II.
The raja had planted flowering shrubs in his garden, but the Indarpuri Sadoms[4] ate up all the flowers as they appeared, and so he again began to sulk. He said, “I planted bushes, but I see no flowers. What reason is there for my remaining alive?” And going to the sulking chamber he lay down, and as usual refused to eat. Then there was confusion in the household, and running hither and thither. The two ranis went to him, but he was annoyed, and ordered them to leave, saying, “I will not rise, by your telling me,” so they returned weeping, each to her own apartment.
Just then their four sons returned from hunting, and demanded food. Their mothers were annoyed, and said, “You young gentlemen are hungry, and must have food, that the raja is sulking is nothing to you, if you are fasting.” On hearing this the sons went to their father, and enquired, “Oh! father, wherefore are you sulking?” The raja replied, “Oh! my sons, I am sulking because I see no flowers in my garden. Unless I see flowers in my garden, I shall not remain in this world.” His sons replied, “Give us three days, and if at the end of that time you see no flowers, then you may sulk.” He was persuaded to rise, and having bathed, and partaken of food, he was refreshed.
Just then Lelha arrived, and addressing the raja said, “Oh! raja, what ails you?” The raja on seeing Lelha was angry, and scolded him severely. He said, “Has Lelha come here? Drive him away at once.” Lelha left without uttering another word.
After three days the raja began again to sulk, because there were still no flowers to be seen in his garden. The Indarpuri Sadoms came about mid-night and ate up all the buds. The raja’s four elder sons when watching could not remain awake for one hour, and so the Indarpuri Sadoms came nightly and devoured all the buds that should have burst into flower in the morning, so that not one solitary blossom was to be seen. For this reason the raja again began to sulk, and no one dared to say anything to him.
At this juncture Lelha’s mother went from her own house to a shop to buy rice. The shopkeeper refused to supply her. He said, “The raja is sulking, and she comes here to buy rice. I will not weigh it, so go.” Lelha’s mother went hastily home, and encountered Lelha returning from a stroll. Lelha asked for food. He said, “Oh! mother, give me cooked rice quickly.” She rebuked him, and said, “The raja is sulking. The shopkeeper refused to give me rice, how can I give you food? I am a prey to grief, and here my young gentleman is hungry. Go to the raja.”
Lelha did as his mother ordered him, and went to the apartment where the raja was, and called several times, “Oh! father, get up.” At length the raja asked, “Who are you? Do not irritate me. Go away at once.” Lelha replied, “I am your humble slave and son, Lelha.” His father said, “Wherefore have you come here? Lelha, Go home, or else I shall beat you. What do you want here? If you go, go at once, if not, I shall have you chastised.” Lelha replied, “Because you, Oh! raja, are sulking. The shopkeeper in the bazaar refused to sell to my mother rice, saying, ‘something is amiss with the raja, I cannot let you have it.’” The raja then said, “Go, and bring the shopkeeper here.” To which Lelha replied, “Why are you sulking? If you do not tell me, it were better for me to die here. I cannot leave you. I have come here fasting, not having eaten anything to-day.” The raja said, “Your four brothers have not been able to do anything, and what can I hope from telling you about it, Lelha?” Lelha replied, “It is still possible that I may accomplish something, but although I should not, yet I am a son of yours. Do tell me. If you die, I shall die also. We will depart this life together. I cannot return home.” The raja then thought within himself, I will tell him, and let him go. If I do not do so, Lelha may die along with me. Then addressing Lelha, he said, “It is nothing child, only I see no flowers in my garden, and therefore I am sulking. Although your four brothers watched three nights, still I see no flowers.” Lelha then said, “If my brothers watched three nights, see me watch one.” The raja replied, “Very good my son, let us leave this apartment.”
The raja went to bathe, and Lelha going to the shopkeeper bought several kinds of grain, which he carried home and gave to his mother, saying, “Roast a seer of each, and cook some rice for me. I have succeeded in persuading my father to rise. He has bathed and dined, and is refreshed. He was sulking because he can see no flowers in his garden. It was with great difficulty that I prevailed upon him to get up.” His mother said, “What does my Lord want with roasted grain?” Lelha replied, “Let me do with it as I chose, you prepare it. I will take it with me at night when I go to watch in the flower garden.” His mother said, “Have you forgotten your brothers’ threats to beat you?” Lelha replied, “My brothers may beat me, but no other person. What help is there for it?”
At nightfall, Lelha, having supped, tied up in the four corners of his plaid four kinds of roasted grain, and entering the garden climbed up on a raised platform, and began his vigil.
After a short time he untied one of his parcels of roasted grain, and began leisurely to eat it, one grain at a time. Just as he had consumed the last one, an Indarpuri Sadom descended from the East and alighted in the garden to browse upon the flowers. Lelha seeing it, crept noiselessly up, and laid hold of it, and at the same instant its rider, an Indarpuri Kuri,[5] exclaimed, “Hands off! Lelha. Hands off! Lelha. Touch me not.” Lelha replied, to the Indarpuri Kuri, “Besides touching you, I will bind and detain you till morning. You have become bold. You have caused my father to fast; but I have captured you to-night. Where will you go?” “Let me go,” she said, “I will bless you.” Lelha rejoined, “You are deceiving me.” The Indarpuri Kuri made answer, “I am not deceiving you. I shall give you whatever blessing you may desire. Place your hand upon my head, Lelha.” He did so, and a lock of hair adhered to his hand, when he withdrew it. The Indarpuri Kuri then said, “When you desire anything, take that lock of hair into your hand, and say, Oh! Indarpuri Kuri, give me this or that, and instantly you shall receive it. Of a truth it shall be so. I shall never fail you.” Lelha then released the Indarpuri Sadom, and it mounted up into the air, and he and his Indarpuri Rider vanished into space.
By the time Lelha had eaten all the roasted grain from another corner of his plaid, another Indarpuri Sadom with his Indarpuri Kuri rider descended from the West. Lelha caught these as he had done the first. This Kuri was a younger sister of the other, and she gave a like blessing to Lelha before he released her horse.
Lelha now began to eat his third parcel of roasted grain, and just as he had finished it he saw another Indarpuri Sadom with an Indarpuri Kuri rider descend from the North, and alight in the garden. Lelha also captured these. The rider was a younger sister of the last. She also gave Lelha a blessing, and was allowed to go.
At cockcrow, Lelha, having eaten the last grain of his fourth parcel, looked up and beheld an Indarpuri Sadom with an Indarpuri Kuri rider descend into the garden from the North. She was the youngest of the sisters. Lelha crept stealthily up, and laid hold of the horse’s mane. The Indarpuri Kuri then exclaimed, “Hands off! Lelha. Hands off! Lelha.” Then Lelha replied, “You Lelha greatly this morning. It is almost dawn, where can you go to escape punishment?” Then the Indarpuri Kuri said, “Oh! Lelha, We are four sisters, daughters of one mother, I will give you a blessing.” Lelha replied, “In this way three persons have fled. You also appear the same.” The Indarpuri Kuri said, “We four sisters have one blessing. Place your hand upon my head, and release me.” Lelha did so, and the Indarpuri Sadom on being liberated sailed off into the sky with his Indarpuri rider. Lelha tied the four locks of hair of the Indarpuri Kuris each in a corner of his plaid, as he had before done with the roasted grain. When the day fully dawned he returned to his home weeping, for his four brothers seeing the bushes laden with blossom were envious of him, and had hurled him headlong to the ground from off the raised platform on which he sat.
On reaching home his mother said to him, “You see your brothers have beaten you. I warned you against going.” Lelha replied, “What help is there for it? My brothers beat me. No one else did. I must bear it.” His mother said, “Then, why do you let others know?”
In the morning the raja said, “Last night Lelha was watching. I will go and take a look at the garden.” He went and found a perfect sea of blossom, the sight of which almost overcame him.
It so happened that as the raja gazed upon the fairy scene around him, Koema Jugi turned up, and addressing the raja said, “You are lost in wonder, but if you hang hiras and manis on the branches the whole country will be resplendent. Then your wonder and amazement will be increased twentyfold.”