Once upon a time, in the country of Room, there lived a King called
Bacha, who, having married a young Princess from a neighbouring
kingdom, lived with her for a short time very happily. But it happened
that both the King and Queen were of a very argumentative turn of mind,
and were constantly disputing with one another about all sorts of
trifles, and as neither would ever give way to the other, it generally
ended in their quarrelling. The King, who was a proud and head-strong
man, was not at all pleased that his wife should venture to maintain
her opinion against his, and gradually became very much incensed
against her.
One night, as the two were sitting together after dinner, a fox began
to bark in the palace grounds outside.
“Ah!” said the King, “do you hear that tiger roaring?”
“My dear,” replied the Queen, “that is not a tiger, it is a fox.”
“Certainly not!” said the King. “Do you think I don’t know a tiger when
I hear him? There can be no question but that it is a tiger.”
The Queen again contradicted him, and a heated argument ensued, in
which neither convinced the other. At length, the King said that he
could not stand this argument any longer, but would submit the question
for decision to his council on the following day. If the council agreed
that he was in the wrong, he should be sent adrift on a log of wood on
the great river that flowed past the palace; but if the Queen should be
found to be in the wrong, she should suffer this fate.
So next day the King summoned a council, composed of all his wisest
ministers and men of science. When they were all seated in the council
chamber, he addressed them as follows:
“Last night,” said he, “some beast began to bark outside the palace. I
maintained that it was a tiger; the Queen affirmed that it was a fox. I
desire to submit the question to you for decision. If you decide that
it was a fox, I agree to be sent adrift upon a log of wood on the great
river which flows past my palace; but if you think that the animal was
a tiger, then the Queen is to suffer this penalty.”
So saying, the King withdrew, leaving his ministers to decide the
question. The counsellors, after weighing the matter for some time,
summoned to their presence several peasants living in the
neighbourhood, and these being all agreed that no tiger ever came
within many miles of the palace, whereas foxes prowled there nightly,
it was clear to the council that the King was in the wrong. Before any
decision was given, however, the oldest counsellor rose and addressed
the meeting as follows:
“It appears to me,” said he, “that the King is undoubtedly in the wrong
in this matter; but I wish to point out to you that if we announce our
decision to that effect, the consequence will be that we shall be left
without our King, and with only a Queen to reign over us. This, as you
know, is a most undesirable state of affairs. I propose, therefore,
that in spite of our real opinion in the matter we should make a public
announcement to the effect that the King was right in his argument.”
The others agreed to these words of wisdom, and the counsellors
proceeded in a body to the King’s throne-room and informed him publicly
that after due deliberation they had come to the conclusion that he was
undoubtedly in the right. The King was greatly pleased at hearing his
opinion confirmed, and at once gave orders that the Queen should be
sent adrift on the river astride a log of wood. So the poor Queen was
taken down to the river bank, and placing herself astride of a log of
wood, she floated off down the great river.
After floating along for several hours the current at length carried
her to the opposite bank, many miles away from her own country, and as
soon as she arrived in shallow water she waded ashore and looked about
her. As far as she could see, the whole country appeared to be one
great plain, covered with high grass, through which it was almost
impossible for anyone to force their way; but after hunting about for a
time, she discerned a small opening in the grass, which led her to a
narrow winding path, along which she walked for some considerable
distance. After going some way she came suddenly upon an open clearing
in the grass, in the middle of which a very old man, with a white beard
reaching almost to his waist, was seated before a small fire cooking
himself some food.
“Good-morning, sir,” said the Queen, when she saw him; “can you give me
a morsel of food, for I am very hungry.”
“Certainly, Madam,” replied the old man; “you are welcome to all I
have,” and so saying, he handed over to her the whole of his
provisions.
When the Queen had made a good meal, the old man addressed her as
follows:
“You must know,” said he, “that I am a magician, living in this
prairie, and you must carefully follow the directions which I shall now
give you. You must first follow the path, which will lead you to the
top of a small hill, and when you arrive there a son will be born to
you. This boy is not an ordinary human child, but is the incarnation of
a very holy Lama, with miraculous qualities, and he will from his birth
be able to walk and talk. His name is Baki, and you must follow him
wherever he leads.”
The Queen thanked the old man for his advice, and following the narrow
path, it soon led her to the top of a small hill; and here she was
delivered of a child, who, as the magician had predicted, was of a
miraculous nature, and was at once able to walk and talk. The boy
without any hesitation went forward along the path, followed by his
mother, and after travelling for some distance they emerged from the
great grass jungle into an open cultivated country.
Now it happened that on that day the three sons of the King of that
country were out hunting together, and as they rode along looking out
for game they suddenly came upon the Queen and her son. Having heard
her story, they mounted her and the boy upon a horse and carried them
off to the King’s palace. The King at once took them under his
protection, and gave orders that the boy should be brought up with his
own sons, and he and his mother lodged in apartments in the palace.
Baki grew rapidly in beauty and stature, and soon became an expert in
all sports and games. One day he and the King’s three sons were out
hunting together, when by chance they suddenly came upon a beautiful
snow-white doe, who jumped up before them and galloped off towards the
mountains. The four young men at once started off in pursuit; but the
horses upon which the King’s sons were riding gradually tired, and one
after another they dropped out of the hunt, leaving Baki to continue
alone. As the chase continued the poor doe began to show signs of
exhaustion, and Baki, who was close upon her heels, was feeling
confident that he would soon catch her. All at once the deer galloped
straight up to what appeared to be a precipitous rock, and touching the
rock with her muzzle, it flew asunder, revealing the entrance to a
great cave within; and as she crossed the threshold of the cave her
skin fell from her, and she appeared in the form of a beautiful young
woman. Baki, who was of a very courageous disposition, did not hesitate
for a moment, but, leaping from his horse, he followed the lady into
the cave, and scarcely had he entered when the rock doors closed behind
him with a loud crash. Following the form of the lady along a narrow
passage, he emerged presently into a great lofty apartment, hollowed
out in the centre of the rock, luxuriously furnished and brilliantly
lighted, and with a row of great glass pillars running down the centre.
The girl meanwhile had seated herself upon a couch in one corner of the
room, and addressing the young man, she asked him who he was, and what
he meant by thus thrusting himself upon the privacy of a lady. The
young Prince apologised, and explained the circumstances of the case as
best he could, whereupon the girl addressed him as follows:
“You must know,” said she, “that the place where you now find yourself
is the abode of a terrible and blood-thirsty Ogre, and that I, who am
human like yourself, was captured by him some time ago, and he proposes
shortly to make me his wife. Meanwhile he has taught me certain magic
spells, which enable me to transform myself into any animal I please,
and to come and go at my pleasure; but without the assistance of some
human being it is impossible for me to escape from his clutches. But we
will talk further regarding these matters to-morrow. It is now near the
time for the Ogre’s return, and if he finds you here he will certainly
kill you without the least hesitation, so you must hide now before he
returns.”
So saying she went over to the central glass pillar and, unscrewing a
portion of it, she showed him a cavity inside, within which he
concealed himself.
Scarcely was he securely hidden within the pillar when the door of the
cave flew open, and a huge Ogre entered the central chamber. Calling
the young lady to him, he commanded her to bring his dinner, and after
making a sumptuous repast he sat down on some cushions and began
playing the guitar. At the first sound of the music all the pillars in
the room, with the exception of the one in which Baki was concealed,
began a slow and stately dance, his pillar alone remaining firm and
unshaken. When the Ogre saw that one of the pillars was not dancing as
usual he grew very angry, and seizing a huge hammer in his hand, he
advanced upon it, threatening to shatter it into a thousand fragments;
but the young lady, seizing him by the arm, begged him to spare it.
“Look,” said she “at the position of the pillar. It is the most central
and the largest of them all. No doubt it feels some sense of dignity
and wishes to be distinguished from the remainder. Spare it at any rate
to-night, and it will probably dance as usual to-morrow.”
The Ogre agreed to this, and shortly after retired to rest.
Next morning at daybreak he set off about his business, and as soon as
he was gone the girl opened the pillar and released Baki, and after
giving him a good breakfast, she spoke to him as follows:
“It is a very difficult thing,” said she, “for a human being to kill an
Ogre, for whatever damage you may do to his body is of no avail unless
you can also destroy the object with which his spirit is bound up. Now
this particular Ogre’s existence depends upon the life of a green
Parrot, which is carefully hidden from human view, but I have
ascertained where it is kept, and will explain to you how you may find
it. Behind the rock in which we are now living you will find another
great rock standing by itself. You must go up to this, and, kicking it
three times with your right foot, you must exclaim at each kick, ‘Great
Raven, open the door.’ As you pronounce these words for the third time
the door will open, disclosing a large cave, in the centre of which,
seated upon a red stone, you will see a green Parrot. If you can kill
this Parrot you will also destroy the Ogre without any danger to
yourself.”
On hearing this Baki at once promised to follow the lady’s directions,
and she released him from the cavern. Going round to the back of the
rock, he found himself face to face with another great rock standing by
itself. Kicking this rock three times with his right foot, he
pronounced the magic words, and as he said them for the third time two
rocky doors flew open, disclosing a cave inside. Entering the cave he
saw a green Parrot seated on a red stone in the centre, and he at once
seized the bird and wrung its neck. As soon as he had accomplished this
he ran hastily back to the main cavern, and as he approached the
entrance he saw the Ogre, who had just been returning to his home,
lying across the threshold stone dead, with his neck all twisted. The
young lady was greatly rejoiced at the successful issue of their
adventure, and the two, leaving the Ogre’s body behind them, proceeded
forthwith to the capital of the country, where the King’s palace was
situated.
On arriving at the capital Baki decided to hire a small house, where he
could lodge the young lady and change his own dress before proceeding
to pay his respects to the King; so having taken a house in the
suburbs, he left the lady there while he went out himself into the
streets to hear the news. He soon found out that during his absence the
King had announced his intention of marrying Baki’s mother, and the
poor lady, now that she had no son to protect her, had protested in
vain, saying that she was already the wife of another. Baki was very
indignant when he heard of this treacherous conduct on the part of the
King, and determined to foil his plans. So returning to the young lady,
he related to her all that he had heard.
“Do not be anxious,” said she. “If you will follow my advice I will
show you how you may yet get the better of the King.”
And she forthwith instructed him in certain magic spells, which she had
learned from the Ogre.
Armed with these, Baki proceeded at once to the palace. When he arrived
in the courtyard he sat himself down upon the King’s mounting-block,
and muttering the necessary spell, he was at once transformed into a
large cowrie-shell. After lying on the mounting-block for some time it
chanced that one of the grooms of the palace passed by, and, seeing the
shell, he paused to look at it, and remarked to himself:
“What a beautiful cowrie-shell!”
“Yes, I am a very handsome shell,” replied the cowrie, to the terror
and astonishment of the groom.
“Why,” said he, “what sort of a shell are you? What can you know about
cowries, or anything else?”
“I know a great deal,” said the shell. “For instance, I could tell the
King something about Prince Baki, which perhaps he would not like to
hear.”
When the groom heard this he ran straight into the palace and informed
the Prime Minister all that the shell had said. The Minister, having
told the King of the matter, the King gave orders that the shell should
at once be brought into his presence and placed upon a table before
him. When this had been done the King addressed the shell, saying:
“What are you, and what do you know about Prince Baki?”
“I can tell you this,” replied the shell, “that if you attempt to marry
Prince Baki’s mother you will find yourself in a very unpleasant
position.”
On hearing this the King was very much incensed, and he ordered one of
his servants to bring in a big hammer to smash the shell to fragments,
saying that he would not be browbeaten by a wretched little object like
a shell. So one of the servants, bringing up a hammer, struck the shell
a violent blow and broke it to pieces. In an instant each piece of the
shell turned into an armed man, and Prince Baki himself appeared
amongst them in his proper form.
Great confusion now arose amongst the courtiers; some fled in one
direction and some in another, whilst others, drawing their swords,
prepared to fight with the strangers. Meanwhile the armed men, who were
in reality demons, placed temporarily under the command of Prince Baki,
looked fiercely around them, and waving their swords, shouted to the
Prince, “Whom shall we kill? Whom shall we kill?”
Baki now pointed to the King, and in a moment the band of armed men
fell upon him, cut him to pieces, and disappeared with shouts of
triumph through the roof of the palace. When the courtiers saw what had
happened, they hastened to prostrate themselves before the feet of so
powerful a magician, and installed Baki as their new king.
As soon as he was seated upon his throne he sent for the young lady
whom he had rescued from the Ogre’s cave, and, having married her, they
lived happily for many years. And the Queen, his mother, soon after
returned to King Bacha, and having agreed with him never more to argue
on trivial matters, they had no more disputes or quarrels, and long
reigned together over a contented and prosperous kingdom.
STORY No. XXII.