Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 01
Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

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Page 140
________________ THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. could not help thinking that he must have gone, into the northernmost corner. So she went to search for him, and found that the garlandmaker had transformed him into a sheep, so she told her that she had changed her brother-inlaw into a sheep. The garland-maker said she did not recognise her brother-in-law when he came to her, and asked the woman to point him out. Then the woman found the right sheeped into a horse, and was riding, and made him so ashamed of what he had done that he changed the horse to a man again, and she said to the king's son, "For shame, prince, you always do what I forbid you, see what marks the faqir's whip has made on your back." He looked and found that blood was dropping from his back, and he promised that he would never again do what she forbade him. They then went home and ate their food. and rubbed the drug from his forehead, and the king's son became himself again, and she told him that he was acting very wrongly in going to the northernmost corner although she had forbidden him. They then went home and had some food. After some days had passed, the king's son said he would go and see the western part of the country. The woman told him he might go if he did not go into the westernmost corner. When he had seen the whole of the western country, he said to himself that he had suffered every misfortune which could possibly happen to him, and that there was only one little corner remaining and he must go and see it. So he went and found a well into which a man, a tiger, a snake, and a frog had fallen. When they saw him they all called out to him to come and take them out. He then took the turban from his head and let it down into the well and pulled out the tiger first. The tiger saluted him and said: "Prince, when any misfortune befals you, think on me and I will come and befriend you, but be sure not to give any assistance to any creature which has no tail." After that the prince pulled the snake out of the well and the snake saluted him in the same way as the tiger and went away. He then lifted the frog out, (now a frog has no tail) and the frog spat upon his body and went away. Last of all he drew up the man, (now a man has no tail) and the man seized him and bound him and threw him into the well and went away. Meanwhile the woman seeing the prince's delay, thought that some fresh misfortune must have befallen him, so she went to search for him and found him in the well. She pulled him out, but from that day forth she would not allow him to go out of her sight. 118 But after a few days the prince said that he was going to see the southernmost part of the country. The woman told him that he might go, but he must not go into the southernmost corner. After the prince had seen all the southern country, he could not help wondering what was to be seen in the southernmost corner to which he was forbidden to go, so he went and saw a beautiful garden of plantain trees, with plantains of all the best kinds ripening in it. He said to himself, "only look! here are all these ripe plantains, and the woman has never brought me a single one to eat with milk." With these words he took hold of a plantain tree to shake down a ripe fruit, but no sooner had he touched it than he was changed into a monkey, and leaped up into the tree. Meanwhile the woman, seeing his delay in returning, went in search of him, and found that he had been changed into a monkey. So she took an unripe plantain, and showed it to him, and when he came near to smell it, he became a man again, and she told him that he must never disobey her again; he promised never to do so, and they both went home and ate and drank. After some days the king's son said he would go and see the eastern part of the country, and the woman told him not to go into the easternmost corner; but after he had seen all the eastern country, he thought that just for once he would go and see the easternmost corner; so he went and found a faqir sitting there saying his prayers. The faqir saluted him respectfully, and told him not to remain so far off, but to come a little nearer, and when he came nearer, he put a drug on his forehead, and transformed him into a horse. Then he climbed on his back just as if he was his own horse, and beat him with the whip, and made him gallop at full speed. In the mean [APRIL 5, 1872. while the woman saw that he was long in returning, and thought that he must have gone into the corner and met with some misfortune, so she went to look for him, and found that it really was so, and he had been changed into a horse, and the faqir was riding him and making him gallop. Then she told the faqir that it was his own son whom he had transform After some time had passed the prince one day thought that, although he had come to try and find a remedy for his father, he had fallen in with the woman and forgotten every

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