The man said, "Ane! By favour to me you must stay there a little,"
and having gone he said to the King, "Last night a Prince and Princess
came to our city; and having stabbed the tusk elephant with the sword
and killed it, they are still staying [there], sleeping."
Thereupon the King having come, when he looked they were there. The
King having heard from the Prince about the matter, and having gone
calling them to the palace, and given them food and drink, asked to
marry his Princess to the Prince.
At that time the Prince said, "Until the time when I marry and give
my younger sister I will not marry"; and they went away to yet a city.
When he was going, [persons] are robbing the city of this [other]
King. Because of it, [the King] gave notice by beat of tom-toms,
"Can any one seize them?" Thereupon all said they could not.
This Prince having said, "I will endeavour [to do] this," went
away. While going, he met with a young Leopard, a young Parrot, and
a Kitten. Taking the three and placing them in a cart, while going
on he saw in the midst of the forest a very large house like a prison.
Thereupon the Prince, not going to look at it during the daytime,
waited until it became night; and having gone at daybreak, when he
was looking about, the robbers having come [after] committing robbery
he ascertained that they were making ready to sleep.
Having waited a little time after the men had gone to sleep, when he
looked for an opening, because there was not one, being on the back of
his horse he sprang on the wall. Having sprung on it, when he looked
[he saw that after] putting down their armour on going to sleep,
they were sleeping well. Thereupon the Prince cut them all down,
beginning from one end. One of them having been wounded and got hid
in the room, remained; all the other men died. The blood that came
from them flowed to the depth of the Prince's knee.
After that, having waited until it became light he cut a hole, and
having put the dead bodies into the hole he thoroughly washed the
houses and cleaned them. Because there were many silver and golden
things there he stayed a little time.
While he was staying, one day, having told the Princess to remain
[there], the Prince, taking a gun, went to hunt. At that time the
Parrot, the Leopard, and the Cat went with the Prince.
The three and the Prince, or a person who would send him away, not
being near, that robber who had been wounded that day, and having got
hid remained after the Prince went away, came out into the light;
and asking for cooked rice from the Princess and having eaten it,
became associated with the Princess, and stayed a few days without
the Prince's knowing it, healing those wounds and the like.
Then that robber spoke to the Princess, "Having killed your elder
brother and we two having married, let us remain [here]."
Thereupon the Princess also being willing regarding it, asked the
robber, "How shall we kill elder brother?"
Then the robber said, "At the time when your elder brother comes, say
that you have got fever, and remain lying down. Then he having come
will be grieved. Then say, 'Elder brother, the deity who protects
us--who he is I do not know--said there is a pool in the midst of
this forest. In the pool there is a lotus flower. Unless, plucking
the lotus flower, you come and boil it, and I should drink the gravy,
my fever will not be cured otherwise.'"
The Princess asked the robber, "When he has gone to the pool what
will happen?"
The robber said, "There is a Crocodile in the pool. No one can descend
into the pool. Because the Celestial Nymphs (Apsarases) bathe [there],
should another person go the Crocodile will swallow him."
Then the Princess having become pleased, at the time when the Prince,
having gone for hunting-sport, came back, she remained lying down
groaning and groaning.