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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(MAT, 1892.
Oar hero remained in this strange place for several days, and had nothing to do, but to eat and drink and enjoy himself. But at last he got tired of the monotony of his situation, for, besides the monkey, he himself was the only living thing in that palace, and she, he thought, was no company for a young man, notwithstanding that every now and then she went and sat by his side, looked wistfully into his face, and asked him by signs to follow her all throughout the palace and the garden, and to look at the wonderful things it contained. One day, therefore, he secretly ran up the passage, through which he had entered the garden, and lifting up the massive iron door made his way back to his father's country.
When at last after a long and toilsome journey the long-forgotten Wanderer reached home, he received but * cold welcome from his father and brothers, and they all laughed at him, when he related to them where and how he bad found his lost arrow. So he thought it pradent not to say anything about the wonderful palace or the sbe-monkey just then, and kept his own counsel. The six brothers were all happy with their six wives, who were all clever and beautiful, and the old man, their father, extolled the virtues of his daughters-in-law to the skies, and ezultingly showed his son the nice and valuable presents the ladies bad brought specially for himself. Amongst them were some exquisitely embroidered little carpets worked by the ladies themselves, which the old man admired most of all, though our hero eyed them with contempt, as he compared them to the rare specimens of workmanship which he had seen in the underground palace.
Not desiring under these circumstances to prolong his stay with bis father, our hero one day quietly left his home, and speedily retarted to the subterraneous palace, to which, it need not be mentioned, some strange power was canstantly attracting him. When he reached it the she-monkey again went skipping up to him, etre played and frisked about him with great glee.
Bat onr hero's heart was sad to think that he should have only a she-monkey to welcome him in a place, which he felt was to him like a home, and one where he most loved to go, and he began to look at the 'unsightly animal with tears in his eyes. She seemed, he / ver, to understand what he felt, for going up to him she commenced to stroke his head and to shampoo his feet. But our hero turned away from her in disgust, and said in a rage, "Begone, thon ngly creature, I don't want thee to come so near me !"
"Hold thy tongue," replied the monkey, all of a sudden speaking like a human being, "I only do as I am bid. If thou utterest one unkind word to me thou shalt have to rue it before long."
The poor young man was non-plussed at this, and said nothing, but his heart grew sad to think in what an unenviable position he had been placed. “My arrow," he contemplated, "came all the way over to the gate leading to this strange place, in which the only living being I can see is this monkey, and since my arrow was destined to indicate the place, where I was to find my bride, am I to content myself with believing that this she-monkey is my lady-love and this fairy place her bower P" As this thought struck him tears began to gush forth from his eyes and trickled down his cheeks. The she-monkey observing this, looked very much distressed, and thus addressed him words of sympathy and comfort, "Do not lose heart and give way like that, my friend; only confide in me and tell me the cause of thy grief, and I shall do my best to help thee."
But our hero had not the heart to tell her the real cause of his sorrow; 80 he said :"I am sorry I appear anhappy in a place, where no pains are spared to make me comfortable, but I am grieved, when I think how I am taunted by my father and laughed at by my brothers at every turn, owing to my not having as yet been able to secure & wife for myself. The last time I visited my father he showed me some rich and artistically embroidered carpeta, which he said had been worked for him specially by his six daughter-in-law, and
