Folk-tales of Kashmir / by the Rev. J. Hinton Knowles.

  • Knowles, James Hinton.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Folk-tales of Kashmir / by the Rev. J. Hinton Knowles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ' “ 0 people! ” said the chief minister, coming forward, seeing the old custom of appointing and slaying a king every day is obnoxious to you, we have determined to do away with it. And now we call on you to choose for yourselves one who shall always reign over us. The matter is in your hands. Say who shall be our king.” “ Close the doors,” they replied, and let the man who now first comes up to the city be our king.” This they did, because each were afraid to suggest any one out of their own company, dest others should be offended and kill them. Said was the man chosen for this high office. While he was standing outside the great door of the city the people came with the tvazirs, and seeing him there, they led him to the place of honour in their great hall of assem- bly, and cried, '' Behold the king ! Long live the king ! ” saiyid’s fortunes. Saiyid, the elder brother, pursued his way, nothing daunted by the dreadful warning that he had read. Every morning he found ten thousand muhrs in the place where he lay, so that he became very rich. He was obliged to engage several coolies to carry his wealth. Nothing had happened to him so far, and he was be- ginning to think that the inscription on the stone was only a hoax, when he arrived at the entrance to a most beautiful garden, stocked with all kinds of rare and lovelv flowxrs. On entering the garden he saw a splendid house also. The walls were made of silver, and its pillars of gold, and it shone so brilliantly in the sunshine that one could scarcely look at it. “ Who lives here ? ” he inquired from an old woman whom he met in the garden. “ Who lives here ? An angel, a holy man ? ” The old wmman replied, “ A beautiful woman lives here, and I am her ddi. You seem astonished at the magnifi- cence of the place. My mistress has several other houses and gardens quite as good as this.”