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JUNE 7, 1872.)
BENGALI STORIES.
171
began to weep, and told him that he had plenty of So the king called the boy, and asked him if he kinsfolk, and then related the whole story to him. could get it, he replied that he could, but said that a
In the mean time the Rakshasa queen had dis- very large sum of money would be wanted. The covered everything concerning the blind queen's king gave it him, and he put it in his house, and Bon, so one night she went over the sea to the island
went to the Sanyasi, who changed him into a parrot, of Ceylon, and said to her fellow Rakshasas, "I have and he went and brought the rice in his beak and married a king, but there is a son of his first wife came back to the Sanyasi, who transformed him to living, I will make some excuse to send him to you, a man, he then went and gave the rice to the queen, and you must kill him when he comes," so saying and she boiled it and recovered from her pain. she returned home. After this the son of the blind After a few days the pain again returned, and queen took a sharp sword and went to his father, when the king asked what ailed her, she said, " All and the king loved him directly he saw him, and en- the Rakshasas live in the island of Ceylon, they have quired who he was and why he had come. The boy a cow a cubit in length and half a cubit in height, replied that he had left his own country, and was if it can be brought, and I can drink its milk, I shall seeking service. The king then asked him what he
be cured." The king told the boy that he must bring could do, and he said he could do anything that the the cow, and he undertook to do so, but said that still other servants considered impossible, so the king more money than before would be needed. What took him into his service.
could the king do ? he was forced to sell his kingNow the Rakshasa queen had not tasted man's dom, and give the proceeds to the boy, who deposited flesh for many days, so she went to the boy's house, it in his house, and went to the Sanyasi. The Saand said, “ Where are you going? I will kill you." nyasi told him to go to the place, and say," aunt, With these words she returned home, and put some aunt, your sister has married a king, and I am her dry stalks of hemp under her bed, and lay down son, my mother has had no news of you for a long on them. When her servants came to enquire what time, so she has sent me, and she wishes to know was the matter, she rolled from side to side, and the why you have not killed her enemy who came to hemp stalks made a crackling noise. At that the ser- fetch the foam of the sea and the rice ;" by saying vants became alarmed, and went and told the king, this he would be received as a guest, and would be who came and asked the queen what was the matter, able to get the cow. The boy went and did as the and she said she felt great pain in her bones, and
Sanyasi had told him, and all the Rakshasas believthen rolled from side to side and made the crackling
ed that he was their nephew, and treated him kindly. noise. The king sent for a great many doctors, but
After he had lived with them for some time, he said none of them did any good, at last she said,
that he was very much afraid lest they should die, "None of these doctors can cure me, but if you can and he should have nowhere to live. They replied procure me some foam from the sea, I shall be well."
" We cannot easily die, for the cause of our death is The king replied, "How can foam of the sea be pro
in this house: this lemon which you see is our life, cured ? it is perfectly impossible for man to do it,"
if any one were to cut it, we should all be cut to but she said that the new servant could bring it, so
pieces ; the two eyes which you see are the eyes of the king asked him, and he said that he would un
your father's first wife." The boy enquired the use dertake to procure it, but a large sum of money
of the eyes, and they said, "If they are fixed in the would be necessary. The king gave him the money,
eye sockets of a blind man with clay from this place, and he gave it all to the blind queen, and went
he will be able to see as before." There was also a empty-handed to fetch the foam of the sea. In the young bird kept there, and he enquired what its use course of his journey he came to a temple, and there was. The Rakshasas answered, “This is the life of met with a Sanyasi, who received him graciously, your mother, if its wing be broken your mother's and said, "I know why you have come, I will
arm will be broken, and if its throat be cut, her change you into a kingfisher, and you must go and
throat will be cut too." On hearing all this he said fetch the foam of the sea, and then come back to
boldly, " What danger is there then ? no one can me." So the boy took the shape of a bird, and flew know of these things, you will never die, and I can away till he found the foam, which he brought to live here without fear." So the Rakshasas, believthe Sanyasi, who restored him to his proper form ing he was really their nephew, went out as before again, and he went back to the king, and gave him to search for food, and when the boy saw that they the foam. When the queen had taken the foam 48 were at a distance, he cut the lemon to pieces, and medicine she felt much better, and she perceived they all died. He then took his mother's eyes, and that the boy was no ordinary person, and she must the young bird and the cow, and went back to the use every effort to destroy him. So she again pre- Sanyasi, who ordered him to go home and kill the tended to be ill, and when the king asked how her Rakshasa. He first restored his mother to sight, pain could be cured, she said, “In the island of and then went to the king. As soon as he arrived Ceylon there is a kind of rice which ripens the same the Rakshasa queen, seeing that she could remain day that it is sown, and can be boiled the same day, disguised no longer, assumed her own terrible shape, if I could obtain some of it, my pain would be cured." and came forward to devour every one. So he
