The Field of Bones (Folk-tales of Bengal)- Part I

Once upon a time, there lived a king who had a son. The young prince had three friends, the son of the prime minister, the son of the prefect of the police, and the son of the richest merchant of the city. These four friends had a great love for one another.

Once upon a time, they bethought themselves of seeing distant lands. They accordingly set out one day, each one riding on a horse. They rode on and on, till about noon they came to the outskirts of what seemed to be a dense forest. There they rested a while, tying to the trees their horses, which began to browse. When they had refreshed themselves, they again mounted their horses and resumed their journey. At sunset they saw in the depths of the forest a temple, near which they dismounted, wishing to lodge there that night. Inside the temple, there was a sannyasi (Religious devotee), apparently absorbed in meditation, as he did not notice the four friends.

When darkness covered the forest, a light was seen inside the temple. The four friends resolved to pass the night on the balcony of the temple; and as the forest was infested with many wild beasts, they deemed it safe that each of them should watch one prahara (Eighth part of twenty-four hours, that is, three hours) of the night, while the rest should sleep.

It fell to the lot of the merchant’s son to watch during the first prahara, that is to say, from six in the evening to nine o’clock at night. Towards the end of his watch, the merchant’s son saw a wonderful sight. The hermit took up a bone with his hand and repeated over it some words which the merchant’s son distinctly heard.

The moment the words were uttered, a clattering sound was heard in the precincts of the temple, and the merchant’s son saw many bones moving from different parts of the forest. The bones collected themselves inside the temple, at the foot of the hermit, and lay there in a heap. As soon as this took place, the watch of the merchant’s son came to an end; and, rousing the son of the prefect of the police, he laid himself down to sleep.

The prefect’s son, when he began his watch, saw the hermit sitting cross-legged, wrapped in meditation, near a heap of bones, the history of which he, of course, did not know. For a long time, nothing happened. The dead stillness of the night was broken only by the howl of the hyæna and the wolf, and the growl of the tiger.

When his time was nearly up he saw a wonderful sight. The hermit looked at the heap of bones lying before him and uttered some words which the prefect’s son distinctly heard.

No sooner had the words been uttered than a noise was heard among the bones, “and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to its bone”; and the bones which were erewhile lying together in a heap now took the form of a skeleton.

Struck with wonder, the prefect’s son would have watched longer, but his time was over. He therefore laid himself down to sleep, after rousing the minister’s son, to whom, however, he told nothing of what he had seen, as the merchant’s son had not told him anything of what he had seen.

The minister’s son got up, rubbed his eyes, and began watching. It was the dead hour of midnight, when ghosts, hobgoblins, and spirits of every name and description, go roaming over the wide world, and when all creation, both animate and inanimate, is in deep repose.

Even the howl of the wolf and the hyæna and the growl of the tiger had ceased. The minister’s son looked towards the temple and saw the hermit sitting wrapt up in meditation, and near him lying something which seemed to be the skeleton of some animal. He looked towards the dense forest and the darkness all around, and his hair stood on end through terror. In this state of fear and trembling he spent nearly three hours when an uncommon sight in the temple attracted his notice.

The hermit, looking at the skeleton before him, uttered some words that the minister’s son distinctly heard. As soon as the words were uttered, “lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon the bones, and the skin covered them above”; but there was no breath in the skeleton. Astonished at the sight, the minister’s son would have sat up longer, but his time was up. He therefore laid himself down to sleep, after having roused the king’s son, to whom, however, he said nothing of what he had seen and heard.

The king’s son, when he began his watch, saw the hermit sitting, completely absorbed in devotion, near a figure that looked like some animal, but he was not a little surprised to see the animal lying apparently lifeless, without showing any of the symptoms of life.

The prince spent his hours agreeably enough, especially as he had had a long sleep, and as he felt none of that depression which the dead hour of midnight sheds on the spirits; and he amused himself with marking how the shades of darkness were becoming thinner and paler every moment. But just as he noticed a red streak in the east, he heard a sound from inside the temple. He turned his eyes towards the hermit.

The hermit, looking towards the inanimate figure of the animal lying before him, uttered some words which the prince distinctly heard. The moment the words were spoken, “breath came into the animal; it lived, it stood up upon its feet”; and quickly rushed out of the temple into the forest. That moment the crows cawed; the watch of the prince came to an end; his three companions were roused; and after a short time they mounted their horses, and resumed their journey, each one thinking of the strange sight seen in the temple.

They rode on and on through the dense and interminable forest, and hardly spoke to one another, till about mid-day they halted under a tree near a pool for refreshment. After they had refreshed themselves by eating some fruits from the forest and drinking water from the pool, the prince said to his three companions, “Friends, did you not see something in the temple of the devotee? I’ll tell you what I saw, but first, let me hear what you all saw. Let the merchant’s son first tell us what he saw as he had the first watch, and the others will follow in order.”

Merchants son. I’ll tell you what I saw. I saw the hermit take up a bone in his hand, and repeat some words which I well remember. The moment those words were uttered, a clattering sound was heard in the precincts of the temple, and I saw many bones running into the temple from different directions. The bones collected themselves together inside the temple at the feet of the hermit and lay there in a heap. I would have gladly remained longer to see the end, but my time was up, and I had to rouse my friend, the son of the prefect of the police.

Prefect’s son. Friends, this is what I saw. The hermit looked at the heap of bones lying before him and uttered some words which I well remember. No sooner had the words been spoken than I heard a noise among the bones, and, strange to say, the bones jumped up, each bone joined itself to its fellow, and the heap became a perfect skeleton. At that moment my watch came to an end, and I had to rouse my respected friend the minister’s son.

Minister’s son. Well, when I began my watch I saw the said skeleton lying near the hermit. After three mortal hours, during which I was in great fear, I saw the hermit lift his eyes towards the skeleton and utter some words which I well remember. As soon as the words were uttered the skeleton was covered with flesh and hair, but it did not show any symptom of life, as it lay motionless. Just then my watch ended, and I had to rouse my royal friend the prince.

King’s son. Friends, from what you yourselves saw, you can guess what I saw. I saw the hermit turn towards the skeleton covered with skin and hair, and repeat some words which I well remember. The moment the words were uttered, the skeleton stood up on its feet, and it looked like a fine and lusty deer, While I was admiring its beauty, it skipped out of the temple, and ran into the forest. At that moment the crows cawed.

The four friends, after hearing one another’s story, congratulated themselves on the possession of supernatural power, and they did not doubt but that if they pronounced the words that they had heard the hermit utter, the utterance would be followed by the same results. They resolved to verify their power by an actual experiment.

Near the foot of the tree, they found a bone lying on the ground, and they accordingly resolved to experiment upon it. The merchant’s son took up the bone and repeated over it the formula he had heard from the hermit. Wonderful to relate, a hundred bones immediately came rushing from different directions, and lay in a heap at the foot of the tree.

The son of the prefect of the police then looking upon the heap of bones, repeated the formula that he had heard from the hermit, and forthwith there was a shaking among the bones; the several bones joined themselves together and formed themselves into a skeleton, and it was the skeleton of a quadruped.

The minister’s son then drew near the skeleton, and, looking intently upon it, pronounced over it the formula which he had heard from the hermit. The skeleton immediately was covered with flesh, skin, and hair, and, horrible to relate, the animal proved itself to be a royal tiger of the largest size. The four friends were filled with consternation. If the king’s son were, by the repetition of the formula he had heard from the hermit, to make the beast alive, it might prove fatal to them all.

The three friends, therefore, tried to dissuade the prince from giving life to the tiger. But the prince would not comply with the request. He naturally said, “The mantras which you have learned have been proved true and efficacious. But how shall I know that the mantra which I have learned is equally efficacious? I must have my mantra verified. Nor is it certain that we shall lose our lives by the experiments Here is this high tree. You can climb into its topmost branches, and I shall also follow you thither after pronouncing the mantra.”

In vain did the three friends dwell upon the extreme danger attending the experiment: the prince remained inexorable. The minister’s son, the prefect’s son, and the merchant’s son climbed up into the topmost branches of the tree, while the king’s son went up to the middle of the tree.

From there, looking intently upon the lifeless tiger, he pronounced the words that he had learned from the hermit and quickly ran up the tree. In the twinkling of an eye, the tiger stood upright, gave out a terrible growl, with a tremendous spring killed all the four horses that were browsing at a little distance, and, dragging one of them, rushed towards the densest part of the forest.

The four friends ensconced on the branches of the tree were almost petrified with fear at the sight of the terrible tiger, but the danger was now over. The tiger went off at a great distance from them, and from its growl, they judged that it must be at least two miles distance from them.

After a little they came down from the tree; and as they now had no horses on which to ride, they walked on foot through the forest, till, coming to its end, they reached the shore of the sea. They sat on the seashore hoping to see some ship sailing by. They had not sat long when fortunately they described a vessel in the offing.

They waved their handkerchiefs and made all sorts of signs to attract the notice of the people on board the ship. The captain and the crew noticed the men on the shore. They came towards the shore, and took the men upon board, but added that as they were short of provisions they could not have them a long time on board but would put them ashore at the first port they came to. After four or five days’ voyage, they saw not far from the shore high buildings and turrets, and supposing the place to be a large city, the four friends landed there.

The four friends, immediately after landing, walked along a long avenue of stately trees, at the end of which was a bazaar.

There were hundreds of shops in the bazaar, but not a single human being in them. There were sweetmeat shops in which there were heaps of confectioneries ranged in regular rows, but no human beings to sell them.

There was the blacksmith’s shop, there was the anvil, there were the bellows and the other tools of the smithy, but there was no smith there.

There were stalls in which there were heaps of faded and dried vegetables, but no men or women to sell them. The streets were all deserted, no human beings, no cattle were to be seen there.

There were carts, but no bullocks; there were carriages, but no horses. The doors and windows of the houses of the city on both sides of the streets were all open, but no human being was visible in them.

It seemed to be a deserted city. It seemed to be a city of the dead—and all the dead were taken out and buried.

The four friends were astonished—they were frightened at the sight. As they went on, they approached a magnificent pile of buildings, which seemed to be the palace of a king. They went to the gate and to the porter’s lodge. They saw shields, swords, spears, and other weapons suspended in the lodge, but no porters.

They entered the premises but saw no guards, no human beings. They went to the stables and saw the troughs, grain, and grass lying about in profusion, but no horses. They went inside the palace, and passed the long corridors—still, no human being was visible. They went through six long courts—still no human being.

Continued…