Having gone to his father-in-law’s house, while he is there, when the man is preparing to go to the watch hut [in the rice field] his father-in-law says, “Son-in-law, you cannot go. A malignant (wasa) boar comes to the rice field. It has eaten three or four men,” he said.
Having said, “No matter to me for that; I am not afraid of it,” he went off, taking a large rice pestle. Having gone, when he was [there] the boar came; it having come there he shouted. Through fear at that it descended to rip open the man. When it was coming, the boar came and sprang to eat him. The man having given it blows with the rice pestle, killed it; having killed it he began to cut the paddy. In that paddy field he cut all the paddy before light falls. Having cut it and come away, he entered the watch hut and went to sleep.
After light fell, his father-in-law who stayed at home was expecting that he would come; because [he did] not, with much grief he went to the rice field to look if the boar had eaten him. Having gone [there], when he looked he had gone to sleep.
When his father-in-law spoke to him he turned and got up. When he said, “Boy, we were afraid that the boar would have eaten you,” he replied, “The boar indeed came; I beat it. Look there; it is dead, look.” Having looked at it, both of them went home, taking it. Thereafter he was much pleased with the son-in-law. Afterwards [the man] came home.
Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.
[1] That is, three and a half times the extent usually cleared by one man for the season’s crop. [↑]
[2] Æddēya. See note, vol. i, p. 193. [↑]
[3] Lit., it is not for me to stay. [↑]
[4] A common custom in the royal fields, I believe. Villagers employed on my works sometimes impressed wayfarers in this manner, as a joke. [↑]