No. 26. — 1883.] PADDY CULTIVATION CUSTOMS. 



93 



The next morning the man who brought his meal as usual found 

 the pe la burnt to the ground and the charred remains of a human 

 body. This he naturally concluded to be Ralahami, and returned 

 home with the news to the relations, who were secretly glad to be 

 rid of the burden. 



Meanwhile the unfortunate man, who had been the whole day in 

 the jungle without food or clothing, made his way at night to his 

 own home, and knocked at the door. To his surprise the door was 

 shut again as soon as opened, and a voice said : " Hush ! Ralaha- 

 mi, who was burnt to death, has come back to revenge himself on us 

 as a Mala-Yakd" Understanding by this that it would be im- 

 possible to get the people to believe that he was still alive, 

 especially in his enforced nakedness, he resorted to a plan for 

 securing a regular supply of food and of milk, of which he 

 was in special need, as from its coolness it would give him at least 

 temporary relief. 



The following night stealthily entering a cattle enclosure, he 

 managed to drive out unobserved some young calves, and to 

 tether them in the jungle. The next morning the owners missing 

 the calves, made every search for them, but in vain. A day or 

 two after the leper cautiously approached at dead of night the 

 houses of the persons whom he had robbed, and knocking at the 

 doors, said in solemn tones — " Spare Kuda Ralahami milk and 

 food daily, and your calves will be found !" Thus saying, he hid 

 himself before they could open their doors, and see who knocked. 

 As they could not discover anyone near about, with innate supersti- 

 tiousness the cattle-owners imagined that some deity or demon 

 had filched the calves and thus notified his wants. The following 

 day, therefore,they took care to provide milk and rice for Ralahami, 

 who on his part allowed the calves to stray back to the pinfold. 



The practice was continued so long as he lived, and it is said 

 that on his death he was metamorphosed into Kudd-Yakd, more 

 commonly known under the names Kudd-Rdlahdmi or Kosgama 

 Deviydy to whom offerings of milk are greatly acceptable. 



We have not improbably here (with just such divergence as 

 would follow from the nature of the respective religious beliefs) 

 the counterpart of " Robin Goodferow," for whom not many cen- 

 turies past our " grandame's maids were wont to set a bowl of 

 milk,"* and whose frolics, as "Hobgoblin" or " Puck," Shakespeare 

 has made familiar in the " Midsummer Night's Dream." 



* " Tells how the drudging goblin sweat 



To earn his cream bowl duly set." — L* Allegro, y^S^ 



