Part 7 (2/2)

Chum Paw fled to the jungle, but, frightened by the wild beasts, she sought refuge in a tree. And it came to pa.s.s that the suitors escaped from the s.h.i.+p and they, too, sought refuge in the jungle. Unable to sleep and also frightened, one of them climbed a tree that he might be safe from the wild beasts, and, lo, it was the same tree in which Chum Paw had taken refuge.

”Be silent, make no noise, lest the others hear us,” whispered Chum Paw.

”I love you and knew you were wise and would escape from the s.h.i.+p. I only desired the silver for us to spend together.”

The unfortunate man believed, and sought to embrace her, but, as he threw up his arms, Chum Paw threw him down, hoping thus to kill him. The others, hearing the commotion, feared a large bear was in the tree and hastily fled. Uninjured the suitor, whom Chum Paw had thrown from the tree, fled with them.

Chum Paw seeing that they all fled ran behind, as she knew no beast would attack her while there was so great a commotion. As the suitors looked back, they saw her, but mistook her for a bear and ran but the faster, and finally, they all, the seven suitors and Chum Paw reached their homes.

Knowing the suitors would again seek her life, Chum Paw made a feast of all things they most liked and bade the young men to come. (All the food was prepared by Chum Paw and poisoned.) ”I want but to make me _boon_ before I die, so I beg you eat of my food and forgive me, for I merit death,” said the maiden, as they sat in her house. All ate; and all died.

Chum Paw carried six bodies into the inner part of the house, and one she prepared for the grave. Weeping and wailing, she ran to the nearest neighbor, crying, ”I want a man to come bury my husband. He died last night. As he had smallpox, fifty pieces of silver will I give to the one who buries him.”

A man who loved money said, ”I will bury him.” When he came to the house, Chum Paw said, ”Many times has he died and come back to life. If he comes back again, no money shall you have.”

The man took the body, made a deep grave, buried the man and returned for his silver. Lo, on the mat lay the body! He made a deeper grave and again buried it. Six times he buried, as he supposed, the body, and, on returning and finding it a seventh time, he angrily cried, ”You shall never return again.” Taking the body with him, he built a fire, placed the body on it, and, while it burned, went to the stream for water. When he returned, lo, a charcoal man was standing there, black from his work.

Filled with wrath, the man ran up to him crying, ”You will come back again, will you? will cause me this trouble again, will you?”

The charcoal burner replied, ”I do not understand.” Not a word would the man hear, but fought the burner, and as they struggled, they both fell into the fire and were burned to death.

Chum Paw built a beautiful home and spent the silver as she willed.

”The Wisest Man of a Small Village is Not Equal in Wisdom to a Boy of the City Streets”

Once a boy of the city, watching a buffalo outside the gate of the largest city in the province, saw three men approaching. Each was the wisest man of the village from whence he came. The boy called to them, ”Where go ye, old men?”

The men angrily replied, ”Wherefore dost thou, who art but a child, speak thus to us who are old and the judges of the villages from whence we come?”

The boy replied, ”There is no cause for anger. How was I to know ye were wise men? To me, ye seem but as other men from a country place,--the wisest of whom are but fools.”

The three men were very angry, caught the boy and said, ”We will not enter into the city, but will go to another province and sell this insolent boy, because he neither reverences age nor wisdom.”

The boy refused to walk, so they carried him. All day they walked along the road, carrying the boy, and at night they slept by the roadside. In the morning, when they craved water and bade the boy go to a brook, he refused, saying, ”If I go, ye will run and leave me. I will not go.”

Thirst drove one of the wise men for the water, and the boy drank of it freely.

Several days' journey brought them to a wall of a large city, and night was spent at a _sala_ near the wall. Seeking to rid themselves of the boy, they bade him go to the city for fire to cook food. Realizing their motive, he answered, ”Should I go, ye will leave me. I will not go, though, if ye let me tie ye to the posts of the _sala_, then will I go.”

With one accord they agreed, saying, ”Do thou even so. We are weary carrying thee and cannot go for the fire.”

Tying them all, the boy ran to the city, where he met a man whom he asked, ”Dost thou wish to purchase three slaves? Come with me.”

The man returned with the boy, saw the men, and gave him full value for each.

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