Tibetan Folk Tales by A. L. Shelton (free biff chip and kipper ebooks TXT) 📖

great honor to the fortune teller, who had gone back to the sick man.

The King’s son got well right away and was so pleased he said to the fortune teller, “Whatever you wish, ask, and I will give you.”

“Well,” said the fortune teller, “I would like some of those wooden rings that are used to lead the yak around by their noses.” (The reason he wanted them was because his wife always said he couldn’t make them properly.) So the son gave him one hundred rings and enough goods to make seven yak loads and he returned to his home.

His wife saw him coming, took some wine and went to meet him. That night she asked him all about his adventures and he told her about the death of the two devils and the recovery of the King’s son.

“And is this all you have, some dried cheese and meat and a few rings for the yak?” she said, and scolded him soundly. “To-morrow I will go and see the King’s son.” But she wrote a letter instead which said, “You have given my husband this little bit of stuff and the nose rings which can have but one meaning, which is, that perhaps your disease may return.”

When the King’s son received the letter he said, “That is all true. I gave him all he asked for, but perhaps I should have given him more.” So the next day he went to visit the fortune teller and said to him, “You have saved my life and done so much for me, now I will make you ruler of half my kingdom.” So he made him as powerful as himself.

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FIFTEEN The Wise Woman

Either going up or down a ladder it is an evil thing if you are pushed.

Tibetan Proverb.

A LONG, long time ago there were two countries adjoining each other and one was a little smaller than the other. The king of the farther and bigger country was named Gezongongdu, and the king of the smaller country was named Drashi. The king of the larger country thought he would like to make the smaller country subject to himself. “But first,” he said, “I want to see if their king is very wily and wise. If he isn’t I can conquer him; but if he is, I shall not attempt it.”

He took a mare and a colt that were exactly alike in color and size and asked the king to decide which was mare and which was colt. The head-men came first and looked and looked and couldn’t tell at all. One of them went home and told his wife and she said, “That’s easy, I’ll tell you how to do it. You make a manger and put some grass in it for them. The mother will keep pushing the food over toward the colt.” Sure enough it happened as she said it would, so they were able to answer the king’s first riddle.

The next day the king sent a stick shaped the same at both ends and asked them to tell which was the top and which the root. The men all came and looked and looked again, but couldn’t tell. The same head-man told his wife and she said, “That’s easy, throw it into the water and the head will go down stream first and the root will come last.” They did so and the problem was solved for the king that day.

Then the king of the larger country sent over two snakes, male and female, and none of the wise men could tell them apart. The head-man again went to his wife and she said, “That’s easy, take a piece of silk and place it near them, the female will think it is nice and soft and she will lie down on it, curl up and go to sleep; but the male will run away and refuse to sleep.” They did that and it all came true just as she said.

So the king of the big country decided he didn’t want to fight the king of the small country, for he was too smart. But the little king knew he had been saved from war and called up his head-man and asked him how he had got all these things right when everybody else had failed. He answered that he didn’t know anything about these things, it was his wife. So the king called the head-man’s wife and gave her many gifts and made her husband chief head-man of his kingdom.

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SIXTEEN The Three Friends

The man who agrees with every one and has no opinion of his own is like a horse who with a bridle is driven in every direction.

Tibetan Proverb.

ONCE, a long, long time ago, in a little mud village tucked in between the mountains, there lived three friends. Two of them were very rich, but one was poor. Nearly every week they went out to have a jolly time and always took food along with them and spent the day playing in the woods and talking together. The two that were rich always carried the lunch, but the poor one never brought anything at all. He was the biggest eater of the lot and would finish about everything left over from what the others had brought with them. So the two began to think of a scheme that just once they might get ahead of him.

One day, fixing up their lunch bags, they slipped away from him and followed the river around the mountain until they came to a nice shady place well hidden among the trees, and there decided to have their dinner and a good time without the other man. He hunted and hunted, but couldn’t find them, and said, “They didn’t tell me the truth to-day as to where they were going and I can’t find them, but I expect they have gone down the river.” So he said to his sister, “You get me a box quick, bring it here and put me in it and shove it out into the stream, and I’ll float down the river and come to the place where they are hiding. They’ll see the big box and think they have found something worth while, and will pull me out.”

Sure enough, in about an hour, the rich men saw the big box come floating down and were very much excited. They got a rope, threw it over the box and drew it to the bank.

“I expect we have found something great,” one of them said, and could hardly wait until, with stones and knives, they had the board off the top; but when they found the man they were running away from they were as angry as could be.

The poor man said, “What in the world did you pull me out for? Heretofore I have always eaten your food and had nothing to bring, until I was so ashamed I decided to drown myself and got in this box to do it. Now it’s just my luck that you pulled me out. You have saved my life, so bring your food and I will help you eat it up. It is your own fault, for you pulled me out of the water; so we will eat good and full.” He proceeded to do so, and as everything was finished, he remarked, “Well, when you have anything good to eat another time, just tell me about it and I won’t trouble you to pull me out of the water again.”

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SEVENTEEN The Rabbit and Bumblebee Bet

An empty-handed official has no chance, neither will a wet vine cause the tea to boil.

Tibetan Proverb.

ONE day a rabbit was sitting by the side of the road under a bunch of nice grass, and near him sat a bumblebee on a big yellow flower. As they sat talking together they made a bet; the rabbit saying, “I can swell up bigger than you can,” the bumblebee replying, “You can not.” So they decided to try. The rabbit swelled and swelled, and some one passing said, “Look at that rabbit, he looks as big as a wolf.” Then the bumblebee puffed and puffed until some one passing said, “Look at that bumblebee, he looks as big as a yak;” so he won the bet.

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EIGHTEEN

How the Rabbit Killed the Lion

To your foe do not give a promise, for he carries a sword.

Tibetan Proverb.

A LONG, long time ago, before the mountains were melted, and the trees were burned, and the animals all died, the sun was so hot that the mountains all ran down level with the plains. Then the king of beasts on the earth was the lion, and every morning all the animals had to come and kotow to him. One day there was a rabbit in a nice soft bed of grass, feeling so comfortable that he didn’t want to go and kotow to the king. He didn’t see any use of it, didn’t know exactly where the lion was, and he was having too good a time anyway. All of a sudden the king stood before him looking like a thunder cloud. He spoke and said, “You little split-nosed rascal, here you are having a nice time eating grass, and have not come to kotow to me. All the other animals have made obeisance this morning. You do not value your life at all, do you?”

The rabbit thought, “If I don’t tell this lion a lot of big lies, he will surely kill me, so I must tell them to save myself.” Very politely, he said, “This morning when I got up to go to make my obeisance to you, I came to a stream of water, and in it was a big she-devil and I was afraid, and ran up here a few minutes ago to hide in this grass.”

The lion asked, “Did that devil harm you?”

“No,” answered the rabbit, “she didn’t hurt me, she only yelled as I went by and my heart seemed as if it would break into two pieces, and that was enough for me. She asked, ‘You little short-footed fellow, where are you going so fast?’ I answered, ‘I’m going to make my obeisance to the king of beasts.’ Then she said, ‘Well, we are going to see about that, son, and find out who is greater, he or I. I’ve hunted every place for this lion and can’t find him, so when you go to kotow to him, you tell him for me, that I want him to come here where I am in this water, and we will see who is to be the ruler of the beasts.’ So if you have anything to say to her I’ll go take the message, as it would not do for you to go down there.”

The lion answered, “I haven’t anything to tell you, but I have something to say to that devil, and I’ll go down and say it myself. There isn’t anything on earth or any devil that can be bigger or think themselves bigger than I am, or more able to rule the beasts, for I’m the biggest there is. If she whips me, I’ll be the same as a dog and let her rule.”

The rabbit thought, “I’m in for it now, I’ll lead him down and let him see for himself.” He led him to the stream, and when the lion saw his reflection his hair all bristled up and his tail lashed from side to side. The rabbit, dancing up and down, yelled, “There she is, there she is.” Whereupon the lion flew into a great rage, jumped into the water to fight and drowned himself.

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