Then the Gamarāla, without speaking, went home without the paddy.
North-central Province.
In The Indian Antiquary, vol. xiv, p. 77, in a Tamil story related by Pandit S. M. Naṭēśa Sāstrī, two men who had previously frightened some bhūtas, or evil spirits, were belated at night in a wood they haunted, so they climbed up a tree for safety. The bhūtas afterwards came there with torches in search of animals for food, and this so terrified one of the men that he fell down among them. The other man then shouted to him to catch the stoutest of them if he must eat one, on which the bhūtas all ran away.
In Indian Fairy Tales (M. Stokes), p. 38, when a barber and fakīr had climbed up a tree in order to overhear the talk of a number of tigers who came there at night, and also to collect valuables left by the tigers, the fakīr became so alarmed when he heard the tiger King using threatening language against them, that he lost his hold and fell into the midst of the tigers. The barber instantly cried out loudly, “Now cut off their ears,” on hearing which the tigers ran away. The fakīr, however, received such injuries that he died.
I have omitted two nocturnal incidents due to the Tom-tom Beater’s inability to control his bodily functions.
The Rice-dust Porridge. (Variant c.)
In a certain country there are a Gamarāla and a Tom-tom Beater, it is said. The Gamarāla having become very poor had not a thing to eat. That Tom-tom Beater was a very rich man.
While they were thus, one day the two persons having spoken about going on a journey and said, “Let us go to-morrow,” made ready. There being not a thing for the Gamarāla to eat before going, and being without a thing to take for the road, [after] stirring with a spoon a little rice-dust porridge and taking the porridge to the road, he was ready to go.