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!”
“This is very strange,” said the Fox to himself, “but if I am tired, I
know the Crab must be a great deal more so.” He started off again, and
ran until he was almost out of breath. Feeling sure that the Crab was
now far behind, he lay down on the ground, panting.
If he had been surprised to hear the Crab’s voice when he stopped
before, how much more so was he now, when the Crab said: “Ha, ha! Mr.
Braggart, you seem to be winded. Come, let us go on with the race.” He
got upon his feet, and the Crab, who had released his grip from the
Fox’s tail, crawled up in front of him, looking just as fresh as when
they began the race.
The Fox looked at him, and then, without a word, slunk away, his head
bowed in shame.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INGRATITUDE
Once upon a time a certain king had as his Chief Counsellor a man who
was proud and oppressive to those under him.
Not far from the royal palace, in which this man dwelt, was a forest
well stocked with game. By his order various pits were dug there, and
covered with leaves, for the purpose of catching wild beasts.
One day, while riding in the forest, he was so overcome by the thought
of his own greatness, that he exclaimed aloud: “There is no man in all
this empire more powerful than I am.”
Scarcely had the braggart spoken than he fell into one of the pitfalls
that he had ordered to be made and he immediately disappeared from view.
When his eyes became accustomed to the dim light of the hole, he was
horrified to find that he had as fellow prisoners a lion, a monkey, and
a serpent. He was stricken with terror, and cried out at the top of his
voice.
Not far from the pit was lying asleep a poor man called Guido, who had
come with his ass to the forest to gather firewood, by the sale of which
he made a poor living. The noise made by the great man awakened him, and
he hastened to give what aid he could to whoever might be in trouble.
The cries guided him to the mouth of the pit and there he was promised a
great sum of money by the Prime Minister if he would rescue him from his
perilous position.
Guido told him that his living depended upon the collecting of faggots,
and if he neglected this for a single day, he would be thrown into great
difficulties. The captive again promised him a large reward, so Guido
went back to the city, and returned with a long cord, which he let down
into the pit, telling the great man to bind it around his waist, and he
would then pull him out.
But before he could do this, the lion leaped forward, and seizing upon
the cord, was drawn up in his stead, and showing signs of the greatest
pleasure, ran off into the wood.
Guido again let down the rope, and this time the monkey, who had noted
the lion’s success, jumped over the man’s head and, shaking the cord,
was in like manner set at liberty, and hastened to his own haunts.
A third time Guido lowered the rope, and this time the serpent, twining
around it, was drawn up, and showing signs of gratitude to the peasant,
escaped.
“Oh, my good friend,” exclaimed the Counsellor, “the beasts are gone,
now draw me up quickly, I beseech you.” This Guido did, and afterwards
succeeded in pulling up his horse, which had fallen into the pit with
him. Then without another word, the man who had been saved mounted his
horse, and rode back to the palace.
When Guido returned to his home his wife saw that he had come without
wood, and inquired the cause. He told her all that had happened, and the
great reward he was to receive, and then his wife’s countenance
brightened.
Early the next morning Guido went to the palace, but to his surprise the
Prime Minister not only denied all knowledge of him, but had him beaten
for his presumption, and this so severely that the porter who carried
out his orders left him half dead.