Goa's popular folk tale from the book "FOLK TALES OF GOA" by Arthur Francis “Meurin” Santos.

There was once a male fox called Kolo who lived near a female fox called Koli. Kolo was clever and cunning. Koli was sweet and kind. They were in love. Koli wanted to get married soon, but Kolo kept putting it off with one excuse after another. This went on for years and years.

Koli then thought and thought, and finally decided on a plan.

“My darling Kolo,” she said to herself, “Is very found of honey. I will search for the biggest bee-hive in the forest and offer it to him as my marriage dowry."

”So every day she roamed the forest seeking far and near. She had to this in secret so that Kolo would not know what she was doing. She spied many hives. Some she would see in the trees. Some she could not see as they were in holes in the trunks of the trees. But she knew that the hives were there because she saw bees entering laden with nectar and coming out empty.

Some beehives were as big as one room. Some were as big as two rooms. Koli was not satisfied.

“To coax Kolo to marry me,” she thought, “the beehive must be as big as the house.” One week, two weeks, one month, two, three, four months passed by and still she searched. She could not find one as big as a house with six rooms.

One afternoon she lay down in the shade of the tree, footsore and weary. She was hungry and thirsty. She burst into tears.

“Sweet Koli, why are you crying?” asked little Sparrow.

“But why do want such a big hive?” asked the Sparrow.

“I want to collect the honey for my dowry,” said Koli.

“Every one in the forest wants to know why you are wasting your tine on that rascal Kolo. There are dozens of others who would be proud and happy to wed you."

“I love him,” sighed Koli. “If I don't find a beehive as large as a house, I will die of a broken heart,” and she started sobbing again.

“Come, come," said Sparrow, "Wipe your eyes and follow me. I will lead you to the biggest beehive yon will ever see in your lifetime.”

Koli jumped to her feet and ran after the flitting Sparrow. Her legs were no longer sore. She was not tired, hungry or thirsty. A hundred yards away, the Sparrow stood still and said:

“Look at that banyan tree, sweet Koli, and tell me what do you see?”

Koli looked at the tree. She saw the trunk as wide as a mansion. The trunk was surrounded by branches that had taken root in the ground. Each branch was as big as a room. She tried to count them--one, two, three, ten, twenty, forty--she lost count. She looked up--ten feet, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty feet high. The tree was full of branches and leaves, leaves and branches. She had to turn her ears North and South to see from one end of the tree to another end of the tree.

“Heavens!” she cried "What a tremendous tree. It must have grown from the seed brought from the garden of Eden.

"Can you hear any sound?" asked Sparrow. Koli closed her eyes, pricked up her ears and listened.

"Yes," she said, "I can hear the beating of drums--hundreds and thousands of drums, miles and miles away in a distance."

"Look carefully," said the Sparrow "and tell me what do you see in the centre of the tree at the top?" Koli raised her head and exclaimed:

"I see thousands and thousands of black lines drawn from the middle to all points of the compass, North, South, East and West. What are they, little Sparrow?"

"Ha, Ha," laughed Sparrow. "How blind you are, sweet Koli? How deaf you are, kind Koli? No wonder you are in love with that rascal Kolo! The thousands and thousands of black lines you see are millions, and billions and trillions of bees. The buzzing sound of their wings in flight what you say is the beat of thousands and thousands of drums, miles and miles away. If you could fly like me you could see the beehive which is as large as a two-storied house. Here then is your dowry, Sweet Koli."

"You are a darling," said Koli, kissing Sparrow on both cheeks. "You have saved my life. You will be the page boy for my wedding, I promise you."

Sparrow blushed and said:

"Turn this stone for me, dear Koli. I want to pick up a worm for Mrs. Sparrow who is sitting on two eggs in our nest. It is time for me to relive her of this duty and take my turn of sitting on the eggs." Koli turned the stone over and little Sparrow flew away with a worm in his beak.
(Next part: Next Month)

Arthur Francis “Meurin” Santos