CHAPTER XIII

MY PRINCESS

One day--a day that is a burning point in my memory--the little Princess was rather more than a year old, and was able to run and jump finely; it was a short distance from a pretty lake bordered with lotus blossoms of all colours; her governesses were playing checkers, seated on rugs under the trees, while Parvati ran from flower to flower, chasing a splendid butterfly.

I followed her with my eyes, interested in the pursuit. The brilliant wings escaped her continually, fluttered on, and lighted further off; she grew impatient, and more and more eager in the chase, following the thousand zig-zags of the beautiful pink and blue butterfly, which seemed like a winged flower.

To my mind the little Princess was straying too far away, and approaching dangerously near the borders of the lake.

Why did they not call her back?

I looked over at the women. Two of them were playing checkers; all the others were watching the game, bending over the checker-board, and arguing about it with great volubility; they were completely absorbed, and not one was giving attention to her whom they were employed to watch over.

Trembling with indignation, I was about to run to them and upset their checker-board, when I beheld Parvati on the very brink of the water, and still running forward--the butterfly had lighted on a lotus. I was paralyzed with anguish, but not for long; for in an instant the little Princess had fallen, without a splash, or a cry that might have aroused attention.

In three bounds I was at the spot where she had disappeared among the lotus and the nenuphars. I groped and rummaged in the water with my trunk among the matted stems.

A cloud of mud rose from the bottom, obscuring everything, and the next few seconds seemed to me horribly, horribly long.

All the women now rushed up, uttering deafening cries, wringing their hands and tearing their clothing. It was high time truly!--but much good did it do! I would have been glad to throw them all into the lake....

At last I found and grasped the poor little Princess, and raised her, unconscious, and as if dead--dripping, and covered with black mud.

The governesses attempted to take her away from me in order to conceal their fault; but I was resolved it should be known, and, paying no regard to their clamours, I started to run to the palace.

It was a reception day; Saphire-of-Heaven was in the great Hall of the Throne, surrounded by courtiers and the Ladies of her suite. I entered without ceremony, interrupting the conversation, and the dances of the Bayaderes, and going straight to the Queen, I laid on her knees the child, all covered with mud, and without breath or motion.

Saphire-of-Heaven at first could not understand what had happened, and was about to throw off the black mass which was saturating her dress, but suddenly _she recognized Parvati_:

"My Daughter!" exclaimed she, "and in what a condition! Dead, perhaps!"

A physician was present and advanced.

"Calm yourself, your Majesty," said he, "It is only a fainting fit."

He took the child, removed its wet clothing, gave orders, and all present hastened to busy themselves in services to the little Princess.

The governesses had entered all in confusion behind me. They now undertook to explain matters, all talking together, with protestations, adjurations, and tears--it was totally incomprehensible....

"Be silent," said the Queen; "Do not speak except to answer my questions!"

She then began to interrogate the women.

"The Princess Parvati fell into the lake," said one sobbing. A negress added:

"It was the White Elephant who pushed her in."

I gave her on the instant such a blow on the back with my trunk that she fell to the floor.

"That woman has lied," said Saphire-of-Heaven. "Send all of them to prison. We shall soon learn the truth. For the present I must think only of my Daughter!"

In spite of the tears and supplications of the women, their arms were bound with silk cords, and they were removed, while the Negress was carried out on a stretcher.

Parvati, now revived, bathed, and wrapped in a veil of gold gauze lent by one of the Ladies, was replaced on the lap of the Queen.

The little darling seemed quite surprised at finding herself there, and did not appear to remember anything that had happened. She gazed at the smiling guests with her beautiful eyes opened wide under their long, black lashes, then shyly, she threw her arms around her mother's neck and hid her face on the Queen's breast.

She was not dead--not even hurt. What joy! I shuffled my feet, and teetered foolishly from side to side, and flapped my ears, having no other way of expressing my satisfaction.

"Iravata," said the Queen, stroking my forehead with her gentle hand, "We will find out what has happened, and you shall assist us in doing so. Never, never could I doubt thee, or believe that thou hadst been guilty of a wicked action. Perhaps it will prove that I shall again have to thank thee; it may be that I owe to thee the life of my Daughter, as I already owe that of my Husband!"

It was true; without me our lovely little flower would have been lost! If I had unfortunately been away from the palace at the moment, wandering in the forest, or in the bath, or eating a meal--or even absent-minded, and looking in another direction, it would have been a dead little girl that would have been taken out of the water. I shivered at the thought! and made up my mind never to lose sight of her again, and for this purpose I determined to give up my excursions, and my trips outside of the city.

The disturbance in the palace had attracted the notice of the King, and it had been impossible to conceal from him the accident which had happened to the Princess. He came in, much agitated; but Parvati ran to him, laughing, and quite recovered, delighted with the long golden veil in which she was wrapped, and which trailed behind her, making a noise on the carpet!

After having tenderly embraced his daughter, Alemguir asked for details of the accident, and as no one could furnish any, he directed that a search be made at once of the locality where it had occurred.

"Iravata," said he, "conduct us to the spot."

I obeyed immediately. The King, who carried Parvati in his arms, the Queen, and all the guests followed me, deeply interested.

Having reached the borders of the lake, I showed the King the overturned checker-board, and all the pieces scattered about, as when the game was interrupted. But they failed to understand what this had to do with the Princess having fallen into the water.

They examined with much emotion the spot where she fell--the broken lotus flowers, and the turf all trampled by my feet.

But all this explained nothing. _Who_ was the guilty one? _Who_ should be punished?

The women were brought again and questioned. But they continued to lie, making statements that were contradictory, but all accusing me.

"He came past us like a hurricane, terrifying us to death! The Princess was running on before him, and he pushed her into the lake."

"And then," inquired Alemguir, "who rescued her?"

"We did--we did: but the Elephant snatched her away from us and ran to the palace!"

The Prince looked at me, and I made a sign that this was not so.

"Let them be beaten till they are ready to speak the truth."

At once there was a concert of shrieks, which redoubled in shrillness when the slaves appeared armed with thongs of leather.

The King gave the word: the slaves seized, each one, a woman, threw her onto her knees, and administered a blow with the lash. One was sufficient to loosen their tongues and it was a race to see which could tell the story first.

"I am listening," said the King, and he designated the one who should be spokeswoman.

"Have mercy upon us, oh Mighty King," said she: "_we are guilty_! This is what happened: Annanta was playing a game of checkers with Zobeide, and the game turned out very extraordinary. We were all looking on, interested in spite of ourselves, but at the same time keeping watch over the dear Princess, who was gathering flowers and bringing them to us. Unfortunately, we were tempted to make wagers, and at the decisive moment our attention was entirely absorbed by the progress of the game. His Lordship, the White Elephant, had been standing for a long time looking through the bushes. All at once with a terrific roar he rushed through, tearing apart the branches, trampling the flowers, and ran towards the lake, from which after a moment he lifted the Princess."

The King approached me with tears in his eyes.

"Thou art verily our Good Genius, oh Iravata!" said he; "after saving me from a shameful death, thou hast now restored to me my daughter! Certainly there is not anywhere upon earth a _man_ to whom I owe such a debt of gratitude, as to thee. Let those miserable women be sent away in exile," added he. "So much for the punishment of the Guilty; but how to recompense worthily the Rescuer?"

I would have been glad to be able to speak, and say that no reward could be more to me than the happiness of seeing them all alive, and of being allowed to live near them.

Saphire-of-Heaven shed floods of tears kneeling at the edge of the watery gulf that had so nearly deprived her of her child. All at once she rose, took Parvati in her arms, and held her out towards me.

"Oh, thou! my unknown Ancestor! Thou who so evidently protects us, accept the guardianship of my Daughter; I confide her to thee; thou only shalt watch over her, and in that way anxiety and dread will no longer afflict my heart!"

The little Princess Parvati to be mine! Mine this exquisite human flower whom I loved above all else! It was I who was to protect and watch over her, and be always near her! It filled me with enthusiastic delight, and I gave such a formidable blast of the trumpet that all the guests trembled.

I stopped short, ashamed and distressed, lest my beloved little one might have been frightened, and not care to have me for a guardian. But no, quite the reverse; she laughed and clapped her little hands together, crying:

"More--_more_!"

So to please her I trumpeted again--but this time rather less violently!