In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 98, there is an account of a merchant who cut off the nose of any servant who was angry or abusive. In order to be revenged on him, the brother of a man who had been thus mutilated took service under the merchant, irritated him in various ways, was struck in the face, and thereupon cut off his master’s nose.
In Folktales of the Santal Parganas (collected by Rev. Dr. Bodding), p. 124, a Prince and a merchant’s son ran away, and were engaged as labourers on the condition that if they threw up their work they should lose one hand and one ear, the master to be similarly mutilated if he dismissed them while they were willing to work. When the Prince was ordered to hoe sugar-cane he dug it up, when told to scrape and spin hemp he cut it into pieces, when sent to wash his master’s child he beat it on a stone as a washerman beats cloths until it was dead. To get rid of him the master sent him to his father-in-law with a letter in which it was requested that he should be killed. The Prince read it, wrote a fresh one requesting that he should be married to the father-in-law’s daughter, and was married accordingly. He killed his master when about to be killed by him. Some of the incidents are given in the story numbered 242 in this volume.
In the same work, p. 258, a Prince who had wasted his money, took service with a farmer on the terms that if he gave it up his little finger was to be cut off, and if dismissed while working well the master was to suffer the same penalty. His friend took his place and over-reached the farmer, who ran away to save himself.
In the Kolhān tales (Bompas) appended to the same volume, p. 497, there is also a story of a Prince who was accompanied by a barber when he was exiled. To get a living the Prince took service on the mutilation terms, the penalty being the loss of a piece of skin a span long. He worked badly and was mutilated. The barber to avenge him took his place, and irritated his master until he got an opportunity of mutilating him in the same way.
[1] The yāla being twenty amuṇas, the total area was the extent that would be sown with 1,212 amuṇas, each being six bushels (or 5·7 bushels in the district where the story was related). At two and a half bushels per acre this would be about 2,900 acres. [↑]
[2] Lit., Can he work. The same form of expression is used by the Irish. [↑]
[3] Bali aerumak, conducted by a person termed Bali-tiyannā. The patient and a friend sitting on each side of him or her, respond in a loud voice, “Āyibō, Āyibō!” (Long life!) at each pause in the invocations. The wish of long life is addressed to the deity of the planet. [↑]