Folk-tales of Kashmir / by the Rev. J. Hinton Knowles.

James Hinton Knowles

Date:: 1893

Credit: Folk-tales of Kashmir / by the Rev. J. Hinton Knowles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

19/532 page 3

$3 fully locked up in the room, she supposed that it was some special treasure, and being very inquisitive, one morning went to the room and-unlocked the door. Nothino- how- ever, was to be seen, for the king had thrown the head iiito a corner; but *a laugh was heard, and then a voice, saying, “Your son is di jinn. Beware of him. He is a jinn. Some time l\e will kill you, as he killed me, your husband. Get him out of the palace, if you wisli to live.” “ Whence comes this voice ? What say you ? ” asked the kiim’s mother. . ' o “Pretend to be unwell, and beg your son to get the milk of a tigress.^ Bid him to go himself and trv to get tliis,” said the head. The next miorning, with a sad and heavy heart, the king might have been seen wending his steps in the direction of a certain jungle, W'herein tigers and other wild beasts were known to roam. He soon saw a tigress, with her two cubs basking in the sunshine. He climbed a tree and aimed at one of the teats of the beast. This teat chanced to be one in which she had suffered much pain for several days, owing to the presence of a nasty abscess near the place. The king's arrow broke the abscess, and the pain was at once relieved. Grateful for this relief, the tigress looked up and entreated the king to descend and ask w’hatever he would like her to get for him. His IMajesty told her that he wanted nothing but a little of her milk for his sick mother, w^ho had taken a strange fancy for it. The tigress readily filled the cup that the king had brought with him, and also gave him a tuft of her fur, saying, “ Whenever you are in any difficulty show this to the sun, and I will at once come to your aid.”^ Taking ^ Cf. Indian Fairy Tales, p. 178; pp. 32, 271; Legends of the Pmijah, Indian Antiquary, Part cxc. p. 367; vol. i. pp. 42, 43 ; Indian Notes and JHlochi Stories, p. 27 ; and the story Queries, vol. iv. j). 49 ; and Folk-Lore of the “Ogress-Queen” in tliis col- Journal, vol. ii. 104, re charms placed lection. iu the fire ; llussian tale of “ Naznai- ^ A favourite device for summoning ko ” in Afanasief’s collecpon (vii. No.^ the absent. Notice that these things 10) : also tale of “ Good King Hatain have generally to be shown to the sun in this collection. Vtde.ulso bui vey or to the fire. Cl. Wide-Awake Stories, of Incidents in Modern Indian Fo.k-$

Folk-tales of Kashmir / by the Rev. J. Hinton Knowles.

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