114 GHULAM MUHAMMAD 



for a long time, in fear lest his life should be in danger should he breathe but a single 

 word. But his belly began to swell day by day, owing to his keeping the knowledge to 

 himself. He was at a loss to know how to cure his disease without betraying the secret, 

 but at last thought of a remedy, and went up a lofty mountain to search out a lonely place 

 where there would be no shepherds or other men. There he dug a small hole sufficiently 

 large to hold his head. Seeing that nobody was anywhere near, he put his 

 head into the hole and began to cry as loud as possible, in order to let out the secret from 

 his belly, that one of the feet of Malik was like the hoof of an ass. He continued repeat- 

 ing the words till he felt quite cured, and then returned to Gilgit. A couple of chili trees 

 are said to have grown up after a short time on the spot where he had uttered the 

 words. A certain shepherd happened to go there and by chance cut a branch of one of 

 the trees for the purpose of making a flute out of the wood. He brougnt it home and 

 fashioned it into an instrument. But when the flute was blown it always uttered the 

 sentence which the servant of the Rsi had uttered on the mountain. The news soon 

 got about, and the people were so surprised to hear it that numbers came from a far 

 distance to satisfy their curiosity by seeing and hearing such a miraculous flute. The 

 Ra himself even heard the news, to his perplexity and sorrow. He called for his 

 servant to question him, and to punish him if there had been any fault on his part. But 

 the man was unable to reply until he had traced the origin of the wood of which the 

 flute was made. Having done this, he ascertained that the miraculous power of the flute 

 was due to him. Begging pardon of the chief, he related to him the story, to the latter's 

 great amusement, and thus saved his life. 



XII. 



The Legend of Shri Badat the Man-Eater. 



Once upon a time there lived a chief at Gilgit named Shri Badat. He was in the 

 habit of obtaining a sheep daily from his subjects. One day, when eating his dinner, he 

 was much surprised to find that the meat was more tasty than before. He ordered his 

 kulchin (darogha of the kitchen) to find out where the sheep was brought from. The 

 kotwal concerned was sent for, and he stated that he had got this sheep from a woman 

 of the Barmas village. She was ordered to appear at once. The woman who did not 

 know the reason of this sudden call, was much frightened at being brought before the 

 chief, whom she had never seen before. Trembling as she approached the court, she was 

 much relieved on hearing Shri Badat' s questions and cheerily replied as follows : " Peace 

 be ever upon thee, O thou great King of Gilgit ! The mother of this sheep had died a 

 few days after its birth, and the lamb being very beautiful was very much admired by me. 

 Thinking it a hardship to lose the lamb as well as the ewe, I fed it with my own milk until 

 it was able to graze. A few days ago the same lamb was presented to your Highness." 

 Shri Badat was very pleased on hearing this story, and gave the woman a liberal reward 

 and dismissed her. Sitting alone, he began to think over the cause of the tastiness of the 

 meat. He argued that when the meat of a lamb which had for a short time only sucked 

 the human breast, was so excellent to the taste, the meat of the human being who is 



