________________
273
SEPTEMBER, 1895.]
FOLKTALES IN HINDUSTAN; No. 11.
Then he told the prince who he was and why he had come to injure the garden. He said to the prince
"Pluck a hair out of my tail, and, whenever you want me, you have only to burn the hair and I will attend to do your bidding. I am one of four demons, one black, one red, one white, and one green. They are called Siyah Deo, Lâl Deo, Safed Deo, and Sabz Deo. If you can bring them under subjection, as you have me, you will attain your object."
In the same way the prince, during the course of the night, subdued the other three demons. In the morning, he went back to the palace, and as he had been awake all night, he lay down and fell asleep. In the morning, when the Raja went to his garden and found it safe from injury, he was delighted and searched for the youngest prince. When he found him, he held the royal umbrella over his head, and treated him with the utmost respect and brought him home. He was about to put him on the throne in his stead; but his six brothers began to repeat the saying
"There is no such friend as a brother and no such enemy as a brother (bhai aisá hit, na bhai aisá muddai), and they determined not to stay at home and allow their youngest brother to rule over them. So they left the kingdom and went to the land of China, where the Princess Pañchphula Bani dwelt.
When his brothers left the Court, the youngest prince made enquiries about them, and, learning that they had gone to the land of China, he got a miserable, broken-down horse and saddle of rags, and putting some gold coins inside it, took the road to China, whither his brothers had gone. He passed through many forests and deserts, and at last reached the city of Pañchphâlâ Rani. He went to the inn, where he found his brethren, and when they saw him, they were angry.
"Is it not enough that you have taken the kingdom from us, that you must pursue us here also ?"
But he offered to serve them, and they allowed him to join their company. When any one used to ask them who the youth was, they answered that he was their slave.
One day Rani Panchphula made proclamation that whoever could jump his horse on the topmost roof of her palace should win her hand. But he must strike her with a ball and do this five times. Now the Rani was of surpassing beauty, and princes from the whole world were collected to contend for her. Many attempted the task but they all failed.
The young prince, who had been left behind at the inn, at last bribed the old woman with whom they lived to keep his secret, and he went to a tank and bathed and put on clean clothes; then he burnt a black hair and lo! a heavenly steed, black as the night, stood before him, and with him came a suit of black armour such as human eye never saw. He rode up among the princes, and when he spurred his steed it took him with one bound on the topmost roof of th palace. He struck the Râni with the ball, and then jumped down and rode away so quickly that no one was able to recognise him. The Rânî got only one glimpse of him, but at this, she fell in love. When he got back to the tank, he put off his armour, and sent away the horse, and putting on his rags went back to the inn and no one knew him.
Next day he burnt a white hair and a white horse and armour came at his bidding. He road up and leaped as before to the topmost roof of the palace, and no one knew who he was. So did he in all five times, and on the last day the Râni was determined to recognise him : so, as he threw the ball at her, she marked him on the wrist with a heated pice, That day he was buying food at a Baniya's shop in the bázár when one of the Rani's sepoys saw the mark on his wrist and carried him off to the palace.
The Rani wished to marry him at once; but he objected, and said that he was only a slave. He was, however, obliged to marry her, but he pretended to be a madman. Her father the
