talented young woman who was a renowned folk singer in those
parts. Perhaps he thought it would be fun to have a go at her on
stage, or perhaps he felt a little bit in love – who knows? At any
rate, jumping up on stage, he found the young woman quite will-
ing to accept his challenge. By the time they sang through several
sets of verses, it became clear that young Mun was losing the con-
test. As it happened, a savior appeared just in time. Chao Khun
Upãli,^16 who was then a young man several years older than young
Mun, had come to the same fair and was in the audience at the
competition. Obviously his friend was losing badly, and things
were getting worse with each new set of verses. Continued much
longer, the girl would probably have driven him off the stage in
disgrace, for she was a seasoned performer and young Mun was
a mere novice. Acting on a bold impulse, Mun had leapt up on
the stage only to meet a ferocious tigress, her mouth full of fangs,
while he was just a pup sporting a few baby teeth. Jan, as Chao
Khun Upãli was called then, anxiously thought that if his friend
persisted, she would skin him alive, then sell his hide. He thought
to himself: Mun doesn’t know a tiger when he sees one. He just sees
a young lady – he doesn’t realize he’s about to be slaughtered. I’ll have
to do something now to save his hide. If I don’t, it’ll be on sale in the
market for sure. Having thought this, Jan jumped up on the stage
and began shouting:
“Dammit Mun! I’ve been looking for you all over the place!
Your mother fell from the top of the house – I’m not sure if she’s
still alive or not. I saw her lying there in a heap on the ground
and tried to help, but she insisted I go look for you. I’ve been run-
ning around all day trying to find you. I haven’t eaten a thing and
I’m worn out.”
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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