“I will watch in thy stead,” said the son-in-law. And fearlessly did he go to the chow’s, and, when midnight was come and the chow descended secretly to see if the watchman slept, lo, the young man prayed aloud for the god of wisdom to come teach him what to do. The chow, hearing the sound of voices, listened, and heard one voice say, “The brave and the strong govern themselves, then have they the power to [122 ] govern others. The wise make themselves loved because they are good and true, and are served by others through love and not through fear,” and another voice steadily repeated the words. Three times during the night came the chow. Each time the voice was speaking and being answered, and, lo, when the eye of day opened in the East, the chow was found possessed of a kind and loving spirit and no longer desired to destroy his people. The young son-in-law of the trader was made a leader of the people, for the chow declared unto all that the spirit of the god of wisdom dwelt in the young man’s heart, and, it came to pass that the whole land was blessed because one young man had learned of the god of wisdom.
The Boys Who Were Not Appreciated
Once there were two brothers. The elder watched and tended the younger during the day, while their mother went to labor for food. It had happened that the father had died, and the mother had taken another husband who ever sought to teach the mother to dislike and neglect the brothers.
And it fell upon a day that the children waited and watched for their mother’s return until they were hungry, for all day had they had no food. When the eye of day closed, they sought food and found some green fruit. This they ate and then lay down to sleep.
Long after darkness had settled, came the mother and her husband home, and the mother cooked rice which they sat down to eat.
Awakened by the odor of the rice, the children heard the talking, and the elder led his younger brother to his mother and begged food, but the husband said, “Do not give them of our food,” and the mother beat them and drove them from home. The elder brother carried his little brother back to sleep under the house, but even thence were they driven. At last they sought and found shelter with a neighboring widow, who gave them mats to sleep on. As the eye of day opened, the two children set out to find a new home. For many days did they walk, and upon an evening they found a sala near the chief city of another province. There they slept. In the morning the elder boy sought food, and behold, he saw two snakes wrestling under the sala. Both were wounded. One, however, killed the other and then left it and ate some grass growing [124 ] near, and, lo, immediately the snake was whole as before. Waiting only until the restored snake had gone, the boy gathered some of the grass, and put it in the mouth of the dead snake, and forthwith it came to life and blessed the boy. Gathering more of the grass, the boy returned to his brother and they both ate of it and were strengthened.
Not long after, a servant of the chow of the neighboring province came to the sala, and the boys asked, “For whom is the mourning in the city?” The servant replied, “The young daughter of the chow; and the chow mourns. If any one will restore her unto life, the chow declares, unto him will he give half of his province and goods.”
Eager to try the wonderful grass, the boy carried his young brother and some of the grass even unto the chow’s house, where he sought permission to restore the child with the grass. Gladly the chow consented. The boy placed the magic grass in the maiden’s mouth, and immediately she came to life. Full of joy, the chow shared his province and goods with him and even gave his daughter in marriage, as promised.
And upon a day after they had lived happily a long time in that province and had grown wise [125 ] and strong, the two young men thought of their mother, and said, “We will go and visit her and her husband.”