________________
160
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JUNE, 1886.
HESTERILI! THIRD
in that country, and sought protection from his became like father and mother to them. A Majesty. The king rèadly granted the mer- year or two ago, all this happened, and chant's request, and ordered that some soldiers the two boys are supposed by every one to be were to be at once told off for this special duty, the fisherman's two real sons. O brother, we are and so arranged that one of them should be on these two boys! And there you have my story." guard always in the courtyard of the merchant. The story was so interesting and its finish so He also sent the fisherman's two sons to sleep wonderful, that the younger brother was more on the merchant's premises.
awake than before. Its narration had also at One night these two boys, not being able to tracted the attention of another. The merchant's sleep for some reason or other, the younger asked promised wife, who happened to be lying awake his brother to tell him a tale to enliven the oc- at the time, and whose room was separated from casion, as it was miserable lying down there with the shop by the thinnest of partitions only, overonly the glimmering light of a little oil lamp. heard all that had been said. She thought The elder brother said: "All right, I'll tell you within herself, “Surely these two boys must be one out of our own experience," and began :- my own song."
"Once upon a time there lived a very great, | Presently she was sitting beside them and learned, and wealthy king, but he was very began asking them all sorts of questions. Two proud. This pride led the poor king to the 1 years or more had made a great difference in direst rain and grief. One day, when going both of the boys, but there were certain signs about with his army, challenging other kings to that a hundred years would never efface from come and fight with him, one great and powerful # mother's memory. These together with the king appeared and conquered him. The defeated answers which she had elicited from them assured king escaped with his wife and two sons to the her that she had found her own sons again. The son, hoping to find some vessel, wherein he and tears streamed down her face as she embraced his family might embark, and get away to them, and revealed to them that she was the some foreign land, and there forget all their queen their mother, about whom they had just troubles. After walking several miles they been speaking. reached the seashore, and found a vessel about She told them all that happened to her since to sail; but alas! the captain of that vesselshe had been parted from them; how the capproved to be a very wicked man. He took the tain of the vessel, finding that he should never be beautiful queen, and then, when the king and able to get her to live with him, had sold her his two sons were going to embark, some men, to the rich merchant ; how this rich merchant hired by the captain, kept them back till the had been very kind to her, and really loved her, vessel had sailed out of sight. Oh! what a and was a thoroughly good man, besides being terrible time that was for the poor king! With clever and wealthy; and how she, thinking what & sorrow-sick heart he turned away with that she should never meet with her husband, his two sons! He walked many miles, not their father again, had promised to marry this knowing whither he went, till he came to merchant at the end of two years, only three a swiftly-flowing river. As there was no days of which remained now. She explained bridge or boat near, he was obliged to wade that she did not like the merchant enough to across. He took one of his boys and got over become his wife, and so she wished to contrive safely, and then was returning for the other, some plan for getting rid of him. when he stumbled over a stone, lost his footing, "The plan is," she said, "for me to pretend and was carried away by the fierce waters; and to the merchant that you attempted to violate has not been heard of since.
me. I will pretend to be very angry, and not "You can imagine the state of the two boys. give him any peace, till he goes to the king and It was night and they had neither food nor asks his Majesty to punish you. Then the bedding, nor did they know where to go, nor king will send for you in great wrath, and will how to get to one another. At length a fisher- inquire about this matter. In reply you must man came along in his boat and seeing these say that it is all a mistake, for you quite regard two boys crying he took them into his boat, me as your own mother, and in proof of and afterwards to his house, and got very fond this you will beg his Majesty to send and of them, and so did his wife, so that they both fetch me, that I may corroborate what you say.
