Before entering the court-yard they called out to Ulta’s mother announcing their approach. Ulta’s mother addressed the tiger thus, “Why do you come here frightening one in this way?” The tiger replied, “There is no fear. It is I who am afraid of you. Why should you dread my coming? It was you who found this partner for me. Do you not yet know me?” Ulta’s mother replied, “What can you do Sir? Do you not remember that we give and receive gifts on the Karam festival day? On the days for giving and receiving, we give and receive. Now, that you are happily wedded, may you live in peace and comfort; but do not come here again.”
The tiger then gave Ulta’s mother a large amount of money and much cloth, after which the two tigers took their leave, and Ulta’s mother entered her house loaded with rupees and clothing.
[1] Calotropis gigantea, R. Br.
The Greatest Cheat of Seven.
A great cheat married the cheating sister of seven cheats. One day his father-in-law and seven brothers-in-law came on a visit to his house. After conversing with them for a little, he invited them to accompany him to the river to bathe. He carried a fishing rod with him, and on arriving at the river cast his line into a pool, saying, “Now, fish, if you do not instantly repair to my house, I shall not be able to speak well of you.” This he said to deceive the others, as before leaving home he had given a fish to his wife telling her to prepare it for dinner. When seated at table he said to his guests, “the fish we are now eating is the one I, in your presence, ordered to proceed from the river to my house this forenoon.” They were greatly astonished at the wonderful properties possessed by the fishing rod, and expressed a desire to purchase it, and offered to pay five rupees for it. He accepted their offer, and they carried the wonderful fishing rod home with them.
Next day they arranged to go a-fishing. They cast the line into a pool as they had seen the cheat do, and said, “Now fish, if you do not repair at once to our home we shall not be able to speak well of you.” Having bathed they returned home, and asked to see the fish. Their wives said, “What fish? You gave us no fish. We have seen no fish. Where did you throw it down?” They now knew that their sister’s husband was a cheat, so they decided to go and charge him with having deceived them.
The cheat had notice of their coming, and quickly taking his dog with him went to hunt. He caught a hare and bringing it home gave it to his wife, and said, “When we reach the end of the street on our way home from hunting, you make the dog stand near the house with the dead hare in his mouth.”
He invited his visitors to accompany him for an hour’s hunting, saying, “Come, let us go and kill a hare for dinner.” So they went to the jungle, and presently started a hare. The cheat threw a stone at his dog, and frightened it so that it ran home. He called after it, “If you do not catch and take that hare home, it will not be well for you.” He then said to his friends, “Come, let us return, we will find the dog there with the hare before us.” They replied, “We doubt it much.” “There is no mistake about it,” he said, “We are certain to find both dog and hare.” On reaching home they found the dog standing waiting for them with a hare in his mouth.