In The Indian Antiquary, vol. xiv, p. 77 (Tales of the Sun, p. 93), in a Tamil story given by Naṭēśa Sāstrī, a shepherd, when he left his flock temporarily, fixed his stick at the place with his rug over it, and told it to keep watch, or some thief or bhūta or kūta might try to steal one. A bhūta, or evil spirit, which had come for this purpose, overheard this, and being afraid of the unknown animal called a kūta, lay down amid the flock. Two men who came to steal a goat selected the bhūta, and carried it off as being the fattest. Thinking these were the kūtas, the bhūta tried to escape, and eventually melted away. The later incidents do not resemble those of this Sinhalese story.
[1] There is not a word boṭiyā, pl. boṭiyō, in Sinhalese, except when thus added to koṭiyā with the meaning given by me; compare prāksayā in No. 137. [↑]
No. 161
The Story of the Ḍabukkā[1]
In a certain country there were a man’s eight asses. One of them having been lost one day, while he was going seeking and looking for it [he saw] in the night that there was a house near a great jungle. In the house he heard a talk. After that he halted, and when he is listening to ascertain what is this talk which he hears, a woman says, “Anē! O Gods, during this night I indeed am not afraid of either an elephant, or a bear, or a leopard, or a Yakā; I am only afraid of the Ḍabukkā,” she said.
The Leopard listening very near there said [to himself], “What is the Ḍabukkā of which she is afraid, which is greater than the elephant, and the bear, and the leopard, and the Yakā?” Having become afraid in his mind he stood on one side, and remained looking [out for it].
Then the man who being without that ass sought for it, saw the Leopard [in the semi-darkness], and having said, “Is it the ass?” went running and mounted on the back of the Leopard. Saying, “O ass of the strumpet’s son, why were you hidden last night?” he began to beat the Leopard. Having thought “Aḍē! It is this indeed they call the Ḍabukkā,” through fear it began to run away.
As it was becoming light, that man, perceiving that it was the Leopard, jumped off its back, and having gone running crept inside a hollow in a tree.