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78
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(MARCH, 1886.
retorn before the princess came back. So it off her bed, and determined to put an end to pulled out its old and broken feathers that it her grief by hanging herself. She contrived might look the more beautiful, threw them to fasten a piece of cord to one of the beams on the floor, and then started. It reached of the ceiling, and having made & noose, was home safely and was heartily welcomed by its. about to pat it over her head, when the parrot relations and friends. They were all very flew in through the window ! Another moglad to meet again, and had a lot to tell each ment's delay and the bird would have found other after so long an absence. They seemed his mistress & corpse. What tongue can ten, hardly to have commenced conversation,-90 and whose pen can describe the astonishment quickly did the hours pass by, - when the of the one and the joy of tire other, when they falling shades of evening reminded the parrot this met? The princess clasped the bird to that it was time to depart; and so resisting all her breast, and weeping floods of tears explained entreaties of its friends to stay,- if only for how she had thought that it had been dean hour or so longer,-it spread ont its wings voured by some cat, and on that account had and few away.
prevailed on the king to sanction an order for On its way back the parrot alighted in & the destraction of all the cats in the country; garden, which was by the sea-shore, where grew and then how the had felt so lonely, and so many rare and beautiful flowers. It plucked two miserable, that she had fully resolved to kill of the most beautiful and returned to the herself, because she could not live without its princess. The princess had, however, come back company. The parrot was so touched with the from the Court long before, and finding that the princess's story, that he almost forgot to ask her parrot was not there had become very anxious; to hasten to the king and get him to revoku and when after a little while she discovered some the cruel order concerning the innocent cats. broken feathers lying on the ground, her grief For some time after this they both remained know no bounds. She thought that a cat had perfectly silent, -lost in each other's joy. At certainly entered the room and stolen her length the parrot broke the silence. He told beautiful bird. After much weeping and his mistress bow he had felt constrained to lamentation she went to the king, told him leave her so abruptly and visit his home and her sad tale, and begged him to give orders people, also what he had heard from them and that every cat found within the kingdom should had seen on the way; and then he presented be slain. Although the king cared nothing for to her the two beautiful flowers which he had the parrot, yet he was very desirous of pleas- plucked from the garden by the sea. On seeing ing his daughter, and therefore he at once the beautiful flowers and inhaling their sweet ordered the immediate execution of all the cata perfume the princess fainted; she had never that could be found in his country. Hundreds before seen flowers so lovely and of such of cats were killed before nightfall.
delicious scent. When she came to her senses The poor princess, however, got very little she went and showed them to the king. Hie comfort out of this revenge. She returned Majesty and all the courtiers were greatly to her room, shut the door, and wept until she surprised when they saw them. Such magnihad no more power to weep and could not bear ficent flowers had never been seen or conceived it any longer. "My pretty Poll, my pretty of by them. Sach splendid perfume too ; Poll," she kept on saying in an agony of gripfit filled the whole palace, so that the attendants " Why did I leave you ? O cruel, cruel, to bave and servants living in distant apartments done this the very first time I was away from perceived it and began to ask one another you!" Thus she mourned the loss of her pet companion. It was a long, long while before "How did you obtain these ?" asked the king. she closed her eyes that night; and when sleep The parrot gave them to me," replied the did come, it came only for a short space. She princess. "He said that they were plucked soon awoke and then her thoughts naturally from the flowering trees in the garden of the turning on her terrible bereavement; so she got daughter of the king of the fairies, which is by .al. Poll Tale of Bengal, pp. 200-210, the Story of the Hiraman," which should be road in connection
with this tale.
