English
Supposing I do this thing, what profit will it be to me ? Tsithur ai dushih waharas poshihy wahrdt ai dushih tah paharas poshili nah. Should it rain in March- April, then there will be quite enough for a year, but if during August it rains, then it will not be enough for a watch {ie., a space of three hours). Tsrtirah Breswur, Tsrar Thursday. Any great gathering is so called. Tsrdr is a village about one march from Srinagar. It is the burial-place of Shekh Nfir-ud-din, and hundreds flock there on Thursday afternoons, so as to be present at the Friday's prayers and sermon. Tsuchih'warih andarah neryd anz ? Will a goose come out from the bread ? Not enough for you and me and everybody else. Tsunih machih huluf tah Tcunih maehih banah hut. A lock for the charcoal-pot and a store-room for the pot. Unnecessary carefulness. Tsuht chhuh tsuhtis wuchhit rang ratan. An apple gets colour from seeing an apple. Iron sharpeneth iron ; so a man sliarpeneth the countenance of his friend. — Prov. xxvii. 17. 221 Tsur chhuh he-nur. Thieves are without light (i, e., they love darkness because their deeds are evil, they are without understanding in their heart, or light of expression in their eyes). Tsur chheh phaJc. Theft is like a bad smell (certain to be detected). Tsur gayih nangah hangah-tahmangah. The theft became known by chance (i. e., somehow or other it was made manifest). Tsur gov zik kkur gav. Too much is despised. Tsur mah Jcar tah tsrtiHa mah khots. DoiiH steal and don't fear the mahalladdr. " Balers aro not a terror to good works." Tsrol is tho ancient name of mahalladiLr, the watchman or spy appointed over every village in the valley. 'Vsur tjwatizuh hhurd u raft o man shudam ambdrdur. Fifty-four thieves ate and went, and I became the man in charge. A man is appointed over a work rather '* against tho grain," and loses by it. A saying of Shiva K&k's concoming whom a story is given. Cf. " A war Idriiiyi,'* ^c. Tsur ah kapras dunguv gan. A walking-stick is the yard-measure for stolen cloth (i.e., a thief cannot expect to get the full price for his stolen goods ; sometimes he loses a part of it ; sometimes he has to bribe to keep the matter quiet ; and generally he has to dispose of the things quickly from danger of discovery, taking whatever receivers may offer him). '^urah kukur, A stolen cock. A forbidden work. Tsuran niyih zandnah, thagan khyav mukhtahdr. Thieves took away the wife, and sharpers ate the necklace. Thag, a class of thieves and sharpers who prowl about the city by day and by night, and are especially on the qxd vive on Fridays, tho day when crowds of country people come into Srinagar for trading, and worship in the different mosques. 222 Tsuras nai mnr iisih, san Vethah puih shrapes. If the thief is not sharp, how will he digest his theft. Tsuras phut khor tah piras mdroh murid. The thief broke his foot and the pir's disciple was killed (for it). The innocent punished and the guilty acquitted. Once upon a time when unjust rule, tyranny, and all manner of wickedness reigned in the valley, a thief clambered up the high wall of a house with the intention of stealing whatever he could lay his hands upon. Now it chanced that the wall, being old, and perhaps loosened a little, also, by heavy and continuous rain, had become very weak, and so tumbled down breaking the thief's foot in its fall. The thief was very much annoyed at this interruption of his purpose, and at once limped along to the house of the Deputy- Inspector of Police., and took out a summons against the owner of the tumbled- down wall. The man accordingly appeared in court and pleaded his entire ignorance of the fragile nature of the wall, saying, that he had not built it, and that the bricklayer should be summoned. Ac- cordingly the bricklayer was brought into the court and ordered to show reason why he had built the wall in such a way as that it had fallen down with a very slight knock. He, too, pleaded "Not guilty," saying that there were many coolies there at the time, and that they prepared and gave him the plastering. If any one, surely these coolies ought to be summoned. Accordingly the coolies, who had prepared the mud for plastering, were sent for ; and duly pre- sented themselves at court. They also said that they had not done any wrong, but that perhaps the fault lay with the water-carrier, who might have poured too much water over the earth, so that the plastering became thin. Undoubtedly the water-carrier was the man to be punished. And so the water-carrier was summoned. Poor man ! The downcast, hopeless, expression of his countenance as he entered the court betokened his case. " Why did you pour such a profusion of water, " said the Deputy-Inspector, " as that the mud for the plastering of the wall was thin and feeble?" "I acknow- ledge my fault," said the water-carrier, " and am very sorry. The reason of it all was, that when I was pouring the water out of the skin upon the earth, it happened that a pretty woman passed by an'd I took a look at her, and was so enraptured with the sight, that I forgot for the moment what I was doing. I do trust that you will have mercy upon me and forgive me, because it was not my fault, that that beautiful woman just then went by." The beautiful woman was then sought out and brought into the court, — and truly she was very beautiful, but her good looks failed to impress the hard hearted Deputy-Inspector, who charged her with passing by that way at the time of the erection of the wall, and finding that she had nothing to say in defence, ordered her to be hanged with the greatest possible speed. Dumbfounded with fear aud 223 astonishmont the woman suffered herself to be led along to the place of execution without saying a word. Thither the Deputy- Inspector and many others (for the matter was quickly blazed abroad over the city) were already assembled. On seeing the man who had issued the dread and unjust order for her death tho woman begged to be allowed to ask one favour before the deed was don^ " lHX)k," said she, *' at that large heavy beam (the gallows), and look at me so thin and feebl& The two are not compatible. Better that you seek for one fatter and stronger than I am ; and lot me go free." The Deputy-Inspector touched with the humour of the request, and not really caring so long as somebody was executed by way of a tamdshd, granted it. Search was at once made for a strong, corpulent, person. In those days there was a very famous plr in Kashmir, who used to reside in the jungle with no other companion than a faithful, loving, disciple. Now this disciple frequently had occasion to visit the city for the purpose of purchasing little articles, which he him- self and his master required. One day this disciple returned to his jtmgle-home with the alarming news that there was hebuj in the dty, ve., bad government had commenced, and that every one and everything were in a state of rampant confusion. On hearing this tho pir advised his disciple not to go again to the city until order and rule were re-established there; otherwise he would cer- tainly get into trouble. The disciple, however, made light of this counsel ; and on the very next opportunity went to the city. Sorry time for him ! Ho found the place and neighbourhood in tho greatest state of anarchy, and had not proceeded far along the noisy, crowdedt bizdr, when he, being a fine, strong, stout, young fellow, was accosted by the Deputy-Inspector's messengers and informed of his fate. A short time after this he was a corpse ; a victim to his own rash curiosity. Very, very sad was the p{r when he heard of his disciple's death. ■ A thief broke his foot and my faithful follower got killed for it," :.o cried. " Henceforth alone and friendless I shall have to wander in the woods and desert places." First, however, he determined to go to tho Deputy-Inspector and avenge his disciple's unjust death. Immediately on reaching the city he commenced to distribute alms and pretended to bo most happy. On the way he met the Deputy- Inspector and told him who he was. The Deputy-Inspector was astonished to find him so glad and joyful, and asked the reason of it. *• My disciple," replied the pir, •' has reached heaven more quickly through this cruel execution ; why should I not be happy and glad ?