________________
166
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(MAT, 1892.
blowing into this fife you will be able to produce music so sweet that all the fairies and jins will gather round you to hear it. The king of the jins will be so pleased with your performance, that he will offer to bestow upon you whatever you may ask for, on condition that you consent to stay with him for ever. But remember that you are not on any account to mention the name of the fairy-princess, or to utter the watcbword that has been given to you, or your bead will pay the penalty of your indiscretion. However much the king may entreat you to accept some present from him, you must only say that you require nothing and have to go back the next morning.
He will then bring you gold and silver and rare jewels and also the most beautiful fairies you ever saw, but you must still remain firm and inflexible. Then at last he will bring forth to you some of the ugliest women in his kingdom, amongst whom will be one strikingly hideous in appearance, whom you will know by her coal-black complexion and her large projecting teeth. This woman you are to express your willingness to have, for underneath that dark skin and ugly features will be found hidden the beautiful princess, whom yon are so anxious to meet.
The youth thanked the eagle and promised to remember all his instructions, when the good bird added : “Let us part now, but, before we do so, let me give you this feather of mine. If ever trouble comes over you, hold it before a fire and burn it, and I shall be immediately at your side." And go saying it flew away.
Just then our hero commenced operations. He began to blow into the fife, and although he had no knowledge whatever of music, he produced from it such exquisite melody that, jast as the eagle had predicted, there gathered round him a large concourse of jins and fairies along with their king and queen, and the former offered to bestow upon him whatever he might wish for, if he only consented to stay with them. Our hero, however, acted his part admirably, and refused everything that was offered him in succession, until at last the ugly women were "brought before him. Then only did his eyes begin to sparkle, and he chose from among them the one the eagle had described to him, and she, to his great delight, soon turned out to be his own long-lost bride.
The two young people lived very happily together for some time, and cared for nothing else besides each other's company. But at last the youth felt a longing to return to his native conntry and see his father. The fairy-princess, too, was willing to go with him, though her father stoutly refused to give them his permission, and they were thinking of stealing away unknown to him, when an unforeseen difficulty arose. How were they, especially our hero, who was only a mortal, to travel through the air, sinco no land or sea appeared to connect his father's country with fairyland ? In this dilemma the youth bethought him of the eagle, and forthwith burned its feather. The faithful bird speedily obeyed the summons, and without losing any more time, hoth the young people mounted its back. The good bird flew incessantly, till it placed its precious burden at the feet of the old merchant, now very feeble and living all by himself in the old house, neglected by his six sons, who were fast throwing away the money he had so thoughtlessly given them. The old man's joy knew no bounds at seeing his long-lost son and his beauteous bride once more. He entreated them to stay with him till death called him away, which he thought was very near. Both the young people readily consented to this, and lived with the old man till the last; and after his death returned to fairy-land once more, where they lived very happily for the rest of their lives.
MISCELLANEA. THE DATE OF THE GRÆCO-BUDDHIST | note on this unique record. He does not seem to PEDESTAL FROM HASHTNAGAR.
have seen M. Senart's remarks on the same subject," Dr. Bühler has published in the number of this and, I think, it will be interesting to many readers Journal ante, Vol. xx., p. 394, an interesting to compare the views of these two scholars.
* Notes d'Epigraphie Indienne, extrait du Journal Asiatique, III., Paris, Imprimerie Nationale, MDCCCXC.
