The Gamarala and the Washerman

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Duraya. North-western Province.



The incident at the trial in the first part of this story occurs in
a slightly different form in a folk-tale that I heard in Cairo. As
I am not aware that it has been published I give it here, condensing
the first portion (see No. 60).

The planting incidents are related by Rabelais, in Pantagruel, chapters
45 and 46. For the benefit of readers in Ceylon, I give the account:--




THE DEVIL AND THE HUSBANDMAN

This devil having arrived at the place, addressed a husbandman and
asked him what he did. The poor man replied to him that he sowed that
field of early wheat to assist him in living during the following
year. "But really," said the devil, "this field is not thine; it is
mine and belongs to me ...; however, I leave thee the field. But it is
on condition we shall share the profit." "I agree to it," replied the
husbandman. "I mean," said the devil, "that of the coming profit we
shall make two shares. The one shall be what grows above the ground,
the other what shall be covered in the earth. The choice belongs
to me, for I am a devil of a noble and ancient race; thou art only
a villein. I choose that which will be in the ground, thou shalt
have that above. When will the reaping be?" "In the middle of July,"
replied the husbandman. "Now," said the devil, "I need not be present
here. In other respects do thy duty. Work, villein, work."

The middle of July having come, the devil presents himself again at the
place, accompanied by a squadron of little chorister devilets. Meeting
there the husbandman, he said to him, "And now, villein, how hast
thou been since my departure? It is requisite to make our division
now?" "That is right," replied the husbandman.

Then the husbandman, with his people, began to reap the corn. The
little devils similarly drew the stubble from the ground. The
husbandman threshed his corn in the air, put it in sacks, and carried
it to the market to sell. The devilets did the same, and at the market
seated themselves near the husbandman to sell their stubble. The
husbandman sold his corn very well, and with the money filled an old
sock which he carried at his belt. The devils sold nothing, but on
the contrary the peasants jeered at them in the midst of the market.

The market being over, said the devil to the husbandman, "Villein, thou
hast cheated me this time; at another thou shalt not deceive me." "My
Lord Devil," replied the husbandman, "how have I cheated you who have
chosen first? True it is that in that choice you thought of cheating
me, hoping that nothing would come out of the ground as my share,
and to find, below, the whole of the corn that I had sown.... But
you are very young at the trade."... "Leave this discourse," said the
devil; "with what canst thou sow our field this following year?" "For
profit," replied the husbandman, "and good economy it is expedient to
sow radishes." "Now then," said the devil, "thou art an honest man;
sow plenty of radishes. I shall protect them from tempests, and shall
not hail at all on them. But, understand thoroughly, I keep as my
share what shall be above ground; thou shalt have what is below. Work,
villein, work."

The time for the reaping having come, the devil was present at
the spot with a squadron of household devilets. There, meeting the
husbandman and his people, he began to reap and collect the leaves
of the radishes. After him the husbandman dug and drew out the large
radishes, and put them into sacks. So they went all together to the
market. The husbandman sold his radishes very well. The devil sold
nothing. What was worse, they jeered at him publicly.

"I see well, villain," the devil then said, "that I am cheated by
thee. I want to make an end of the field between thee and me."



I add a variant of the cultivating caste, as some incidents are new.




THE GAMARALA AND THE WASHERMAN. (VARIANT.)

In a certain country there is a Gamarala, it is said. A Washerman,
having come there, became friendly with the Gamarala. Having become
friendly, he takes charge of the Gamarala's cattle for grazing. During
the time while he was grazing them the two persons chop chenas and
do rice field work.

Well then, the two persons having become very thoroughly friends,
at the time while they were thus, the cattle grazed by the Washerman
increased by a buffalo bull and a buffalo cow. Afterwards, the
Washerman having come [to the other man] said, "Now then, Gamarahami,
[116] we must divide the two cattle between us." The Gamarala said,
"Ha. Let us divide them." Afterwards the Washerman having gone and
caught the two cattle, tied them up.

The Gamarala went there. Then the Washerman said, "Now then, the
Gamarahami indeed has cattle. I myself have no cattle. Because of
it, let the after portion of this buffalo cow be for me. The front
portion the Gamarahami will be good enough to take." The Gamarala,
having consented to that, said, "Ha. It is good." Well then, in
complete agreement they shared the buffalo cow.

Again, to share the buffalo bull the Washerman said, "Gamarahami,
let the front side of the buffalo bull be for me, the after side
the Gamarahami will be good enough to take." Well then, the Gamarala
having consented to that also, by the agreement of the two persons
they divided the buffalo bull also.

During the time while they were thus, the Washerman having taken the
buffalo bull ploughs for himself. The Gamarala also one day was going
to take the buffalo bull to plough. Then the Washerman quarrelled
with him: "The front part belongs to me; the after part belongs to
you. I will not allow you to plough with my side," he said. [117]
The Gamarala having become angry came home.

The buffalo cow having gone to the Gamarala's house eats by
stealth. Men having come told the Gamarala, "Gamarala, your buffalo
cow comes to our rice field [and eats the crop]. On that account
attend well to its grazing."

Then the Gamarala said, "Don't tell me. Tell that to the Washerman."

Then the men having gone, told the Washerman, "Washerman, the
buffalo cow that you are causing to graze eats by stealth [in our
rice field]. Attend well to its grazing."

The Washerman said, "What are you telling me? Doesn't the front half
belong to the Gamarahami? Isn't it the Gamarahami who must attend to
the grazing?" [118]

The Washerman having come to the Gamarala's house, quarrelled with
the Gamarala [over it]. The Gamarala became very angry.

Afterwards, the Gamarala went to institute a lawsuit against the
Washerman [on account of these matters]. That day, having entered the
suit, and having come back to the village, he went to the Washerman to
tell him the day of the trial. Having told him, the Gamarala came home.

On the following day, the Washerman came to the Gamarala. Afterwards,
the Gamarala having given the Washerman to eat and drink, and having
made ready to go for the day of the trial, the Washerman said,
"Gamarahami, I have no [suitable] cloth to wear when going." The
Gamarala gave (that is, lent) him a cloth. The Washerman putting on
the cloth, both of them went for the trial-day.

After they went, the assessors [119] having assembled heard the
lawsuit. When they asked the Gamarala [regarding the matter], the
Gamarala said, "The after portion of the buffalo cow belongs to the
Washerman; the front portion belongs to me."

When they asked the Washerman he said, "Because the front portion
of the buffalo bull belongs to me, I will not allow him to plough
with the buffalo bull. Because the front portion of the buffalo cow
belongs to the Gamarahami, the Gamarahami must attend to the grazing,"
he answered.

Then after the assessors had thus asked him they said, "What the
Washerman said is true."

Thereupon the Washerman says, "That gentleman (Rahami) will now say
that this cloth which I am wearing is the gentleman's, maybe!"

The Gamarala asked, "Yes, indeed. Whose is it, Bola, if that cloth
is not mine?"

Then the Washerman says to the assessors, "There! Be good enough to
look. Didn't that gentleman just now say that the cloth I am wearing
is the gentleman's. In that manner, indeed, he has brought this
lawsuit, also."

At that time the assessors said to the Gamarala, "There is not a thing
for us to say regarding this [except that] he is to gain [the action]
against you."

Then the Gamarala having lost, came back with the Washerman to the
village.

At that time, while the Gamarala was angry with the Washerman,
the Gamarala, having said that he must build a house for himself,
and having gone to the jungle, cut Halmilla, Milla, Waewarana trees;
these three sorts [of good timber trees].

Then the Washerman, having got news that he had cut these woods,
also went to the jungle, and having said, "I also must build a house
for myself," cut Paepol wood, Murunga wood, Eramudu wood; those three
sorts [of soft useless woods]. After heaping them together, he wrote
a book [of sham prognostications]: "For the house [built] of Halmilla,
begging; for the house of Waewarana, killing; for the house of Milla,
begging; for the house of Paepol, land; for the house of Eramudu,
purity; for the house of Murunga, purity."

After writing these, the Washerman taking up the book while the
Gama-Mahage (the Gamarala's wife) was going past for water, says them
over every day for the Gama-Mahage to hear. The Gama-Mahage having
heard them, said to the Gamarala, "A book of the Washerman's says
thus. Because of it, come with the Washerman, and having given him
our small quantity of timber speak with him to allow us to take his
small quantity of timber."

Afterwards, the Gamarala having gone to the Washerman, asked at the
hand of the Washerman, "Washerman, give me your small quantity of
timber, and take for yourself my small quantity of timber."

Then the Washerman says, "I don't know [if I can do it], Sir
(Rahamiye). I cannot [willingly], through sorrow [at the loss to me],
give you my small quantity of timber, indeed; but because the gentleman
says it, any way whatever is good. Be good enough to take it."

Afterwards the Gamarala brought [home] the Washerman's small quantity
of timber. The Washerman brought the Gamarala's small quantity of
timber. Having brought it, the Washerman with the small quantity of
the Gamarala's timber thoroughly built the house for himself, the
Gamarala also building the house for himself from the Washerman's
timber. When only three months had gone, the Gamarala's house fell
down, and the Gama-Mahage, having been underneath it, died. The house
which the Washerman built from good timber remained in good condition.


North-western Province.