up a little verse for his father to say, and this is the verse:

"I had two oxen to my plough, with which my work was done.

Now one is dead: O, mighty king, please give me another one!"

"Well," said the Farmer, "I think I can say that." And he repeated it over and over, bowing and sc.r.a.ping to the bunch of gra.s.s that he called the King.

Every day for a whole year the Farmer practised; and how the ploughing got on meanwhile I do not know. Perhaps he lived on the seed-corn, and did not plough at all.

At the end of the year he said to his son:

"Now I know that little verse of yours! Now I can say it before any man! Take me to the King!"

So together father and son trudged away to the King's palace. There on a throne he sat, in gorgeous robes, with his courtiers all around him, the Prime Minister, the General, and all, just as the young man had told his father. But the poor Farmer! his head was beginning to swim already.

"Who is this?" said the King to the Farmer's son, who, as you know, was a courtier, so the King knew him.

"It is my father, Sire," he answered.

"What does he want?" the King asked.

All eyes were turned on the Farmer, who by this time was as red as a turkey-c.o.c.k, and hardly knew whether he stood on head or heels. However, he plucked up courage, and out came the verse, as pat as a pancake:

"I had two oxen to my plough, with which my work was done.

Now one is dead: O, mighty king, please take the other one!"

The King couldn't help laughing; and he saw there must be a mistake somewhere. "Plenty of oxen at home, eh!" said he, keeping up the joke.

"If so, Sire," said the Farmer's son with a bow, "you must have given them."

The King thought that rather neat. "If I have not given you any so far," said he, smiling, "I will do it now."

And when the pair got home, the Farmer in despair at his blunder, lo and behold in his cowhouse were half a dozen of the finest oxen he had ever seen! So the poor old Farmer got his oxen, though he did make a muddle of the verse.

THE PIOUS WOLF

Once there was a flood, and there was a large rock with a Wolf sleeping on the top. The water came pouring around the rock, and when the Wolf awoke he found himself imprisoned, with no way of getting off, and nothing to eat.

"H'm!" said he to himself, "here I am, caught fast sure enough, and here I shall have to stay yet awhile. Nothing to eat, either! Well,"

he thought, after a pause, "it is Friday to-day, when people say you ought to fast. Suppose I keep a holy fast to-day? A capital idea!" So he crossed his paws, and pretended to pray, and thought himself very good and pious to be fasting.

A fairy saw this, and heard what he said; and she thought she would just see how much was real and how much was sham. So she changed herself into the shape of a pretty little Kid, and jumped down out of the air on to the rock.

The Wolf opened an eye to see what the noise could be, and there was a tender little Kid, standing on the rock. He forgot his prayers in a minute. "Aha!" said he. "A Kid! I can keep my Friday fast to-morrow. Now for the Kid!" He smacked his lips, and jumped at the Kid.

But the Kid jumped away, and, try as he would, he could not come near it. You know it was the fairy, and the fairy did not let herself be caught.

After trying to catch the Kid for some time the Wolf lay down again. "After all," said he, "it is Friday; and perhaps I had best keep my fast to-day."

"You humbug!" said the fairy, who had gone back to her proper shape; "you are a nice creature to pretend that you are keeping fast! You fast because you can't help it, not because you are really good. As a punishment, you shall stay on this rock till next Friday, and fast for a week!"

So saying, she opened her wings and flew far away.