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290
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1893.
Over this he breathed his spells (mantra), and bringing the Prince to life again, returned with him to his hut. When they arrived there he said :
“Ask me for another boon. This quest of yours is too dangerous." The Prince replied :
"Baba! as I said before, through your kindness I lack nothing but the Princess Fireflower. Only grant me that I may find her."
“Well!" answered the faqir, "if you will not heed my advice, go again to the island in the form of a crow and pluck another flower. But, take care, look not back a second time, or you will be turned to ashes and then I am helpless to serve you."
The Prince promised to obey, and in the form of a crow flow again to the island, and on reaching there, plucked a flower which he took in his beak and flew back towards the faqir's hut. The guardian demons tried in vain to induce him to look back, but he would not, and came back safe to the faqir.
The demons followed close behind and, standing at the door, called out:"BAba! a thief has robbed us and entered your hut. Restore him to us at once." Meanwhile the faqir turned the Prince into a cat, and called out to the demons:
Come and look. There is no one here but my cat and myself. If you do not trust me, you can come in and search for yourselves."
The demons came in and looked everywhere, but when they found no one there, except the faqir and the cat, they returned home. When they had gone, the faqir restored the Prince again to the form of a man, and gave the prince a little red-lead box (sind úrdán) and said :"Take care not to open it till you reach your home."
The Prince started for home with the box, but when he reached close to his father's city he began to think:
"Perhaps the faqir has cheated me: and my sister-in-law will laugh at me again.”
So he opened the box, and immediately a lovely girl, twelve years old, came out, and so beautiful was she that the sun lost its brightness. The Prince made her sit down and was going to a well close by to draw water. She said :-"Where are you going?"
He answered :-" I am going to draw water for you and for me."
She answered :-"Do not bring water for me. If you do, I shall fall into Patâla. It is my task to serve you, not for you to serve me."
So she went to the well to draw water : and it so happened that at that very time the handmaid of the Râjâ came too to draw water. When she saw Princess Fireflower, she said :
"Who are you and where are you going?”
The Princess answered :-"I am Princess Fireflower, and the Raja's son has brought me hither."
The handmaid said :-"Let us change our clothes and see which is the lovelier."
The Princess agreed and made over her dress and ornaments to the handmaid : and when she went to the edge of the well to draw water, the handmaid pushed her in. She then filled a vessel of water and took it to the prince who said :
“How black you have grown by walking in the sun !"
He drank the water from her hand, and, believing her to be Princess Fireflower, told her to wait there while he went to the palace.
The Oriental equivalent of our "sweet seventeen." • The analogy to Grimm's charming story of the “Goose Girl," No. 89 of the Household Tales is obvious.
