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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1881.
When the pretended aunt asked the princess Now the cat had gone with the parrot to if she had got the ring, she angwered “Yes, I search for the princess, and she came forward have; see, here it is." Then the wise woman and said, "I'll get the ring. My plan is this. said to her, " Come and have a sail on the sea," Let the princess ask the wise woman for some and when they reached the bottom of the rice for supper to-night; then let her leave golden stairs, she said, "Let us have a sail in some of it, and scatter it in front of a rat-hole. this golden boat.” So they went into the When the rats come to eat the rice, I will golden boat, and then the wise woman raised catch one, and put its tail up the witch's nose her finger, and the boatmen began to row. while she is asleep. Then she will sneeze, The princess when she saw this, wept and and the ring will fall out of her mouth." So said “What are you doing, aunt, and whither they agreed on that plan, and the cat did as she are you taking me ?" But the wise woman slap- had proposed, and brought the ring to the ped the poor princess several times till she was prince. He was overjoyed and immediately silent.
made a holy place, put the ring in it, sprinkled At last they arrived at the city, and the wise the buttermilk, and said "Oh ring! bring my woman sent word to the king that the princess wife to me." At the same moment the had come. Then the king sent his covered princess appeared, and was very much pleased palanquin"' for her, and took her away. The to find her dear prince once more." king was very much pleased at having found I append the text of the tale as taken down from the princess, and sent her to his son's palace, the narrator, as a specimen of village Panjabi. but she said, "I will only agree to marry The spelling of modern Panjabi is not in practice your son after six months provided my own
fixed, and the variations found herein represent husband does not appear meanwhile." Then
faithfully the orthography of the scribe who took it the prince thought this was not a very hard
down for me in the Persian character.-R.O.T. condition, for it was not likely her husband
'Ajab Mundrd. would turn up, and if he or any guardian did,
Ik badshah si, ohde ghar do larke si. Jad båd
shah margid, tås do lasktan vichhon ik bara 'aib! they could easily be killed; so the princess
ho gya. Eh hal dekhke daje bhara ne ohnun lived in a palace by herself, and would not
Akhya, ke tan apná hissa lekar maithoń ad ho ja; even look at the prince.
tån oh apnd hissa lekar ad ho gya, te apna sar& Meanwhile her husband had come back from barbad kar dittà. Phir osne apni 'aurat nun Akhya, hunting, but when he called out to the prin- ke kujh de. Osne Akhya "Mere kol tań kt cess froin the sea shore, there came no answer. chhaddyå hai P Hun siraf mere kol thoşå jhya However, when he went into the palace, the zewar hai, eh tan lele." Osne zewar vechke châr parrot flew up to its master at once, saying,
sau rapaiya watt lyd. Oh rupaiya leke saudagiri “The princess's aunt has carried her off by
karan turyâ; agge ik billiwald milya. Ohnan
osne åkhya, "Billi d& ki leng&P" Osne Akhya "Sau some trick, and the palace is empty."
rapaiya lâng&.” Sau rupaiya deke billt mul lai. Then the prince fell on the ground in a fit,
Pher ik kuttewalê milya. Ohnan puchhy&" Kutte and when he felt better, he got up again, and
då tan ki lenga P” Osne Akhya “Sau rupaiya ton the parrot said, “Wait here, my prince, and I ghat na lenga." Osnan vi sau rupaiya deke will fly away and find out where the princess is." kuttâ mullely&. Pher ik totewald milya. Osnnn
So the parrot flew from city to city and from puchhyå "Tun ki leng&> Osne Akhya "EhdA house to house, till it found the princess at mul sau rupaiya hai.” Osnon vf sau rupaiya last in a king's Palace, and recognized her at dekar mul lelyd. Pher ik jogt sapwald unilya. once by her golden hair.
Osnon puchhy& “Tan ki lenga P" Osne Akhya, It few up to her, and said, "I have come! "sau rupaiya.” Osnan vi sau rupaiya dekar sap to look for you. Where is the ring po
kbarid lya.
Istarah châr sau rupaiya apna kharach karke, Then the princess said, "It will be a diffi
agge turya, râh vich kharach kujh palle na riba. cult task to get back the ring, for the wise
Mazdarf karke, khân laga, osne bahot dukh paya. woman always keeps it in her mouth."
Ohdå dukh vekhke Sap ne Akhya, ke, BadsbAh
10 9,3 4014-here the large covered palanquin need by women of rank; not the marriage data above mentioned: doli, the diminutive, would be a more appropriate
word here.-R.O.T.
16 The ending of this tale differs from that of the "Prince Lionheart" in its extremely lame character.-R.C.T.
