if he would go away and forget that he ever knew Yun-Ying. These the
mandarin took and away he went. He was sure that Yun-Ying’s mother would
have no more to do with him now that she could marry her daughter to one
who scattered jewels as Pei-Hang did.
The wedding feast took place, only the bridegrooms were changed.
Pei-Hang married Yun-Ying, and took her to where his father and mother
lived, and they were as happy as could be.
The pestle and mortar of jade stood beneath the peach tree, for it was
too large and too heavy to be moved, and it was certainly of no use to
Yun-Ying’s mother, because it was too big for her to pound her magic
drugs in, even if she could get inside it, which she couldn’t. This made
her very angry, but it served her right because of the unfair manner in
which she had treated Pei-Hang.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE MYSTERIOUS GARDEN
Once upon a time there lived a mighty king who was both wise and just.
This ruler issued a decree that no one in his dominions should receive
any reward, office or honor that he did not truly deserve.
Now at the court were three royal children, each of them richly endowed
with virtue and talent, and they grew up to be handsome and amiable
young men, well-liked by every one. The king was very fond of them and
wished them to occupy the highest stations in life which would accord
with their merit. So one day he sent for them and said, “My children, I
would like to set you above all others in my palace, for I believe you
capable of great deeds of virtue. But you know the law of this country
which says that honors may be conferred upon no one who has not proved
worthy to receive them. It is my desire that you attain high rank, but
this you cannot reach by remaining at court. You will therefore go out
into the world and try to earn, by your own endeavor, the prize promised
by the law, and which I shall delight to bestow upon you. In due time I
will send for you, and the summons must be answered without delay. Be
careful what you do, for your reward will be that which you merit.”
The king had ordered, and the three young men had to obey, although they
did not relish leaving the court, where life was very pleasant for them.
So they bade their sovereign good-bye, embarked on a ship and set sail,
without any definite plan as to what country they should visit.
The weather was fine and they sailed on until they reached an island
which looked very beautiful to them. They landed, and after walking for
some time reached a fair garden full of wonderful trees, flowers and
fruit. There they were met by three men, each of whom gave them a word
of advice.
The first said that their stay in the garden would not be forever; that
the time would come when they would be forced to leave.
The second told them that they were welcome to enjoy all that the garden
could offer, but that they must leave it just as they entered it, and
take nothing away with them.
The third advised them to be virtuous, upright, and moderate in their
pleasures, as such a course would go far towards living a long and happy
life.
The young men listened to this wise counsel and then entered the garden,
which was much more wonderful than they had imagined it to be. There
were great trees, from the branches of which came the exquisite singing
of innumerable birds; their eyes were gladdened by the beauty of the
flowers, which gave forth a most pleasing perfume, and they found an
abundance of delicious fruit, with which the trees were laden. Here was
a paradise.
For some time they rested under the shade of the trees, regaling
themselves with the freshly-picked fruit and drinking from springs that
bubbled and sparkled from the ground like fountains. Then they
separated, each seeking a still more enchanting spot.
The first of the young men was so overcome by the beauty that surrounded
him that he thought only of present enjoyment, forgetting entirely the
advice of the man who had first addressed them before entering the
garden. His only idea was to eat, sleep, be merry and cast away all
care.
In his wanderings the second youth discovered gold, silver and precious
stones in such abundance that neither the beauty of the flowers, with
their fragrance, nor the lusciousness of the fruit appealed to him at
all. He was dazzled by the treasures he found, and his only thought was
of how much he could gather together and take away with him. He, too,
forgot the warning of the second man who had spoken to them.
But the third young man bore in mind all the advice given them by the
three guards, and he did not agree with the habits into which his
companions had fallen. He certainly enjoyed his life in the garden, and
took great pleasure in studying all that it contained. And the more he
studied the greater was his wonder at the marvels of nature. Everything
was in such good order and so well kept; there was not even a blade of
grass that did not show evidence of having been watered. And the
strangest thing about it was that he had seen no one to care for all of
this. But the garden was so perfect and so admirably kept that it was
impossible there should be no master gardener to keep this domain in
such wonderful order.
So great became his admiration for this man, whoever he might be, that
it became his greatest desire to know him, and to thank him for all the
pleasure he had received from just being there, and for the opportunity
allowed him to study the marvels that were all about him.
But there is an end to all things, and the course which each of these
young men was pursuing was changed when an order from their king called
upon them to return and render an account of their doings. So they set
out for the gate by which they had entered, and as soon as they had
passed through this the first of the three—he who had thought only of
present enjoyment—was overcome by the change of air. He had left the
garden, to the fruit of which he had become so accustomed; his strength
left him, and he sank to the ground and expired.
The second one struggled along, staggering beneath the weight of
treasure he had gathered, the thought of enjoying which helped him to
forget his weariness. But as soon as he had passed the gate the men on
guard took from him all of the spoil, leaving him wretched, despairing
and unhappy.
The third youth, however, reached the gate and passed through it in a
happy frame of mind. He was sure that now he would find the master
gardener, and be able to express his gratitude to him for the marvels he
had seen and studied. He was welcomed by the guards, who were pleased to
congratulate him upon the way in which he had listened to and heeded
their good advice and counsel.
The youth, whose treasure had been taken from him, drew near to the
court. He was so weary that he could scarcely drag himself along. He was
changed too, so that those who had formerly known him did not recognize
him now. When he claimed relationship to the king they laughed and
jeered at him. He insisted upon entering the palace, but instead of
being allowed to do this he was thrown into prison.
But how different was the reception of the third young man! Many of the
courtiers went out to greet him, and accompanied him to the king’s
presence. His Majesty rejoiced at his return, and although he knew all
that had happened since he left the court, he asked him to tell his own
story.
The youth told the king all about the wonderful garden, and said that it
was his great desire to meet the master of so enchanting a place, and to
express to him his thanks for the great pleasure that had been his while
living in such a paradise.
“Your wish shall be granted,” said the king. “I am the master of the
garden, and rule it from here through my ministers. There is no living
or growing thing there that is not carefully watched, not even a blade
of grass.”
And now the young man understood that which had before been a mystery to
him, and the love and gratitude he had always felt for his master grew
greater. The king commended him for his good conduct and for the manner
in which he had acted upon the advice given by the three guards, and as
a reward raised him to a position of power and honor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
RASALU, THE FAKIR, AND THE GIANTS
There was once a fakir who had gained such a wide reputation for working
wonders that Rájá Rasalu, King of Sialkot, determined to pay him a
visit. So one day, accompanied by his retinue, he set out for the
village of Tilláh, where the holy man dwelt.
The fakir’s power was so great that he knew of the King’s approach long
before he reached the foot of the mountain on one side of which the
village was situated, and he said to his disciples, “Rájá Rasalu is on
his way here with the purpose of putting my knowledge to the test. He is
the son of a Hindoo, and therefore should know better. I have heard that
his own power is very great, so I will first put him to the test.”
His pupils agreed with him, but said that he should first change himself
into some great animal, so that the King might not know him. The fakir
then turned himself into a powerful tiger, and when Rasalu and his
followers reached the house they saw this wild beast prowling round.
The King’s attendants were stricken with fear, and said, “How great must
be the power of this fakir when even tigers are under his sway! Let us
return while we may!”
But the Rájá answered sternly, “A wise man will finish the enterprise
upon which he starts, and only a fool will confess to failure.” So he
challenged the tiger, and said, “You are indeed a mighty full-grown
tiger, but I am a Rájput, therefore let us fight.”
Then the tiger uttered a terrific growl which was like the roar of an
earthquake, and prepared to spring. But Rasalu fitted a magic arrow to
his bow, and the fakir, knowing its power, immediately vanished.
The King entered the house of the famous fakir, whom he found in the
midst of his pupils, and who at once rose and made a respectful bow to
one who was more powerful than himself.
Rasalu said, “You are a pretty fakir to try to outwit me or any one.”
Then was the fakir irritated and ashamed, and he said, “O King, this is
only the abode of poor holy men, and not Gangar, which is the home of
the seven famous giants. If you would achieve renown, conquer these, for
none will come to you for lording it over fakirs.”
To this the Rájá replied, “O fakir, you taunt me. Now, as I am the
descendant of the great King Bikrámájit, I make a vow never to return to
my home until I have defeated the giants of whom you speak. Tell me how
I may find them.”
The fakir told him the way, and said, “I pray for your success, and this
will come to you if you will observe the two following conditions:
First, do not draw sword, and next, kill no woman.”
So Rájá Rasalu set out for Gangar. Now Gangar was the name also of the
most mighty giant of all the seven, and the mountain which was named
after him was full of enormous caverns, which were the homes of himself
and of his comrades.
In a few days the King arrived, and began to ascend the mountain, but
for a long time he searched in vain for the giants. At last he saw one
of them carrying water towards the base of a rock and he challenged him.
The giant roared so that the stones rattled together and rushed upon
Rasalu, who at once fitted an arrow to his bow, let fly, and slew him.
The noise made by the giant roused the others, who came rushing out from
their dens. But when they saw that it was King Rasalu who had come
against them they were afraid, for they had heard of his might. Then one
of them said, “We have been told of your power, but to know whether or
not you are worthy to fight with us, let us see you pierce seven plates
of iron with your arrow.”
Then they set up seven plates of iron, and the King sent his arrow
through them all. This wonderful feat filled them with dismay, and they
at once turned and fled. But the King pursued them, bow in hand, and
with the exception of one only, he slew them all with his invincible
arrows.
Rasalu then saw that the remaining giant was a woman, and remembering
the second direction of the fakir he put back the arrow which he had
already fitted to his bow. He called out, “Stand, woman, I am King
Rasalu, and you cannot escape me.”
But the giantess replied, “You may indeed capture me, O King, but take
notice that in this very country which you have invaded your head shall
be smitten from your body.”
She then disappeared within a mighty cavern just as Rasalu, urging his
horse, made a leap over a great chasm in order to reach her.
The Rájá dismounted, but by this time the giantess was a long way within
the mountain. Then he engraved his likeness on the face of the rock
inside the entrance of the cave, which he closed by rolling a great
stone over its mouth. Escape for her was impossible, and there she
remains to this day. At times she endeavors to get out, but as soon as
she catches sight of King Rasalu’s likeness on the rock she rushes back,
filled with dismay, and her roaring fills the villages around with
dread.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber’s note:
Footnote notation and positioning has been normalized throughout.
Chapter titles have been normalized throughout.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation between stories have been
retained.
Booklist before page i, ‘Hallow’en’ changed to ‘Hallowe’en,’ “Autumn,
Hallowe’en, and Thanksgiving”
Page 3, ‘lake’ changed to ‘lakes,’ “Overhanging the lakes were the”
Page 8, opening double quote inserted before ‘His,’ ““His Most Gracious
Highness”
Page 21, comma changed to full stop after ‘kingdom,’ “for myself or my
kingdom.”
Page 63, ‘here’ changed to ‘her,’ “resume her former shape”
Page 90, closing double quote inserted after ‘die,’ “and thence did
die.’””
Page 95, closing single quote changed to closing double quote after
‘hold,’ “will hold,’ said he”
Page 95, ‘To-morow’ changed to ‘To-morrow,’ “To-morrow I will do”
Page 95, comma changed to a question mark after ‘Jackal,’ “rascally
Jackal?” asked the”
Pages 99 and 100, all instances of ‘Spreckle-neck’ changed to
‘Speckle-neck’
Page 124, ‘power’ changed to ‘powder,’ “their magic powder”
Page 137, closing double quote inserted after ‘Mutabor,’ “Latin word; it
is ‘Mutabor.’””
Page 143, ‘Princes’ changed to ‘Princess,’ “the Princess Nouronnihar”
Page 143, ‘Bisnager’ changed to ‘Bisnagar,’ “the kingdom of Bisnagar,
bent”
Page 156, ‘eys’ changed to ‘eyes,’ “opened her eyes, and”
Page 160, ‘Princess’ changed to ‘Princes,’ “the Princes Houssain’s and
Ali’s”
Page 185, ‘Armed’ changed to ‘Ahmed,’ “out of Prince Ahmed’s hands”
Page 185, closing double quote inserted after ‘,’ ““You see,” said the
fairy,”
Page 191, ‘aproached’ changed to ‘approached,’ “He approached the
throne”
Page 195, ‘midle’ changed to ‘middle,’ “into the middle of the”
Page 197, ‘asuring’ changed to ‘assuring,’ “assuring him of his
submission”
Page 209, redundant full stop struck after ‘fish,’ “replied the fish.”
Page 222, closing double quote inserted after ‘treasure,’ “find a rich
treasure.””
Page 234, ‘darknes’ changed to ‘darkness,’ “a thick darkness, a furious
storm”
Page 238, ‘imaun’ changed to ‘imaum,’ “the imaum to the”
Page 245, ‘annointed’ changed to ‘anointed,’ “Wood has anointed me”
Page 245, ‘Jakal’ changed to ‘Jackal,’ “reign of the dyed Jackal”
Page 262, ‘imense’ changed to ‘immense,’ “Seizing an immense iron rod”
Page 265, ‘aginst’ changed to ‘against,’ “to fight against Korkwi”
Page 287, ‘Weap’ changed to ‘Weep,’ “Weep not, dear Prince!”
Page 293, closing double quote inserted after ‘possible,’ “as pleasant
as possible.””
Page 295, closing double quote inserted after ‘hunter,’ “at the mercy of
the hunter.””
Page 300, closing double quote inserted after ‘fish,’ “it will return
full of fish.””
Page 314, closing double quote inserted after ‘Past,’ “the window of the
Past.””
Page 345, ‘snow peaks’ changed to ‘snow-peaks,’ “sitting on the
snow-peaks”