Folk-Tales of the Khasis Part 7

WHAT MAKES THE LIGHTNING

In the early days of the world, when the animals fraternised with mankind, they tried to emulate the manners and customs of men, and they spoke their language.

Mankind held a great festival every thirteen moons, where the strongest men and the handsomest youths danced "sword dances" and contested in archery and other n.o.ble games, such as befitted their race and their tribe as men of the Hills and the Forests--the oldest and the n.o.blest of all the tribes.

The animals used to attend these festivals and enjoyed watching the games and the dances. Some of the younger and more enterprising among them even clamoured for a similar carnival for the animals, to which, after a time, the elders agreed; so it was decided that the animals should appoint a day to hold a great feast.

After a period of practising dances and learning games, U Pyrthat, the thunder giant, was sent out with his big drum to summon all the world to the festival. The drum of U Pyrthat was the biggest and the loudest of all drums, and could be heard from the most remote corner of the forest; consequently a very large mult.i.tude came together, such as had never before been seen at any festival.

The animals were all very smartly arrayed, each one after his or her own taste and fas.h.i.+on, and each one carrying some weapon of warfare or a musical instrument, according to the part he intended to play in the festival. There was much amus.e.m.e.nt when the squirrel came up, beating on a little drum as he marched; in his wake came the little bird Shakyllia, playing on a flute, followed by the porcupine marching to the rhythm of a pair of small cymbals.

Every one was exceedingly merry--they joked and poked fun at one another, in great glee: some of the animals laughed so much on that feast day that they have never been able to laugh since. The mole was there, and on looking up he saw the owl trying to dance, swaying as if she were drunk, and tumbling against all sorts of obstacles, as she could not see where she was going, at which he laughed so heartily that his eyes became narrow slits and have remained so to this day.

When the merriment was at its height U Kui, the lynx, arrived on the scene, displaying a very handsome silver sword which he had procured at great expense to make a show at the festival. When he began to dance and to brandish the silver sword, everybody applauded. He really danced very gracefully, but so much approbation turned his head, and he became very uplifted, and began to think himself better than all his neighbours.

Just then U Pyrthat, the thunder giant, happened to look round, and he saw the performance of the lynx and admired the beauty of the silver sword, and he asked to have the handling of it for a short time, as a favour, saying that he would like to dance a little, but had brought no instrument except his big drum. This was not at all to U Kui's liking, for he did not want any one but himself to handle his fine weapon; but all the animals began to shout as if with one voice, saying "Shame!" for showing such discourtesy to a guest, and especially to the guest by whose kindly offices the a.s.sembly had been summoned together; so U Kui was driven to yield up his silver sword.

As soon as U Pyrthat got possession of the sword he began to wield it with such rapidity and force that it flashed like leaping flame, till all eyes were dazzled almost to blindness, and at the same time he started to beat on his big drum with such violence that the earth shook and trembled and the animals fled in terror to hide in the jungle.

During the confusion U Pyrthat leaped to the sky, taking the lynx's silver sword with him, and he is frequently seen brandis.h.i.+ng it wildly there and beating loudly on his drum. In many countries people call these manifestations "thunder" and "lightning," but the Ancient Khasis who were present at the festival knew them to be the stolen sword of the lynx.

U Kui was very disconsolate, and has never grown reconciled to his loss. It is said of him that he has never wandered far from home since then, in order to live near a mound he is trying to raise, which he hopes will one day reach the sky. He hopes to climb to the top of it, to overtake the giant U Pyrthat, and to seize once more his silver sword.

XX

THE PROHIBITED FOOD

When mankind first came to live upon the earth, the Great G.o.d saw fit to walk abroad in their midst frequently, and permitted them to hold converse with Him on matters pertaining to their duties and their welfare. At one time the discourse turned on the terrible consequences of disobedience, which caused punishment to fall, not only on the transgressor himself, but upon the entire human race also.

The man could not comprehend the mystery and sought for enlightenment from G.o.d, and in order to help him to understand, the Great G.o.d said unto him, "Do thou retire for seven days to meditate upon this matter; at the end of the seven days I will again visit the earth; seek me then and we will discourse further. In the meantime go into the forest and hew down the giant tree which I point out to thee, and on thy peril beware of cutting down any other trees." And He pointed out a large tree in the middle of the forest.

Thereupon the Great G.o.d ascended into heaven, and the man went forth to meditate and to cut down the giant tree, as he had been commanded.

At the expiration of seven days the man came to the appointed place and the Great G.o.d came to him. He questioned him minutely about his work and his meditations during the week of retirement, but the man had gained no further knowledge nor received any new light. So the Great G.o.d, to help him, began to question him. Their discourse was after this manner:

"Hast thou cut down the tree as thou wert commanded?"

"Behold, its place is empty, I have cut it down."

"Didst thou observe the command in all things? Didst thou abstain from cutting down any of the other trees?"

"I abstained from cutting down any other trees; only the one that was pointed out to me have I cut down."

"What are all these trees and shrubs that I see scattered about?"

"These were broken and uprooted by the weight of the great tree as it fell."

"Behold, here are some trees that have been cut down with an axe; how did this happen?"

"The jungle was so thick I could not reach the giant tree without first cutting a path for myself."

"That is true; therefore learn from this parable, man is so great that, if he falls into transgression, others must suffer with him."

But the man still marvelled, and his mind remained dark. The Great G.o.d, in His long-sufferance, told him to ponder further upon the parable of the giant tree. So the Great G.o.d walked abroad for a time and man was left alone to ponder. When He returned He found the man still puzzled and unable to comprehend; and once again He questioned him.

"What took place in My absence?"

"Nothing of importance that I can think of."

"Why didst thou cry out as if in pain?"

"It was for a very trivial cause; an ant bit me in my heel."

"And what didst thou do?"

"I took a stone and killed the ant and the whole nest of ants."

"This also is a parable; because one ant bit thee the whole nest was destroyed. Man is the ant; if man transgresseth he and all his race must suffer."

Yet the man comprehended not: whereupon the Great G.o.d granted him another seven days to retire and to meditate upon the parables of the giant tree and the ant.

Again the man came to the appointed place at the end of seven days'

seeking to receive fuller knowledge and understanding. The Great G.o.d had not yet appeared, so the man took a walk in the forest to await His coming. As he wandered aimlessly about, he met a stranger carrying a small net in his hand out of which he was eating some food. Now this stranger was a demon, but the man did not know it.

"Where art thou going?" asked the stranger affably after the manner of the country.

"Just to walk for my pleasure," replied the man; "what food art thou eating?"

"Only some cakes of bread which I find very tasty; take some and eat." And he pa.s.sed the net to him.

"Thy offer is kindly made, but do not take it amiss that I refuse to accept thy bread, for it is decreed that we shall live on rice alone."

"Even so, but surely to take a morsel to taste would not be wrong."

This time the man did not resist, but accepted a cake of bread and ate it with enjoyment, after which the stranger departed, taking his bag of cakes with him.

The man had scarcely swallowed the strange food when he heard the voice of the Great G.o.d calling unto him from the skies, saying:

"What hast thou done, oh man? Thou knowest the decree that rice was provided to be thy food, yet thou hast unmindfully transgressed and partaken of the strange food of the tempter. Henceforth thou and thy race shall be tormented by the strange being whose food thou hast eaten. By eating his food thou hast given him dominion over thee and over thy race, and to escape from his torments thou and thy race must give of thy substance to appease him and to avert his wrath."

Thus, too late, the man began to understand, and ever since then the days of men have been full of sorrow because man yielded to the tempter's voice instead of submitting to the decrees of the Great G.o.d.