Part 3

This the young Prince did the next day when he took the flowers to the imprisoned Princess. Balna knew the ring at once, and believed the story her son told her of his long search. She told him how the Magician had kept her shut up in the tower for twelve long years because she refused to marry him, and had kept her so closely guarded that there was no hope of release. She begged him to advise her what to do, and at the same time refused to allow him to endanger his own life by attempting to rescue her.

Balna’s son was a very clever boy, and he said: “Dear mother, have no fear; the first thing to do is to find out how far the Magician’s power extends, in order that we may be able to free my father and uncles. You have been angry with him for twelve long years, now speak kindly to him. Say that you have given up all hopes of seeing your husband again, and that you are willing to marry him. Then try to find out where his power lies, and if it is possible to put him to death.”

So the next day Balna sent for Punchkin, and spoke to him as her son had suggested. The Magician was overwhelmed with joy at this change, and asked that the wedding take place as soon as possible.

But she said that before she married him she must learn to know him better, they having been enemies for so long, and a closer acquaintance with him was necessary in order to strengthen their friendship. “And do tell me,” she said, “if you are quite immortal. Can death never come to you?”

“Why do you ask?” said he.

“Because,” she replied, “if I am to be your wife, I want to know all about you, so that if any calamity threatens you, I may help to overcome, or perhaps avert it.”

“Certainly I am not as others,” said he. “Far, far away, thousands of miles from here, is a desolate country covered with heavy jungles, in the midst of which grows a circle of palm trees, in the center of which stand six jugs full of water, piled one above the other, and below the sixth is a cage which contains a little green parrot. On this parrot my life depends, for if this parrot is killed I must die. But it is impossible that the parrot should come to any harm, both because of the inaccessibility of the country, and because I have many thousands of genii surrounding the palm trees, who kill anyone attempting to approach the place.”

All this Balna told her son, at the same time imploring him to make no attempt to kill the parrot.

But the young Prince replied: “Dear Mother, if I do not find that parrot, neither you nor my uncles can be liberated. Do not fear; I shall return in good season. In the meantime, keep the Magician in good humor, and put off the marriage with him in any way you can. Before he finds out the reason for the delay I will return.” With this he went away.

He travelled many weary miles through a very desolate country, and at last came to a thick jungle. Being very tired, he sat down under a tree and fell asleep. Suddenly he was awakened by a rustling sound, and looking about him, saw a large serpent making its way to an eagle’s nest which was in the tree beneath which he was, and in the nest were two young eagles. He at once drew his sword and killed the serpent. At this moment a rushing sound was heard in the air, and the two old eagles, who had been hunting food for their little ones, returned. They saw the dead serpent and the young Prince standing over it, and the mother eagle said to him: “For many years our young ones have been devoured by that cruel serpent, and you have now saved the lives of our children; whenever you may need our help, send to us, and as for these little eagles, take them, and let them be your servants.”

Then was the Prince glad. He told them of the spot he wished to reach, and so the two eaglets crossed their wings, on which he mounted, and they carried him far away over the thick jungles until he reached the circle of palm trees, in the midst of which stood the six jugs full of water. It was the hottest part of the day, and all round the trees the genii were fast asleep. There were many thousands of them, so that it would have been impossible for anyone to walk through their ranks, but they had not thought that an attempt to reach the spot could be made from above. Down swooped the strong-winged eaglets, and down jumped the Prince. In the twinkling of an eye he had overthrown the six jugs full of water, seized the little parrot, which he rolled up in his cloak, and mounted again into the air. Of course, this awoke the genii, who filled the air with their howls and screeches when they found the treasure gone.

Away flew the eaglets, and when they had reached their home in the tree the Prince said to the old eagles, “Here are your little ones, who have done me good service. If I ever need your help again I will not fail to ask you for it.” He then continued his journey on foot until he arrived at the Magician’s palace, at the door of which he sat down and began playing with the parrot.

Punchkin saw him, and came to him at once, and said: “My boy, where did you get that parrot? I pray you, give it to me.”

The Prince answered, “This parrot is a great pet of mine, and I cannot give it away.”

Then the Magician asked him to sell it to him if he would not give it, but this the Prince said he would not do.

Then was Punchkin filled with fear, and said he would give him anything he might ask for it.

The Prince answered, “Liberate at once the Rajah’s seven sons whom you turned into rocks and stones.”

“I will do it at once,” said the Magician. And with a wave of his wand Balna’s husband and his brothers resumed their natural shapes.

“Now give me the parrot,” implored Punchkin.

“Just wait a minute,” said the Prince. “You will first restore to life all whom you have thus imprisoned.”

This the Magician did immediately, and then, in a trembling voice, cried, “Give me my parrot.”

And now the whole garden was alive with people. Where there had been rocks and stones now stood Rajahs, Punts, Sirdars, men on horseback, pages and servants.

“Give me my parrot!” cried Punchkin. But the only reply the boy made was to break off one of its wings, and as he did so the Magician’s right arm fell off.

With his left arm outstretched Punchkin cried, “Give me my parrot!” Off came the second wing, and the Magician’s left arm fell to the ground.

On his knees he begged, “Give me my parrot!” Then the Prince pulled off the right leg, and the Magician’s right leg fell off. The parrot’s left leg came off, and at once Punchkin’s left leg fell down.

And now there remained only the Magician’s body and head, but still he cried, “Give me my parrot!”

“Take your parrot, then,” said the boy, and with this he wrung the bird’s neck and threw it at what was left of the Magician. As the parrot’s neck was wrung, Punchkin’s head twisted around, and with a groan, he fell dead.

Then they released Balna from the tower, and all of them returned to their own palace; and it can be imagined with what joy the seven husbands and seven wives and their nephew met again.

PRINCESS MOONLIGHT

Many years ago there lived a poor old bamboo-cutter, whose great sorrow it was that Heaven had sent no child to cheer his wife and himself in their old age. Every morning he went into the woods in search of the lithe bamboo, which he would split lengthwise or cut into joints, and these he would take home with him, and his wife would turn them into useful or ornamental articles for the household, and sell them.

While working at his task one day in a small grove of the slender trees that he had discovered, he was surprised by a soft, bright light which suddenly flooded the spot in which he was, and he was astonished to see that all this brilliance came from one bamboo.

Marvelling at the beautiful sight, he went to this bamboo stem, in the hollow of which was a tiny, but exceedingly beautiful, little girl, about three inches in height.

“As I have found you here where lies my daily work,” said the old man, “I must look upon you as a child sent from Heaven.” So, very carefully he took the exquisite little creature home to his wife, and both of them were filled with joy because there was now a child, come to them in a most marvelous manner, upon whom they could devote the love of their old age.

And with the child came good fortune, for from this time the old man found gold and precious stones in the notches of the bamboos when he cut them up, so that before long he was rich enough to retire, and he built a fine house in which they all lived very happily.

The bamboo child was no ordinary child, for in a very few months she was quite grown-up, and so beautiful was she that the old people treated her like a princess, and allowed no one to see her or wait upon her but themselves. Her very presence made them happy, and no trace of sorrow could exist where she was. And wherever she might be a beautiful, soft light made the place radiant. And so they called her Princess Moonlight, because they thought that only a daughter of the Moon God could give forth such a soft, bright light.

Of course, the fame of so lovely a Princess spread far and wide, and many were the suitors who sought to win her hand. Not only from that country, but from foreign lands did they come, and the house was constantly surrounded by those who hoped to catch even a glimpse of her through the windows, or as she walked in the garden. But to none of them would the old man grant permission to address his adopted daughter, and at last all but five of them lost hope, and departed to their homes.

These five were very determined knights, whose ardor became the greater as their quest became the more difficult. They stood outside the garden walls in sunshine and rain, eating only such food as was brought to them. They wrote letters and verses to the Princess, telling her of the great love for her which prevented them from returning to their own homes, and even from taking rest and sleep. But no word did they receive from the Princess.

Winter and Spring passed, and Summer came, and still the knights watched and waited. They besought the old man to intercede for them, but he answered that he was not her real father, and that he could not order her to obey him, and also that he would not ask her to do anything she did not wish to do.

At length the five knights returned to their homes, where they tried to forget Princess Moonlight, but this they could not do, so they again came to the bamboo-cutter’s house. This time they asked the old man to tell them if the Princess was determined to never see any men. They begged him to say that their love for her was boundless, and ask for an opportunity to plead their cause.

Now, the old man would gladly have seen his lovely foster-daughter married to one of these suitors, and he felt sorry for them, so he said to the Princess:

“Dear one, you know that I love you quite as much as though you were my real child, and that there is nothing I would not do to make you happy. I cannot live many more years, for I am already old, and it would be a great satisfaction for me to know that you are happily married before the time comes for me to die. Will you not consent to see these five brave knights, one at a time, and make up your mind which of them you will marry?”

The Princess replied that she could not love her own father any more than she loved him, and that her greatest wish was to please him. Still, she did not feel that she could see the five knights, even though assured that they were worthy, but would make one more trial of their love, and if they were successful in this, then would she grant their request. Each of them was to prove his love by bringing to her from a distant country something that she wished to possess.

The bamboo-cutter then went out to the five knights, and told them what the Princess had said, and all of them were satisfied, because the test given to each one would prevent jealousy between them.

So the next day Princess Moonlight sent word to the first knight that she wished him to bring her the stone bowl which had belonged to Buddha in India.

The second knight was to go to the Mountain of Horai, in the Eastern Sea, and to bring her a branch of the wonderful jewel-tree that grew on its topmost height.

The third knight was to search through China for the fire-rat, and to bring her its skin.

The fourth knight was to find the dragon whose right eye was a many-colored stone, and to bring the eye to her.

The fifth knight was to find the swallow which carried a shell in its stomach, and which lived in the Aegean Sea, and to bring her the shell.

These tasks seemed to the old man to be so impossible of accomplishment that he didn’t like to take the messages, but the Princess refused to make any change in them, so he gave them to the knights word for word.

The knights were so disheartened by the tests given them, that they returned to their homes, resolved to forget the beautiful Princess, but each found himself unable to do this, so before long they had all sent word that they were starting out on their respective quests.

Now travel in those days was not easy, but full of danger and difficulty, and the first knight lacked the courage to go to India. So he went to a temple in one of the large cities of Japan, and bribed the head priest to let him take away a stone bowl which was on the altar there. He wrapped this up very carefully, and after waiting for two years, took it to the old bamboo-cutter.

The Princess received the package, and unwrapped it, but saw at once that it was a sham, and not the bowl of Buddha, because it did not shine as the true one would have done. So she returned it to the knight, and refused to see him.

The second knight, with twelve skilled jewelers, went to an island he knew of, and there they designed a gold and silver branch which he was sure would satisfy the Princess. To hold this branch he had his goldsmiths make a beautiful box, and when sufficient time had elapsed he took it to the bamboo-cutter, asking him to tell the Princess that here was the branch of the wonderful jewel-tree that grew on the topmost height of Mount Horai.

Princess Moonlight opened the box and took out the jeweled branch, but she saw at once that it was not what the knight stated it to be. And even as she was looking at it, the old man was summoned to the door by the twelve jewelers who had designed and made the beautiful thing, but who had not been paid for their work. The Princess overheard their conversation with her foster-father, and then directed that they be well paid for what they had done. They then went away, after thanking the Princess for her kindness. But the knight returned to his home, a sadly disappointed man.

The task of the third knight was to get the skin of the fire-rat, whose virtue was that no fire could harm it. Now he had a friend who lived in China, and to him he wrote, offering him a very large sum of money if he would procure that which he desired.

This friend was very willing to accept the knight’s money, but wished to earn it without putting himself to any more trouble than was necessary, so he waited for quite a while, and then sent him the skin of an ordinary rat, also a message which told him of the hardships he had undergone in order to procure it.

This skin the third knight took to the bamboo-cutter, saying that he would wait outside the gate for the Princess’s answer.

The Princess took the package from the old man, and said she would test the skin by putting it in the fire before consenting to see the knight. This she did, and of course the skin just crackled and burned up at once, so she knew it was a fraud.

Thus the third knight failed to see her.

The task of the fourth knight was to find the dragon whose right eye was a many-colored stone, but instead of seeking it himself he called several of his retainers together, and ordered them to search through China and Japan, and not to return unless they brought it with them.

But they, having no idea of obeying what they considered to be an impossible order, merely used this as an excuse for taking a pleasant holiday.

The knight waited a year and no word came to him, so he decided to go himself. Taking five servants with him, he hired a ship, and started for China.

When but a few days out they ran into a fearful storm, and before this abated, the ship was driven on shore.

The knight now blamed the Princess for the disaster, and his love turned to anger. It seemed to him that she had sent him on a mission of great danger, knowing it to be impossible to accomplish the task which she had set him. So he determined to give up all thought of winning the Princess Moonlight.

The fifth knight was no more successful than was the fourth, so he, too, gave up the attempt.

Reports of the wondrous beauty of the Princess Moonlight had reached the Emperor, so he sent a messenger to her, summoning her to the royal palace. But the messenger was no more successful in seeing her than the five knights had been, in spite of the fact that it was the Emperor’s order. The Princess told the bamboo-cutter that she would vanish from the earth rather than go to the palace.

So the messenger at last returned, and when the Emperor heard that she would disappear from sight in preference to obeying his order, he made up his mind to go and see her himself. He therefore sent word to the bamboo-cutter of his intention, forbidding him to say anything about his visit to his foster-daughter.

The next day he set out with his retinue, which he left at a certain spot, and rode on alone. He reached the house and the bamboo-cutter opened the door for him.

The Emperor went straight to the apartment of the Princess, and never had he even imagined such wondrous beauty as he saw when his eyes beheld the Moon Daughter. He at once fell madly in love with her, and begged her to come to the Court, and share his throne.

But she refused, and said that if he attempted to force her to go to the Palace, she would turn into a shadow, and this she did, even as he looked at her. This filled him with fear, and he promised to leave her free if she would resume her former shape, to which she then returned.

Then the Emperor left, but night and day he thought only of the beautiful Princess Moonlight.

Soon after this the bamboo-cutter and his wife noticed that the Princess would sit on her balcony and gaze ardently at the moon, after which she would burst into tears. They asked her the reason for this, and she told them that she did not belong to this world, but came from the moon. And on the fifteenth day of this very month her real parents would send for her and she would have to go. It was the thought of leaving her kind foster-parents, and the home in which she had been so happy, that made her weep. This made the old people and the Princess’s attendants very sad, for they all loved her, and the thought of losing her was a great blow to them.

The news soon reached the Emperor, who at once made plans to keep the Princess Moonlight on earth. When the fifteenth day of the month came, he had a guard of many thousands of warriors stationed all around the house, and also on the roof, for it was his intention to make prisoners of the envoys of the moon, and to prevent the taking away of the Princess, whom the bamboo-cutter and his wife had hidden in an inner room.

Orders were given that no one should sleep, and the strictest watch was to be kept. But the Princess said that all of these measures were useless, for nothing could prevent her people from carrying out their purpose. She told the bamboo-cutter and his wife how very sorry she would be to leave them, and that it was not her wish to leave them. It made her sad to think that she would not be able to make a return for all the love and kindness they had shown her.

The harvest moon arose, and flooded the earth with her beautiful golden light, and still nothing happened. The darkness of night had begun to make way for the gray dawn, and hope came to the anxious watchers; hope that the Princess would not be taken away after all. Then suddenly a dark cloud seemed to leave the moon, and soon the sky was entirely obscured. It kept on its downward course until it reached within a few feet of the roof, and then stopped. Then did the watchers see a brilliant chariot, in which were beings who radiated light, as did the Princess.

From the chariot stepped one who had the look of a king, and who trod the air as easily and as gracefully as though he were on hard ground.

In a voice so clear that it was distinctly heard by every one of the awed watchers, he said:

“Princess Moonlight, many moons ago you committed a grave fault, and for punishment were sent down to earth to live for a time. The bamboo-cutter and his wife have taken good care of you, and to them we have given wealth. The time has come for you to return to your own people, so come at once from this lowly dwelling.”

Then, through the walls of the house was the Princess seen, shining, bright and of wonderful beauty. She kissed the old man and his wife, and spoke words of comfort to them, saying that her heart was full of love for them, and that she was leaving them against her own will. The Emperor also she bade good-by. Then she was transported through the air to the chariot, which mounted, swiftly towards the moon.

And now came the morning light, and no trace of the moon-chariot was left to those who gazed upwards with tearful eyes, and with a full heart the Emperor ordered his warriors to return.

Sorrowful as were the old bamboo-cutter and his wife, yet were they full of gratitude for having known the love of a daughter, who, while not with them in the body, would always dwell with them in spirit.

THE FOX AND THE CRAFTY CRAB

A fox was one day walking along the bank of a river when he met a Crab. “Good morning, Mr. Crab,” said he. “Don’t you ever get tired of creeping over the ground?”

“No,” replied the Crab, “because it is as natural for me to crawl as it is for you to run; and I can cover the ground very quickly, too, when it is necessary.”

The Fox laughed at him, and said, sneeringly: “I think you are very slow and very stupid. I have only four legs, while you have twice as many, and yet I can run ten times as fast and as far as you can.”

Then the Crab said: “But see how much bigger you are; if you were as small as I am, you would probably not travel any more quickly than I do. Perhaps I am very slow and very stupid, but if you will allow me to hang a weight on that fine tail of yours, to hold it down, I challenge you to as long a race as you care to run.”

The Fox thought he might just as well teach the stupid Crab a lesson, so, in a voice filled with contempt, he said: “When you ask me to race with you, even with any handicap you like, you show how little understanding you have. You have many legs and no sense, while I have four legs and am known to be the wisest inhabitant of the forest. Even human beings refer to me as the slyest of the sly.”

But again the Crab offered to race with him if he would but allow him to hang a weight on his tail, so that it would stay down. The Fox laughed at him, saying that he was foolish to think that he could win a race between them under any conditions; but as the Crab repeated the offer, the Fox at last consented.

So the Crab said: “When I have secured it to your tail, I will say ‘Ready!’ and that will be the signal to start, then go as fast as you like.”

With this the Crab went behind the Fox, and firmly gripped his tail with his pincers. Then he called out, “Ready!”

The Fox began to run; he ran until he was tired, and then stopped to rest. To his surprise he heard the Crab say: “Well, Mr. Fox, with all your boasting, you haven’t beaten me yet!”