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When the noodle is persuaded, as in the following case of a Sinhalese wittol, by a gang of thieves to join them in a plundering expedition, they have little reason to be pleased with him, for he does not make a good “cat’s-paw.”  The Sinhalese noodle joined some thieves, took readily to their ways, and was always eager to accompany them on their marauding excursions.  One night they took him with them, and boring a large hole in the wall of a house,[6] they sent him in, telling him to hand out the heaviest article he could lay hands upon.  He readily went in, and seeing a large kurakkan-grinder,[7] thought that was the heaviest thing in the room, and attempted to remove it.  But it proved too much for him alone, so he gently awoke a man who was sleeping in the room, and said to him, “My friend, pray help me to remove this kurakkan-grinder.”  The man immediately guessed that thieves had entered the house, and gave the alarm.  The thieves, who were waiting outside quite expectant, rushed away, and the noodle somehow or other managed to escape with them.

Next night they again took him along with them, and after boring a hole in the wall of another house, sent him in with strict injunctions not to make a noise or wake anybody.  He crept in noiselessly and entered a large room, in which was an old woman, fast asleep by the fire, with wide-open mouth.  An earthen chattie, a wooden spoon, and a small bag of pease were also placed by the fire.  The noodle first proceeded to roast some pease in the chattie.  When they were roasted to a nice brownish colour, and emitted a very tempting smell, he thought that the old woman might also enjoy a mouthful.  He considered for a while how he might best offer some to her.  He did not wish to wake her, as he was ordered not to wake anybody.  Suddenly a bright idea struck him.  Why should he not feed her?  There she was sleeping with her mouth wide open.  Surely it would be no difficult task to put some pease into her mouth.  Taking some of the hot, smoking pease into the wooden spoon, he put the contents into her mouth.  The woman awoke, screaming with all her might.  The noise roused the other inmates of the house, who came rushing to the spot to see what was the matter.  This time also the noodle managed to escape with the thieves; but in a subsequent adventure he, as well as the thieves, came to grief.[8]

The silly son of Italian popular tales is represented as being sent by his mother to sell a piece of linen which she had woven, saying to him, “Now listen attentively to what I say:  Walk straight along the road.  Don’t take less than such a price for this linen.  Don’t have any dealings with women who chatter.  Whether you sell it to any one you meet on the way, or carry it into the market, offer it only to some quiet sort of body whom you may see standing apart and not gossiping or prating, for such as they will persuade you to take some sort