In Santal Folk-Tales (Campbell), p. 22, after a King had received from the Snake King the power of understanding the speech of animals, he laughed on hearing a dispute between a fly and an ant over some grains of rice. As the Queen insisted on being told the reason, to disclose which he had been warned would be fatal to him, he was about to tell her and then get her to push him into the Ganges, when he overheard the talk of some goats. A he-goat replied to a she-goat’s request that he would bring her some grass from an island in the river, that he would not be made like this foolish King who vainly tried to please a woman and was about to die because of it. The King saw his foolishness, made the Queen kneel to pay obeisance to him in order to be told the secret, and then beheaded her.
No. 239
The Mad King
In a certain country there was a King. Madness seized the King. It having seized him, he caused all the men of the city to be brought, and seized from them their gains; should the party say even a word about it he kills them.
Having killed them in this manner, when the city was diminished a half share, he sent to tell the Treasurer (siṭānō) to come. He knows thoroughly that in order to kill that person he had been told to come.
The Treasurer asked at the hand of the Treasurer’s wife, “What shall I do for this?”
Thereupon the woman said, “You having gone, to the talk which the King says having said nothing [else] in reply, say ‘Eheyi’ (Yes),[1] to the whole.” Having heard her word the Treasurer went to the palace.
The King asked, “Treasurer, is there rain in your quarter?” The Treasurer said “Eheyi, Lord.”
“Are you well now?” he asked. The Treasurer, not saying another speech, to that also said, “Eheyi, Lord.”