Eleanore Myers Jewett

“ Then, to the great astonishment of the little men, Saran, uttering a wish for emeralds, opened his mouth and poured them forth, a great stream of glorious green gems. With a shout the dwarfs snatched them up, pushing and tearing them from each other.
"Quick!" said Saran to the Prince. "Put on your cap and take my hand, so that they will not see us! We can make better use of the magic boots than these wicked dwarfs can." So they each hastily slipped on a boot and, being invisible because of the magic cap, passed out from among the dwarfs before they had stopped fighting over the jewels. ”

“ At last, when Schalu was returning after another fruitless journey into a far land to visit a lady of great renown, he happened to pass a small house on the outskirts of his kingdom. And standing in the doorway was the most beautiful damsel his eyes had ever looked on. She was tall and slim, with long, black hair reaching almost to her ankles. Her eyes were big and black as midnight, and her lips were red. Moreover, there was a soft magic in her face, a something so lovely that the Khan stood spellbound, gazing at her in silence for a long time. ”

“ The evil spirits have me in their power and have made me their water-bearer, and all day long I travel from the depths of the valley to the top of the mountain and back again, carrying water for them in a huge jug. And now I must return again to my labor."
"Let me stay with you!" cried Ananda eagerly. "Have I not gone to the ends of the earth to find you?"
"That may not be," replied the Prince; "nevertheless, since your love for me is so great, perhaps you can even yet win back my soul for me." ”

“ When at last Daibang had finished his work and begged leave to retire, the Khan turned and, looking steadfastly at him, said:
"Young man, the love that your mother kneaded into those cakes has entered my very soul, and I cannot bring myself to give the order for your execution, as I have done these many times with lads like you. Nevertheless, you have learned my secret, and for that reason you should die, for I trust no man on earth, nor any woman either, to keep a secret entirely locked up in his own mind." ”

“ Though Schalu loved his queen with all his heart, though he showered riches and treasures upon her, and though he racked his brain to find amusements and pleasures to make her happy, she only looked upon him coldly and strangely and grew ever paler, quieter and apparently more sorrowful every day. In vain the Khan besought her to tell him what he could do to please her and to win her love; in vain he tried to find out whether she had any secret cause of woe,—he could do nothing. ”

“ And Nagarguna smiled upon the Prince. "If you keep this spirit of humility within you, when the time has come for you to rule this land, you will be a wise and good king, and your people will be happy and prosperous beneath your sway. Come, now, I will tell you a task worthy a brave man's strength and skill, and when you shall have accomplished it, you shall dwell with me and learn wisdom until it is time for you to be king over your people." ”

“ The maiden moved with a sure step, quickly and easily among the trees, but the Prince's son had great trouble in following her, often stumbling in the darkness and finding the pitcher of water ever heavier and harder to carry. At last it grew so dark in the woods that he could see nothing at all except the gleam of the girl's white dress before him, and the water pitcher became so heavy that his shoulder well-nigh broke with the weight of it, but he struggled on, determined not to lose sight of his strange and beautiful guide. ”

“ Let us go to our homes; we have done enough for the man already to more than pay for his kindness to us."
"Yes, let us go home," agreed the ape. "There is no use trying to do anything if the bear has to chase every fish he meets, regardless of the importance of his mission. And we have done enough for the man as it is."
"Don't, don't talk like that!" cried the little mouse. "You both know as well as I that we can never repay the man's kindness to us! Come, let us plan! There must be a way!" She walked up and down the shore, thinking. ”

“ I am no ghost but Massang indeed, whom you left to die miserably in the witch's cave. I had intended to slay you with this staff, for your falseness and cruelty—but you are too base and cowardly to touch!"
The three still lay trembling and grovelling upon the ground. "Alas! good Master," cried the Black Man, "we have suffered enough already because of our evil deed. With all our wealth we have been wretchedly unhappy and have found neither peace by day nor sleep by night!" ”

“ Then the serpent turned and attacked Saran, and mightily they fought together at the edge of the great fire. Sometimes Saran would nigh fall into the flames, and sometimes the wicked demon, and great was the noise of their cries and shouting. At last the great serpent made a sudden, unexpected turn, glided under Saran's arm and plunged at Schalu. In one breathless moment he would have reached him, but with a cry the queen jumped forward, cast her arms around the snake's hideous green neck and flung him from her into the fire. ”

“ I pray you, Prince, tell me now a tale, that the hours may seem the shorter to us both.”
But the Prince, remembering how Nagarguna had bade him above all else not to open his lips on the homeward way, merely shook his head and said nothing.
“Oh,” said the Siddhi-kur, “the Prince is wise beyond his years! He has learned the lesson of silence! Keep, then, your thoughts to yourself, but if you are minded to listen, I will tell you a story, a wonder tale, which will make the time pass quickly and pleasantly. ”

“ He feared Saran would entreat him to give it up and go home, but his friend listened in silence to the end and then said:
"Schalu, your heart is noble, as a prince's should be! I cannot urge you to give up a deed so truly glorious. Only I beg you—and I will not be denied—let me go with you and sacrifice myself also, for life without you would be worse than death, and mayhap if two of us give our lives, the serpents will be the more willing to leave our people in peace hereafter." ”

“ You shall ride in it upon my back, and the neck of it shall be tied around your neck with this magic cord of a hundred threads, each of a different kind, and each strong enough to bind an ox. Be content, then, come with me, and you shall dwell happily in a cool grove on the shining mountain, beside the good Nagarguna."
The Siddhi-kur sighed deeply. "Resistance is indeed vain!" said he, "since you have the axe, the sack and the cord. So take me on your back and let us be about our way, for he who cannot mend his fortunes should make the best of them." ”

“ That night the widow devised a plan. Sitting beside her son as he lay, restless and tossing on his bed, she said:
"Daibang, my child, hearken to me that you may live and not die. I have a plan whereby you may keep your promise to the Khan and yet rid your soul of its heavy secret. Take courage! hasten and get strong, then go forth alone into a far desert place. There find a hole in the ground, or a crevice in a rock, and when you have put your lips down close, speak out the whole matter that is weighing upon your heart. ”

“ I am only an unthinking girl whose life or death can mean nothing to the world—and since it is my father's will that I die thus, willing am I to obey him. But that you, a man of noble birth, unless your looks belie you, should meet such a cruel fate—and only because you are a stranger! Indeed, that seems more than my sad heart can bear! ”

“ Schalu went on, pointing to the magic ones, “are also very wonderful, for they will bear us wheresoever we wish to be in the twinkling of an eye. It was by their means that we came here.”
“Don’t try them! We’ll believe you!” cried somebody, as if fearful of losing them, and the crowd surged eagerly forward again.
“And finally,” said Schalu, smiling at them and thoroughly enjoying their wonder, “my friend and I have a little trick which may interest you.” Opening their mouths, the two began to pour forth gold and emeralds and toss them in great handfuls among the crowd. ”

“ Your sisters refused them with scorn and preferred to endure all the ill-treatment and abuse at home rather than to consider for a moment what I proposed."
"They must be hard conditions indeed," said Ananda, "to make me refuse them and go home goatless to my angry father! Tell me, good bird—what are they?"
"This is the bargain I propose," said the white bird slowly. "If you will marry me and live in luxury here, in my palace cave, I will send all the goats straightway back to your father. Moreover, you shall have all that your heart can desire, in so far as wealth can give it. ”

“ I am indeed the son of a Prince, and the maiden is in my eyes the loveliest and most beautiful creature in the universe. Having once seen her, I have no further wish in life than to marry her and live peacefully with her here in this forest, in a house that I shall build for her with my own hands, near by this hut. ”

“ Hearing this, the boys ceased fighting on the instant, and all turned and stared at Schalu and Saran.
"Marvel, did you say?" exclaimed the leader scornfully. "You can't show us a marvel greater than the one we have got right here!"
"Have you something wonderful, too?" asked the Prince. "Well, then, let us make a bargain; if my marvel is greater than yours, you shall give me yours, and if yours is greater than mine, I will give you each as much gold as two hands can carry." ”

“ In the very middle of the stream, a fish passed within a few feet of his nose, and he, foolish creature, made a dive for it. The ape lost his balance and cried out in fright, letting the blue talisman slip from his mouth into the water. Down it sank into the muddy depths, and the three friends, in dismay, watched it disappear.
“Alack-a-day!” wailed the little mouse. “We have spent all our time and labor for nothing, and our poor friend on the island will surely die of hunger and despair! What shall we do? Whatever shall we do?” ”

“ He tramped eagerly along until he came to a hut where he bought food, paying for it with some of the gold which he had brought up in his pockets from the witch's cave.
It were long to tell of all Massang's wanderings after that. He traveled far and wide, ever searching for his false companions, until at last, after many weeks, he came upon three very elegant houses surrounded by beautiful grounds, and with every sign of prosperity and wealth about them. These houses, he soon learned, belonged to his wicked friends,—the Green Man, the Black Man and the White Man. ”

“ Then the white bird began busily pecking grains of food from the cup in his cage, as if he had nothing further to say on the subject.
Slowly Ananda walked over to the divan and sat down. "If I go home without the goat," she reasoned with herself, "my father will nigh kill me in his anger—and yet, to marry a white bird, truly that would be a very sorry adventure. But (looking around the brightly lighted room) life at home is poor and dull, and here would be much to amuse and interest me. And even a white bird might prove a good companion, if I had no other." ”

“ With great difficulty the two were hauled up to the mouth of the well, and when they were once safely out of it, the friends all embraced with heartfelt joy and affection. Then the Prince's son told the tale of his adventure and its sorry ending, and the other five were full of compassion for him and indignation against the wicked Khan.
"I have a plan!" suddenly spoke up the Wood-carver's son. "By my art I can fashion a great wooden bird, large enough to carry a man, and I will fit it with wings, hinges and springs so that it will fly through the air." ”

“ The unhappy queen covered her face with her hands. I cannot do it!" she whispered. "Transform the Khan into a dog and take from him all his magic powers! I cannot, cannot do it!"
"And why not, pray?" asked the strange man with a mocking laugh. "You do not love the Khan! I have, by my magic, made that impossible."
Saran, watching and listening from a near corner, let slip an exclamation of wonder. "So that is it!" he thought. "She is kept from loving her husband by wicked magic!" ”

“ The Khan's son nodded.
The Siddhi-kur settled back in his sack with a sigh. "You have won," he said, "and I might as well resign myself to my fate! Farewell, dear mango tree and lovely garden of ghost children! Farewell, for now I must dwell far away in another cool grove beside the cave of Nagarguna, on the Shining Mountain! ”

“ In the heart of this mountain was a cave wherein dwelt a hermit, a wise and good man, whose name was Nagarguna. To this refuge the Prince now sped, and the hawks were almost upon him when he flew against the rough wooden door of the cave and beat his wings wildly upon it. Nagarguna opened it, the dove flew in and fell exhausted upon the floor.
“What is the matter, little creature?” said the hermit, picking up the white bird and holding him gently in his hands.
“I am pursued!” gasped the Prince, “my life is in great danger. ”

“ That evening, when the sun had set, there came a great company of good and evil spirits as the prince had foretold, and they strove together outside the cave, and the din of their fighting was terrible to hear. But Ananda heeded them not. With a mighty staff she beat upon the mother-of-pearl door, all that night and the next day and the next, never pausing a moment, though she grew so weary she could scarcely stand or see. For seven days and seven nights she hammered on the door, and in the very last hour it began to give way beneath her blows. ”

“ Fathers and mothers could scarce sleep for thinking that it might be the turn of their son or daughter to go to the head of the river and be cast into the cave of the monster serpents. Nowhere was there more unhappiness than in the family of the Khan, for he grieved for each lad or lass as if each were his own child. Seeing the care and sorrow in his father’s face, the Khan’s son, whose name, by the way, was Schalu, thought long and earnestly. ”

“ The Siddhi-kur is a strange and mysterious creature! He is so old that we cannot even guess at his age, and he has traveled so many leagues from the land that originally produced him that we really do not know how much of him is as he was, and how much of him has been changed by time and place. Dusky little boys and girls in faraway India, long, long ago, were the first to listen to the stories that gathered around the figure of the Siddhi-kur, tales of wonder and magic which always ended with the hint of another, even better one to follow. ”