Old Deccan Days Part 11

[60] About $7,500.

"A thousand gold mohurs!" answered the hunter, much astonished. "You silly bird, who'd be so foolish as to give a thousand gold mohurs for a parrot?" "Never mind," said Vicram, "only take me and try."

So the hunter took him into the town, crying "Who'll buy? who'll buy?

Come buy this pretty polly that can talk so nicely. See how handsome he is--see what a great red ring he has round his neck. Who'll buy?

who'll buy?"

Then several people asked how much he would take for the parrot; but when he said a thousand gold mohurs, they all laughed and went away, saying "None but a fool would give so much for a bird."

At last the hunter got angry, and he said to Vicram, "I told you how it would be. I shall never be able to sell you." But he answered, "Oh yes, you will. See here comes a merchant down this way; I dare say he will buy me." So the hunter went to the merchant and said to him, "Pray, sir, buy my pretty parrot." "How much do you want for him?"

asked the merchant--"two rupees?"[61] "No, sir," answered the hunter; "I cannot part with him for less than a thousand gold mohurs." "A thousand gold mohurs!" cried the merchant, "a thousand gold mohurs! I never heard of such a thing in my life! A thousand gold mohurs for one little wee polly! Why, with that sum you might buy a house, or gardens, or horses, or ten thousand yards of the best cloth. Who's going to give you such a sum for a parrot? Not I, indeed. I'll give you two rupees and no more." But Vicram called out, "Merchant, merchant, do not fear to buy me. I am Vicram Maharajah Parrot. Pay what the hunter asks, and I will repay it to you--buy me only, and I will keep your shop."

[61] About $1.

"Polly," answered the merchant, "what nonsense you talk!" But he took a fancy to the bird, and paid the hunter a thousand gold mohurs, and taking Vicram Maharajah home, hung him up in his shop.

Then the Parrot took on him the duties of shopman, and talked so much and so wisely that every one in the town soon heard of the merchant's wonderful bird. n.o.body cared to go to any other shop--all came to his shop, only to hear the Parrot talk; and he sold them what they wanted, and they did not care how much he charged for what he sold, but gave him whatever he asked; insomuch, that in one week the merchant had made a thousand gold mohurs over and above his usual weekly profits; and there Vicram Maharajah Parrot lived for a long time, made much of by everybody, and very happy.

It happened in the town where the merchant lived there was a very accomplished Nautch girl,[62] named Champa Ranee.[63] She danced so beautifully that the people of the town used always to send for her to dance on the occasion of any great festival.

[62] Dancing girl.

[63] The Champa Queen. "The Champa" (_Michelia champaca_) is a beautiful, sweet-scented yellow flower.

There also lived in the town a poor wood-cutter, who earned his living by going out far into the jungle to cut wood, and bringing it in every day, into the bazaar to sell.

One day he went out as usual into the jungle to cut wood, and being tired, he fell asleep under a tree and began to dream; and he dreamed that he was a very rich man, and that he married the beautiful Nautch girl, and that he took her home to his house, and gave his wife, as a wedding present, a thousand gold mohurs!

When he went into the bazaar that evening as usual to sell wood, he began telling his dream to his friends, saying, "While I was in the jungle I had such an absurd dream; I dreamed that I was a rich man, and that I married the Champa Ranee, and gave her as a wedding present a thousand gold mohurs!" "What a funny dream!" they cried, and thought no more of it.

But it happened that the house under which he was standing whilst talking to his friends was Champa Ranee's house, and Champa Ranee herself was near the window, and heard what he said, and thought to herself, "For all that man looks so poor, he has then a thousand gold mohurs, or he would not have dreamed of giving them to his wife; if that is all, I'll go to law about it, and see if I can't get the money."

So she sent out her servants and ordered them to catch the poor wood-cutter; and when they caught him, she began crying out, "Oh husband! husband! here have I been waiting ever so long, wondering what has become of you; where have you been all this time?" He answered, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean. You're a great lady and I'm a poor wood-cutter; you must mistake me for somebody else."

But she answered, "Oh no! don't you remember we were married on such and such a day! Have you forgotten what a grand wedding it was, and you took me home to your palace, and promised to give me as a wedding present a thousand gold mohurs? But you quite forgot to give me the money, and you went away, and I returned to my father's house till I could learn tidings of you; how can you be so cruel?"

The poor wood-cutter thought he must be dreaming, but all Champa Ranee's friends and relations declared that what she said was true.

Then, after much quarreling, they said they would go to law about it; but the judge could not settle the matter, and referred it to the Rajah himself. The Rajah was no less puzzled than the judge. The wood-cutter protested that he was only a poor wood-cutter; but Champa Ranee and her friends a.s.serted that he was, on the contrary, a rich man, her husband, and had had much money, which he must have squandered. She offered, however, to give up all claim to that, if he would only give her a thousand gold mohurs, which he had promised; and so suggested a compromise. The wood-cutter replied that he would gladly give the gold mohurs if he had them; but that (as he brought witnesses to prove) he was really and truly what he professed to be--only a poor wood-cutter, who earned two annas[64] a day cutting wood, and had neither palace nor riches nor wife in the world! The whole city was interested in this curious case, and all wondered how it would end; some being sure one side was right, and some equally certain of the other.

[64] Six cents.

The Rajah could make nothing of the matter, and at last he said: "I hear there is a merchant in this town who has a very wise parrot, wiser than most men are; let him be sent for to decide this business, for it is beyond me; we will abide by his decision."

So Vicram Maharajah Parrot was sent for, and placed in the court of justice, to hear and judge the case.

First he said to the wood-cutter, "Tell me your version of the story."

And the wood-cutter answered, "Polly, Sahib, what I tell is true. I am a poor man. I live in the jungle, and earn my living by cutting wood and selling it in the bazaar. I never get more than two annas a day.

One day I fell asleep and dreamed a silly dream--how I had become rich and married the Champa Ranee, and had given her as a wedding present a thousand gold mohurs; but it is no more true that I owed her a thousand gold mohurs, or have them to pay, than that I married her."

"That is enough," said Vicram Maharajah. "Now, dancing girl, tell us your story." And Champa Ranee gave her version of the matter. Then the Parrot said to her, "Tell me now where was the house of this husband of yours, to which he took you?" "Oh!" she answered; "very far away, I don't know how far, in the jungles." "How long ago was it?" asked he.

"At such and such a time," she replied. Then he called credible and trustworthy witnesses, who proved that Champa Ranee had never left the city at the time she mentioned. After hearing whom, the Parrot said to her, "Is it possible that you can have the folly to think any one would believe that you would leave your rich and costly home to go a long journey into the jungle? It is now satisfactorily proved that you did not do it; you had better give up all claim to the thousand gold mohurs."

But this the Nautch girl would not do. The Parrot then called for a money-lender, and begged of him the loan of a thousand gold mohurs, which he placed in a great bottle, putting the stopper in, and sealing it securely down; he then gave it to the Nautch girl, and said, "Get this money if you can, without breaking the seal or breaking the bottle." She answered, "It cannot be done." "No more,"

replied Vicram Maharajah, "can what you desire be done. You cannot force a poor man, who has no money in the world, to pay you a thousand gold mohurs.

"Let the prisoner go free! Begone, Champa Ranee. Dancing girl! you are a liar and a thief; go rob the rich if you will, but meddle no more with the poor."

All applauded Vicram Maharajah Parrot's decision, and said, "Was ever such a wonderful bird!" But Champa Ranee was extremely angry, and said to him, "Very well, nasty polly; nasty, stupid polly! be a.s.sured before long I will get you in my power, and when I do, I will bite off your head!"

"Try your worst, madam," answered Vicram; "but in return, I tell you this--I will live to make you a beggar. Your house shall be, by your own order, laid even with the ground, and you for grief and rage shall kill yourself."

"Agreed," said Champa Ranee; "we will soon see whose words come true--mine or yours;" and so saying, she returned home.

The merchant took Vicram Maharajah back to his shop, and a week pa.s.sed without adventure; a fortnight pa.s.sed, but still nothing particular happened. At the end of this time the merchant's eldest son was married, and in honor of the occasion, the merchant ordered that a clever dancing-girl should be sent for, to dance before the guests.

Champa Ranee came, and danced so beautifully that every one was delighted; and the merchant was much pleased, and said to her, "You have done your work very well, and in payment you may choose what you like out of my shop or house, and it shall be yours--whether jewels or rich cloth, or whatever it is."

She replied, "I desire nothing of the kind: of jewels and rich stuffs I have more than enough, but you shall give me your pretty little parrot; I like it much, and that is the only payment I will take."

The merchant felt very much vexed, for he had never thought the Nautch girl would ask for the parrot which he was so fond of, and which had been so profitable to him; he felt he would rather have parted with anything he possessed than that; nevertheless, having promised, he was bound to keep his word, so, with many tears, he went to fetch his favorite. But Polly cried, "Don't be vexed, master; give me to the girl; I can take good care of myself."

So Champa Ranee took Vicram Maharajah Parrot home with her; and no sooner did she get there than she sent for one of her maids, and said, "Quick, take this parrot and boil him for my supper; but first cut off his head and bring it to me on a plate, grilled; for I will eat it before tasting any other dish."

"What nonsensical idea is this of our mistress," said the maid to another, as she took the parrot into the kitchen; "to think of eating a grilled parrot's head!" "Never mind," said the other; "you'd better prepare it as she bids you, or she'll be very cross." Then the maid who had received the order began plucking the long feathers out of Vicram Maharajah's wings, he all the time hanging down his head, so that she thought he was dead. Then, going to fetch some water in which to boil him, she laid him down close to the place where they washed the dishes. Now, the kitchen was on the ground floor, and there was a hole right through the wall, into which the water used in was.h.i.+ng the dishes ran, and through which all the sc.r.a.ps, bones, peelings and parings were washed away after the daily cooking; and in this hole Vicram Maharajah hid himself, quick as thought.

"Oh dear! oh dear!" cried the maid when she returned. "What can I do?

what will my mistress say? I only turned my back for one moment, and the parrot's gone." "Very likely," answered the other maid, "some cat has taken it away. It could not have been alive, and flown or run away, or I should have seen it go; but never fear, a chicken will do very well for her instead."

Then they took a chicken and boiled it, and grilled the head and took it to their mistress; and she ate it, little bit by little bit, saying as she did so--

"Ah, pretty polly! so here's the end of you! This is the brain that thought so cunningly and devised my overthrow! this is the tongue that spoke against me! this is the throat through which came the threatening words! Aha! who is right now, I wonder?"

Vicram, in the hole close by, heard her and felt very much alarmed; for he thought, "If she should catch me after all!" He could not fly away, for all his wing feathers had been pulled out; so there he had to stay some time, living on the sc.r.a.ps that were washed into the hole in the was.h.i.+ng of the plates, and perpetually exposed to danger of being drowned in the streams of water that were poured through it. At last, however, his new feathers were sufficiently grown to bear him, and he flew away to a little temple in the jungle some way off, where he perched behind the idol.

It happened that Champa Ranee used to go to that temple, and he had not been there long before she came there to wors.h.i.+p her idol.

She fell on her knees before the image, and began to pray. Her prayer was that the G.o.d would transport her body and soul to heaven (for she had a horror of dying), and she cried, "Only grant my prayer--only let this be so, and I will do anything you wish--anything--anything."

Vicram Maharajah was hidden behind the image and heard her, and said--

"Champa Ranee Nautch girl, your prayer is heard!" (She thought the idol himself was speaking to her, and listened attentively.) "This is what you must do: sell all you possess, and give the money to the poor; you must also give money to all your servants and dismiss them.

Level also your house to the ground, that you may be wholly separated from earth. Then you will be fit for heaven. Come, having done all I command you, on this day week to this place, and you shall be transported thither body and soul."

Champa Ranee believed what she heard, and forgetful of Vicram Maharajah Parrot's threat, hastened to do as she was bidden. She sold her possessions, and gave all the money to the poor; razed her house to the ground, and dismissed her servants; which being accomplished, on the day appointed she went to the temple, and sat on the edge of a well outside it, explaining to the a.s.sembled people how the idol himself had spoken to her, and how they would shortly see her caught up to heaven, and thus her departure from the world would be even more celebrated than her doings whilst in it. All the people listened eagerly to her words, for they believed her inspired, and to see her ascension the whole city had come out, with hundreds and hundreds of strangers and travelers, princes, merchants and n.o.bles, from far and near, all full of expectation and curiosity.

Then, as they waited, a fluttering of little wings was heard, and a parrot flew over Champa Ranee's head, calling out, "Nautch girl!

Nautch girl! what have you done?" Champa Ranee recognized the voice as Vicram's; he went on: "Will you go body and soul to heaven? have you forgotten polly's words?"

Champa Ranee rushed into the temple, and, falling on her knees before the idol, cried out, "Gracious Power, I have done all as you commanded; let your words come true; save me; take me to heaven."