Old Deccan Days. Title Page : OLD DECCAN DAYS OR, HINDOO FAIRY LEGENDS CURRENT IN SOUTHERN INDIA. Collected From Oral Tradition By MARY FRERE With An Introduction And Notes By Sir Bartle Frere Illustrated By C.F. Frere London, J. Murray [1868] Scanned And Redacted By Phillip Brown. Additional Proofing And Formatting , April...
Old Deccan Days. Xxiii. How The Three Clever : XXIII. HOW THE THREE CLEVER MEN OUTWITTED THE DEMONS THERE was once upon a time a very rich man who had a very beautiful wife, and this man's chief amusement used to be shooting with a bow and arrow, at which he was so clever, that every morning he would shoot through one of the pearls in his...
Old Deccan Days. Xx. Chundun Rajah : XX. CHUNDUN RAJAH. ONCE upon a time a Rajah and Ranee died, leaving seven sons and one daughter. All these seven Sons were married, and the wives of the six eldest used to be very unkind to their poor little sister-in-law; but the wife of the seventh brother loved her dearly, and always took her...
Untitled : Title Page Preface to the Third English Edition Introduction The Collector's Apology The Narrator's Narrative I. Punchkin II. A Funny Story III. Brave Seventee Bai IV. Truth's Triumph V. Rama and Luxman; or the Learned Owl VI. Little Surya Bai VII. The Wanderings of Vicram Maharajah VIII. Less...
Old Deccan Days. The Narrator's Narrative : THE NARRATOR'S NARRATIVE. MY grandfather's family were of the Lingaet caste, and lived in Calicut; but they went and settled near Goa at the time the English were there. It was there my grandfather became a Christian. He and his wife, and all the family, became Christians at once, and when his...
Old Deccan Days. Viii. Less Inequality Th : VIII. LESS INEQUALITY THAN MEN DEEM. YOUNG Rajah once said to his Wuzeer, 'How is it that I am so often ill? I take great care of myself; I never go out in the rain; I wear warm clothes; I eat good food. Yet I am always catching cold, or getting fever, in spite of all precautions.' 'Overmuch care...
Old Deccan Days. Introduction : INTRODUCTION. FEW words seem necessary regarding the origin of these stories, in addition to what the Narrator says for herself in her Narrative, and what is stated in the Collector's 'Apology.' With the exception of two or three, which will be recognised as substantially identical with stories...
Old Deccan Days. Xxii. Chandra's Revenge : XXII. CHANDRA'S VENGEANCE. THERE was once a Sowkar's 1 wife who had no children. One day she went crying to her husband and saying, 'What an unhappy woman I am to have no children! If! had any children to amuse me I should be quite happy.' He answered, 'Why should you be miserable on that account...
Old Deccan Days. V. Rama And Luxm : V. RAMA AND LUXMAN; OR, THE LEARNED OWL ONCE upon a time there was a Rajah whose name was Chandra Rajah, 1 and he had a learned Wuzeer or Minister, named Butti. Their mutual love was so great that they were more Like brothers than master and servant. Neither the Rajah nor the Wuzeer had any...
Old Deccan Days. Xii. The Jackal, The Barber : XII. THE JACKAL, THE BARBER, AND THE BRAHMAN WHO HAD SEVEN DAUGHTERS. A BARBER and a Jackal once struck up a great friendship, which might have continued to this day, had not the Jackal been so clever that the Barber never felt quite on equal terms with him, and suspected his friend of playing him...
Old Deccan Days. Ii. A Funny Story : II. A FUNNY STORY. ONCE upon a time there were a Rajah and Ranee who were much grieved because they bad no children, and the little dog in the palace had also no little puppies. At last the Rajah and Ranee bad some children, and it also happened that the pet dog in the palace had some little...
Old Deccan Days. Notes On The Narrator's Narrative : NOTES ON THE NARRATOR'S NARRATIVE. NOTE A. THE battle of Kirkee was the turning-point in the last Mahratta war, which sealed the fate of the Peishwa's dynasty and transferred the Deccan to British rule, and is naturally, in that part of India, still regarded by all whose recollections go back...
Old Deccan Days. Xi. Singh Rajah : XI. SINGH RAJAH 1 AND THE CUNNING LITTLE JACKALS ONCE upon a time, in a great jungle, there lived a great Lion. He was Rajah of all the country round; and every day he used to leave his den, in the deepest shadow of the rocks, and roar with a loud, angry voice; and when he roared, the other animals...
Old Deccan Days. Xiv. The Brahman, The Tiger : XIV. THE BRAHMAN, THE TIGER, AND THE SIX JUDGES. ONCE upon a time a Brahman, who was walking along the road, came upon an iron cage, in which a great Tiger had been shut up by the villagers who caught him. As the Brahman passed by, the Tiger called out and said to him, 'Brother Brahman, brother...
Old Deccan Days. Preface To The Third English : PREFACE TO THE THIRD ENGLISH EDITION. I HAVE been often asked under what circumstances these stories were collected? The circumstances were as follows. In the cold weather of 1865-6, my father, whom I accompanied, made a three months' tour through the Southern Mahratta Country, in the Bombay...
Old Deccan Days. Ix. Panch Phul Ranee : IX. PANCH-PHUL RANEE. A CERTAIN Rajah had two wives, of whom he preferred the second to the first; the first Ranee had a son, but because he was not the child of the second Ranee, his father took a great dislike to him, and treated him so harshly that the poor boy was very unhappy. One day...
Old Deccan Days. Xviii. The Blind M : XVIII. THE BLIND MAN, THE DEAF MAN, AND THE DONKEY. A BLIND Man and a Deaf Man once entered into partnership. The Deaf Man was to see for the Blind Man, and the Blind Man was to hear for the Deaf Man. One day both went to a nautch 1 together. The Deaf Man said, 'The dancing is very good, but...
Old Deccan Days. I. Punchkin : I. PUNCHKIN. ONCE upon a time there was a Rajali who had seven beautiful daughters. They were all good girls; but the youngest, named Balna, 1 was more clever than the rest. The Rajah's wife died when they were quite little children, so these seven poor Princesses were left with no mother to take...
Old Deccan Days. Xv. The Selfish Sparrow : XV. THE SELFISH SPARROW AND THE HOUSELESS CROWS. A SPARROW once built a nice little house for herself, and lined it well with wool, and protected it with sticks, so that it equally resisted the summer sun and the winter rains. A Crow, who lived close by, had also built a house, but it was not such...
Old Deccan Days. Xxi. Sodewa Bai : XXI SODEWA BAI. LONG, long while ago there lived a Rajah and Ranee, who had one only daughter, and she was the most beautiful Princess in the world. Her face was as fair and delicate as the clear moonlight, and they called her Sodewa Bai 1 At her birth her father and mother had sent for all...
Old Deccan Days. Iv. Truth's Triumph : IV. TRUTH'S TRIUMPH. SEVERAL hundred years ago there was a certain Rajah who had twelve wives, but no children, and though he caused many prayers to be said, and presents made in temples far and near, never a son nor a daughter had he. Now this Rajah had a Wuzeer who was a very, very wise old...
Old Deccan Days. Iii. Brave Seventee Bai : III. BRAVE SEVENTEE BAI. SIU RAJAH, 1 who reigned long years ago in the country of Agrabrum, 2 had an only son to whom he was passionately attached. The Prince, whose name was Logedas, was young and handsome, and had married the beautiful Princess, Parbuttee Bai. Now it came to pass that Siu...
Old Deccan Days. Notes On The Fairy Legends : NOTES ON THE FAIRY LEGENDS. PUNCHKIN. The Rajah's seven daughters taking it by turns to cook their father's dinner would be nothing unusual in the household of a Rajah. To a Chief, or great man in India, it is still the most natural precaution he can take against poison, to eat only what has been...
Old Deccan Days. Vii. The Wanderings Of Vicram : VII. THE WANDERINGS OF VICRAM MAHARAJAH. THERE was once upon a time a Rajah named Vicram MahaI rajah 1 who had a Wuzeer, named Butti. 2 Both the Rajah and his minister were left orphans when very young, and ever since their parents' death they had lived together; they were educated together...
Old Deccan Days. Xxiv. The Allig : XXIV. THE ALLIGATOR AND THE JACKAL. A HUNGRY Jackal once went down to the river-side in search of little crabs, bits of fish, and whatever else he could find for his dinner. Now it chanced that in this river there lived a great big Alligator, who, being also very hungry, would have been extremely...
Old Deccan Days. Xvii. The Raksha's Palace : XVII. THE RAKSHAS' PALACE. A GREAT while since there lived a Rajah who was left a widower with two little daughters. Not very long after his first wife died, he married again, and his second wife did not care for her step-children, and was often unkind to them; and the Rajah, their father, never...
Old Deccan Days. Xix. Muchie Lal : XIX. MUCHIE-LAL. ONCE upon a time there were a Rajah and Ranee who had no children. Long had they wished and prayed that the gods would send them a son; but it was all in vain, their prayers were not granted. One day a number of fish were brought into the royal kitchen to be cooked for the Rajah's...
Old Deccan Days. Vi. Little Surya Bai : VI. LITTLE SURYA BAI. A POOR Milkwoman was once going into the town with cans full of milk to sell. She t0ok with her her little daughter (a baby of about a year old), having no one in whose charge to leave her at home. Being tired, she sat down by the roadside, placing the child and the cans full...
Old Deccan Days. Xiii. Tit For Tat : XIII TIT FOR TAT. THERE once lived a Camel and a Jackal who were great friends. One day the Jackal said to the Camel, 'I know that there is a fine field of sugar-cane on the other side of the river. If you will take me across I'll show you the place. This plan will suit me as well as you. You will...
Old Deccan Days. The Collector's Apology : THE COLLECTOR'S APOLOGY. THE collection of these legends was commenced with the object alluded to in the Dedication. It was continued, as they appeared in themselves curious illustrations of Indian popular tradition, and in the hope that something might thus be done to rescue them from the danger...
Old Deccan Days. Xvi. The Valiant Chattee Maker : XVI. THE VALIANT CHATTEE-MAKER. LONG, long ago, in a violent storm of thunder, lightning, wind, and rain, a tiger crept for shelter close to the wall of an old woman's hut. This old woman was very poor, and her hut was but a tumble-down place, through the roof of which the rain came drip, drip...
Old Deccan Days. X. How The Sun, The Mo : X HOW THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE WIND, WENT OUT TO DINNER. ONE day the Sun, the Moon, and the Wind went out to dine with their uncle and aunt, the Thunder and Lightning. Their mother (one of the most distant stars you see far up in the sky) waited alone for her children's return. Now both the Sun...