Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

In the Jataka story No. 193 (vol. ii, p. 82), a Prince who was travelling alone with his wife is described as cutting his right knee with his sword when she was overcome with thirst, in order to give her blood to drink.

In Old Deccan Days (M. Frere), p. 142, a Prince married a carpenter’s daughter, and afterwards became poor, and a drum-beater for conjurers and dancers, a fate from which his second wife and her son rescued him.

In a story of the Western Province numbered 240 in this volume, a Princess recovered her husband by giving a dana, or feast for poor people, and observing those who came to eat it. See also No. 247.

In the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton’s ed., vol. iii, p. 84), in the story of "Ali Shar and Zumurrud," the lady, who while disguised as a man had been chosen as King, recovered her husband by giving a free feast to all comers at the new moon of each month, and watching the persons who came, her husband Ali Shar, then a poor man, being present at the fifth full moon. At each of the earlier feasts she found and punished men who had been responsible for her own and her husband’s misfortunes.

In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 101, a merchant’s son who was travelling through a waterless desert for seven days, kept his wife alive by giving her his own flesh and blood.

See vol. ii, Nos. 80 and 81, and the appended notes.

NO. 199

THE WICKED STEP-MOTHER

At a certain city there are a King and a Queen. There are also two Princes.

During the time while they were living thus, while the Queen was lying down at noon, a hen-sparrow had built a house (nest) on the ridge-pole. The Queen remained looking at it. When the Queen was there on the following day [the bird] hatched young ones.

When they had been there many days, a young sparrow, having fallen to the ground, died. The Queen, taking the young sparrow in her hand, looked at it. Having opened its mouth, when she looked in it there was a fish spine in the mouth. The Queen threw the young one away.

After that, the hen-sparrow was not at the nest; another hen having come, stayed there. Afterwards, two young sparrows having fallen to the ground again and died, when the Queen taking them in her hand looked at them, two fish spines were in their mouths. The Queen threw them both away, too.

On account of what she saw the Queen thought, "[This] is not the hen which hatched these young ones. [The cock-sparrow] having called in another one [as his mate], she has been making them eat these spines to kill them." Then from this the Queen got in her mind, "When I am not [here] it will indeed be like this for my children." Well then, through that grief the Queen died.

After she died the King brought another Queen. This Queen beats and scolds the two Princes. Afterwards the Princes said to their father the King, "We must go even to our uncle’s [88] house."

"Why must you go?" asked the King.

The Princes said, "Our step-mother beats and scolds us."

Afterwards the King said, "Go there, you."

When the two Princes went to their uncle’s house, "What, Princes, have you come for?" the uncle asked.

"Our step-mother beats and scolds us; on that account we came."

"If so, stay," the uncle said.

Afterwards, when they had been there in that way not much time, as they were going playing and playing with oranges through the midst of the city, an orange fruit fell in the King’s palace.

Then the Princes asked for it at the hand of the Queen: "Step-mother, give us that orange fruit."

The Queen said, "Am I a slave to drag about anybody’s orange?"

After that, the big Prince having gone to the palace, taking the orange fruit came away.