the sheep which were straggling on
all four sides, he brought them together and drove them along; going
sometimes before, and sometimes behind. Whilst he was going behind, he
saw an English gentleman coming along in a travelling carriage, and said
to himself, "Who in the world is this? A gentleman coming, as I'm
alive! Why should I stay in his way? I'd better hide myself a bit."
So he got behind a hedge, and fearing lest the sheep should stray, as he
kept peeping and looking out every now and then, and huffing them with
his cry, "Hus-si, hus-si," this gentleman saw him, and called out, "Ho
Sir, _Gowda_, come here." _Gowda_ is the head man of a village, and the
word was used on this occasion respectfully. Hearing which, the
shepherd said to himself, "What trouble has come now? He's calling me
to come to him. If I go to him, I cannot tell what he may do to me.
And if I don't go, I cannot tell what will happen. But they say that
English gentlemen never do harm to anybody. Though I hear him, I'll
just keep quiet as though I didn't hear, and if he calls again, I'll
go." The gentleman, seeing the shepherd's great perplexity, and knowing
that it was through fear that he did not come, again called out, "Ho
Sir, Gowda, Gowda, come here; don't be afraid; I won't do anything to
you; you need not give me anything; come here, come and have a talk."
On which the shepherd thinking within himself, "If I don't go to him
after this, he may get angry, and I can't tell what he will do," delayed
a little, as though driving his sheep; when the gentleman again called,
"Come." "There is no getting out of it, I must go," said the shepherd
to himself; and came near, and stood with the stick across his
shoulders, holding the ends of the stick on both sides with his hands,
swinging the switch that he held in his right hand, stooping, moving his
head from side to side, and shuffling his feet. Seeing the shepherd,
who thus came and stood, the gentleman entered into conversation with
him, as follows:

G. "Well, Sir, _Gowda_, who are you?"

S. "I am a shepherd, my lord."

G. "What is your name?"

S. "My name is Bit-tare Shikkanu, Sir." (The words mean, "If you let
him go, you won't catch him again.")

G. "Bravo! If one let go your name, he won't catch it again, eh?
Well, what is your god's name?"

S. "_Bir-ap-pa_ is our god, Sir."

G. "_Bir-ap-pa_, eh? what is he like?"

S. "That's good, Sir. What should god be like?