The Yakā and the Tom-tom Beater
H. (Henry) Parker translation
In a country, at the time when a Tom-tom Beater was going to a devil-dance (kankāriya), it became dark. While he was going along to the village in the dark, when he was near the village having the devil-dance, to the extent of two miles (haetaepma) from it, he met with [an adventure] in this manner.
When he asked it [he replied], “I am going to a devil-dance.”
At the time when [the Yakā] said, “Standing there, beat the [airs of] devil-dances, and the new ones that thou knowest,” he unfastened the tom-tom, and tying it (i.e., slinging it from his neck), he beat various dances.
Beginning from that day, having gone into the house in which are the looms, at the time when he looked, raw-rice, and pulse (mun), and ash-plantains, and betel, and areka-nuts, and various things were there. Every day those said things were there.
At the time when he is bringing them, his wife said, “Whence are these?” Every day she plagued him, and being unable to escape from it he told the woman.
On the following day after the day on which he told her, at the time when he looked he had filled the looms with excrement.
North-western Province.
In The Indian Antiquary, vol. i, p. 143, Mr. W. C. Benett gave an Oudh story in which Bhawan Misr, a wrestler who had obtained gifts from a demon, lost them by revealing the secret to his wife.