In a certain country there are a King and a Queen, it is said. There
is an only Prince of the Queen's.
The King was stricken by a very great scarcity (sayak). Well then,
the Queen and the King and the Prince devoured (plundered) all the
things and pansalas (monks' residences) that were in the city. Having
devoured them, on the day when they were finished the King said at
the hand of the Queen, "To-morrow I must behead our Prince." So the
Queen, having tied a little cooked rice in a packet and given it into
the hand of the Prince, said, "Go thou away to any place thou wantest."
After that, the Prince taking the packet of cooked rice and having
gone on and on, and eaten the packet of cooked rice sitting upon a
rock, looked about, saying, "Where is a smoke rising?" When he looked
a smoke was visible.
After that, having descended from the rock, as he was going away he met
with some goats; in the party of goats there was a large she-goat. When
the Prince was going near the she-goat, the she-goat expectorated.
The Prince, taking the piece of spittle and wrapping it in his
handkerchief, went to the house of a widow woman. Having gone there and
given the handkerchief into the hand of the widow-mother, he said,
"Mother, having placed this handkerchief in the very bottommost
pot, [268] put it away." After that, the woman having placed the
handkerchief in the very bottommost pot, put it away.
After seven days went by, having taken out the handkerchief, at the
time when he looked [in the pot] three Princesses and four young rats
were there, and filled the pot. Afterwards he took the three Princesses
out of the pot. Having taken them out, placing the three Princesses
in that very house, the Prince, marrying them, remained there.
While he was living in that very way, news reached the King, the
Prince's father, that this Prince is living with (lit., near) the
widow-mother. Afterwards the King came there on horse-back, together
with the army. Having come, he said to the Prince, "Can you pluck
and give me the Blue-lotus flower which is in the Great Sea?" Then
the Prince said, "I can."
Owing to it, the widow woman was weeping at the Prince's saying he
can. The three Princesses asked, "What, mother, are you weeping for?"
Then the widow-mother says, "Ane! Now then, my son will die when he
has gone into the Great Sea."
Then the three Princesses say, "Ane! What do you weep at that
for? Bring a little sand from an untrodden place." The widow woman
brought a little sand from an untrodden place.
Afterwards, the youngest Princess, having uttered spells over the sand,
and given it into the Prince's hand, said, "Having gone into the Sea,
when you put down this little sand, firm sand will become clear (i.e.,
will appear above the water). Having gone a little distance again, when
you again put down a little sand, firm sand will become clear. Having
come quite close [to the flower], when you have held the hands in a
cup shape the Blue-lotus flower will come into the hands."
Afterwards, the Prince, in that very manner having gone upon the
hard sand, held his hands in a cup shape; then it came into his
hands. Having taken it, when he comes back the King is still at
the widow woman's house. Afterwards the Prince gave the Blue-lotus
flower into the King's hand. Thereupon the King thought to himself,
"Ah, Bola! by this also I was unable to kill this one." [269]
There is a Bee-hive in a forest; no one can draw out [the honey
combs]. The bees come further than two gawwas [270] (each of four
miles) [to attack would-be plunderers of the hive]. To draw out that
Bee-hive the King told this Prince. The Prince said, "I can."
Afterwards that widow-mother is weeping. Then the three Princesses
asked, "What is it, mother, you are weeping for?"
Then the widow-mother said, "When my son has gone to draw out [the
honey-combs at] the Bee-hive, the bees having stung (lit., eaten)
him he will die."
Then the Princesses said, "What are you crying for on that
account? Come back [after] breaking a branch without disease or
former disease." [271] Afterwards the woman, breaking a branch without
disease or former disease, came back and gave it.
After that, the youngest Princess, having uttered spells for the
branch, and given it into the Prince's hand, said, "Strike at the
Bee-hive with this branch; then the bees will go. Well then, you will
be able to draw the Bee-hive."
The Prince, having taken the branch, and gone to the place where
the Bee-hive is, struck the Bee-hive with the branch. The bees went
away. The Prince, drawing out [the honey-comb of] the Bee-hive,
[272] came back and gave it to the King.
The King thought to himself, "Ah, Bola! after I was unable to kill
this one by this also, what shall I do?"
Thinking [thus], he cut a well. Having cut it, and at the very
bottom [273] having left a little earth, he said to the Prince,
"Having descended down this, you must take out this earth to-morrow."
Afterwards the Prince told it at the hand of the widow-mother; then
the widow-mother wept. The young rats asked, "What is it, mother,
that you are weeping for?"
The widow-mother said, "When our son has gone into that well he
will die."
Then the four young rats said, "What are you weeping for at that?" From
the house to the well they cut a tunnel. Having cut it, they said at
the Prince's hand, "We have cut the tunnel from this house until the
time when it goes to the well. When you have gone into the well, should
the King close it with earth [274] come along this tunnel." Having said
[this], they showed the tunnel to the Prince.
On the following day, the King having told the Prince to descend
into the well, the King remained on the surface. The Prince having
descended into the well, when he is about (lit., making) to try to
take a little earth the King closed it with earth.
Then this Prince having come along that tunnel to the house of the
widow-mother, remained [there].
Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.
In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. i, p. 549, it is stated that
in a country in which the deficiency of rain had caused a famine,
"the King began to play the bandit, leaving the right path, and taking
wealth from his subjects unlawfully."
In the same work, vol. ii, p. 569, a great sandbank is described as
suddenly rising up in the midst of the sea, near Ceylon.