How the Kadambawa Men Counted Themselves

本文

Project Gutenberg の本文から、PG のヘッダ・フッタ・商標文言を除いたもの。段落は原文のままである。

本に付いていた註

In Indian Fables (Ramaswami Raju), p. 61, twelve pigs crossed a stream,
and counting themselves in the same way on the opposite bank, thought
that one had been drowned.

In Indian Nights' Entertainment (Swynnerton), p. 305, seven Buneyr men
[weavers] counted their number as six, and were so delighted when a
shepherd proved that there were seven that they insisted on doing a
month's free labour for him. Next day, however, one killed his mother
in driving a fly off her face, and another chopped off the heads of
several goats for mocking him by chewing their cud while he was eating,
so he dispensed with the rest of their services.

In the Adventures of the Guru Paramarta (Dubois, 1872) the Guru and
his five foolish disciples, after long delay because of the danger,
crossed a river in which the water was only knee-deep. On reaching
the far bank one of them counted the party several times, omitting
himself, and they concluded that one had been drowned in the river,
which they had heard was a treacherous one. They lamented, and cursed
the river, one after another, until a traveller arrived. When he had
heard their story he offered to restore the missing man to them by
means of magic, for which service they agreed to pay him all the money
they had, forty panams of gold. He said to the Guru, "It is a very
little thing in comparison with the service that I promise to render
you. However, as you say it is all that you possess, and as you are
in other respects a good man who does not intend any malice thereby,
I consent." He set the six persons in a row, and struck each one a
good blow on the back with his stick as he counted him in a loud voice.

In the Laughable Stories, of Bar-Hebraeus (Budge), the counting tale
is No. 569. A man counted his asses and found there were ten, then
having mounted on one he omitted it, and made the number nine. He
dismounted and found there were ten; mounted again and counted only
nine. He got down again, and saw that there were ten. Then saying,
"Verily there is a devil in me, for whenever I mount an ass I lose
one of them," he went on foot for fear of losing one permanently.

The counting incident is found in China also. In A String of Chinese
Peach-Stones, by W. A. Cornaby, p. 276, a stupid Yamun underling
who was taking a rascally monk to prison, kept counting the things
he had with him, "Bundle, umbrella, cangue (the heavy wooden collar
on the prisoner's neck), warrant, monk, myself." On the way he got
drunk and went to sleep. The monk took advantage of the opportunity
to shave his head and place the cangue on his neck, after which
he absconded. When the man awoke, and began to count the things,
he found everything there but himself.