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248
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1893.
Everything was now ready, and the prince, taking a tender leave of his foster-parents went and embarked on board the ship, and in a little while more the ship was out of sight dancing on the waves of the vast ocean.
They went on and on for many days. When they had reached the middle of the sea, the prince ordered them to cast anchor. He then hooked on the long iron chain to the side of the ship, and said to the khalasis:
"I am now going to dive into the sea. Keep hold of the chain, and as soon as you feel extra weight on it pull up the chain and haul it home."
Thus he said to the khalasis, and descended along the chain and dived into the sea. When he had gone down a long way, he came upon a beautiful country with large gardens full of fruit-trees of all sorts, bent down with the weight of the abundance of fruit, very tempting to the view.
Here he walked about for a couple of hours, and came upon a large but lonely mansion, most beautifully furnished, and as he entered it he came in sight of a damsel of unparalleled beauty, from whose mouth fell kambals as she spoke. Our hero asked her what she was doing there apparently alone, for he could see no signs of any other human beings.
Our hero being also very beautiful, the damsel of the subterraneous abode was enamoured of him, but said with a sorrowful tone:
"I am the daughter of a rankhas10 who has gone out in search of his food, which consists of animals and such like, and occasionally human beings, should any fall into his hands by chance. I am certainly glad to see you, but still I am anxious about your safety, because, should my father see you, he will have no mercy on you, but will make a meal of you in a trice."
"Then tell me where I can conceal myself with safety," said the prince.
Upon this the girl said:" See, I will transform you into a fly and put you up on the wall, where you must remain till my father goes out again to-morrow. In the meanwhile you must be hungry; so take some food at my hands and be ready for the transformation before my father, the rankhas, comes back, which will not be very long hence."
The prince thanked her for her kindness. She then set before him some food, which she prepared in a hurry-scurry, and to which our hero did ample justice, being very hungry, as he had not eaten for several hours. This done, the girl changed the prince into a fly and stuck him up on the wall.
Not very long after the rankhas came home after his day's excursion, and, as usual, lay down to rest, while his daughter shampooed his body. As he lay there he said to his daughter:
"My dear girl, I smell the smell of a human being about the place. Are you aware of any one having come or gone this way ?"
And the daughter replied: "What makes you think of human beings about here? Here I am alone from one hour of the day to the other. What a silly idea this is of yours ?"
"But" said the father, "I do smell the smell of a human being; otherwise I shouldn't have said so."
The girl, however, said that she had seen no human being, and was, therefore, unaware of it. The rankhas was now quieted, and fell fast asleep.
On the next day when the rankhas went, as usual, in search of prey, his daughter transformed the fly on the wall into its original shape, and there stood our prince before her. She then prepared some food of which they partook together, and conversed with each other freely
10. e,, a rakshasa = a giant,
