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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JUNE, 1887
The boy trembled as he heard these terrible she had given him and shown him, and lay words, but he would not break his promise to down to sleep. In the morning, when the ralthe king, and was resolved to fulfil His Majesty's shasi went to bathe in the river, the lad took wishes, though it should cost him his life. So the seven cocks and the pigeon and killed them the faqir destroyed the queen's letter and and dashed the spinning-wheel on the ground, wrote another after this manner :-" This is so that it was broken to pieces. Immediately my son. When he reaches you attend to his the old rákshasa and the rakshasi and their seven needs and show him all kindness." Giving it sons perished. Then having secured the starto the lad, he said, “Call the woman grand- ling in a cage he took it and the precious medimother; and fear nothing."
cine for restoring the sight, and started for the The lad walked on and on till he reached king's palace. He stopped on the way to the rakshasi's house, where he called the rák- give the eye-medicine to his mother and the skasi grandmother,' as the fager had advised other women who were still in the well, and him, and gave her the letter. On reading it their sight immediately returned. They al! she clasped the lad in her arms, and kissed clambered out of the well, and accompanied the him, and enquired much about her daughter lad to the palace, where he asked them to wait and her royal husband. Every attention was in one of the rooms, while he went and prepared shown him, and every delicious thing that the king for their coming. the old rákshasí could think of, was provided 1 "O king," he said; “I have many secrets to for him. She also gave him many things, reveal. I pray you to hear me. Your wife is amongst others the following: -A jar of soap, a rákshasi, and plots against my life, knowing which when dropped on the ground became that I am the son of one of the wives, whom at * great and lofty mountain; & jar full of her instigation you caused to be deprived of their needles, which if let fall became a hill bristl sight and thrown into a well. She fears that ing with large needles; a jar full of water, somehow I shall become heir to the throne, and which if poured out became an expanse of therefore wishes my speedy death. I have water as large as a sea. She also showed him the slain her father and mother and seven brothers, following things and explained their meaning and now I shall slay her. Her life is in this Seven fine cocks, a spinning-wheel, a pigeon, a starling." starling, and some medicine.
Saying this he suffocated the bird, and the "These seven cocks," she said, "contain the wicked queen immediately died. lives of your seven uncles, who are away for "Now come with me," said the boy, "and a few days. Only as long as the cocks live can behold, O king, your true wives. There were your uncles hope to live. No power can seven sons born to your house, but six of them hurt them as long as the seven cocks are safe were slain to satisfy the cravings of hunger. I and sound. The spinning-wheel contains my only am left alive." life. If it is broken, I, too, shall be broken "Oh! what have I done?” cried the king. and must die; but otherwise I shall live on for "I have been deceived." And he wept bitterly, ever. The pigeon contains your grandfather's Henceforth the king's only son governed the life, and the starling your mother's. As long country and by virtue of the charmed jara as these live nothing can harm your grandfather that the rákoshas had given him was able to or your mother. And the medicine has this conquer all the surrounding countries. And quality: it can give sight to the blind." the old king spent the rest of his days with his
The lad thanked the old rakshasi for all that seven wives in peace and happiness.
FOLKLORE IN WESTERN INDIA.
BY PUTLIBAI D. H. WADIA. No. VIII.-Rání Jhajhans.
Now all these sons were married and had settled There lived in a certain country, a very rich down in life, with the exception of the youngmerchant, who was blessed with seven song. ost, who was a very mischievously inclined
• For description of Life-Inder, of. Wide-awake Stories, cf. "The Son of Seven Mothers," in Wide Awako Pp. 404-405,
Stories, p. 98.
