Marup Mari : Folktale from Kannaba Wari Khara
- Part 2 -

James Oinam *

Marup Mari :: Illustration from the Book 'Kannaba Wari Khara'

Marup Mari (Four Friends): Part 2
Kannaba Wari Khara (Few Useful Stories): Part 2

Author: Raghumani
Publisher: L. Devrani Devi
Brahmapur, Nahabam
First Print: 1988

The rat looking this way and that way asked, “Let us not delay any further. Friend crow you fly up in the sky and see if the hunter is coming back.”

The crow flew high up the sky and sat on a branch of a big tree. He looked in four directions and then shouted, “Save your lives. Run. The hunter is coming back!”

A man came running in that direction. The deer ran into a thick forest. The rat hid in a burrow. But alas, the tortoise could not run like the others.

On reaching the spot, the noticed that the net has been cut and the deer had escaped. Instead of him there was a big tortoise. The hunter thought let the deer run away, but at least I got a tortoise in its place. I will sell this and the money will last for a few days. Thus, the took the tortoise and went.

The crow sitting on the tree saw all this. He thought of ways to save his friend.

At that time, the deer and rat reached the place. All three discussed how they can save the tortoise.

After discussing for a while the crow said, “I got an idea. Let me tell you. If we do as I tell you we can save the tortoise easily.”

He told each of them what they need to do. After getting the instructions, the crow flew high to see which way the hunter had gone. The hunter had not gone far. He was near a water body.

Asking his friends to go faster he flew in the direction of the hunter. He flew past the hunter and then sat on a huge tree. As per the direction given by the crow, the deer and the rat arrived at the place.

As agreed earlier, the deer lied down pretending to be dead. The rat hid between the leaves. Then the crow flew down and sat on the head of the deer. And he poked his beak at the deer’s eyes as if he wanted to take out his eyes.

In a while, the hunter also reached the place.

“How surprising. After all, the deer was not able to escape. He has died here. How lucky. I got two things at once.” Saying this, the hunter put down the tortoise on the ground and went to fetch the deer.

Swiftly the rat came running and bit off the chains of the tortoise. “Run friend. Jump into the water.” The rat again went into hiding between the leaves and the tortoise got into the water.

Seeing friend tortoise escape from the hands of the hunter, the crow cawed and flew away. With that the deer got up suddenly and ran into dark forest.

The hunter was baffled seeing the deer run away. After the hunter left, the four friends met again at that place. They were happy beyond any words.

The rat laughing aloud said, “The foolish hunter, we taught him a lesson. Don’t you think?”

The deer said, “Is there anything to add there?”

After remaining quiet for a while, he said to the crow, “However, friend it is through the strength of your intelligence all this have been possible.”

The crow, “Don’t praise me only. It is our collective strength that made it possible.” And they lived happily ever after.

Concluded .....