Thus when they came to look into the tree they found the Prince and
his follower. So they drew them out and said, "These shall rule over
us." But others said, "How shall we know which of these two is the
Khan?" While others again cried, "These men are but strangers and
vagabonds. How then shall they reign over us?"
But to the Prince and his follower they said, "Whence are ye? and
how came ye in the hollow tree?"
Then the Prince began spitting gold coin, and his follower precious
emeralds. And while the people were busied in gathering the gold
and the emeralds they installed themselves in the palace, and made
themselves Khan and Chief Minister, and all the people paid them
homage.
When they had learned the ways of the kingdom and established
themselves well in it, the new Khan said to his Minister that he
must employ himself to find a wife worthy of the Khan. To whom the
Minister made answer,--
"Behold, beautiful among women is the daughter of the last Khan. Shall
not she be the Khan's wife?"
The Khan found his word good, and desired that she should be brought to
him; when he found she was fair to see, he took her into the palace,
and she became his wife. But she was with him as one whose thoughts
were fixed on another.
Now on the outskirts of the city was a noble palace, well kept and
furnished, and surrounded with delicious gardens; but no one lodged
there. Only the Minister took note that every third day the Khan's
wife went out softly and unattended, and betook herself to this palace.
"Now," thought the Minister to himself, "wherefore goes the Khan's
wife every third day to this palace, softly and unattended? I must
see this thing."
So he put on the cap which they had of the boys in the palm-grove,
and followed the Khan's wife as he saw her go the palace, and having
found a ladder he entered by a window as she came up the stairs. Then
he followed her into a sumptuous apartment all fitted with carpets
and soft cushions, and a table spread with delicious viands and
cooling drinks. The Khan's wife, however, reclined her on none of
these cushions, but went out by a private door for a little space,
and when she returned she was decked as never she had been when
she went before the Khan. The room was filled with perfume as she
approached, her hair was powdered with glittering jewels, and her
attire was all of broidered silk, while her throat, and arms, and
ankles were wreathed with pearls. The Minister hardly knew her again;
and with his cap, which made him invisible to gods, men, and dæmons,
he approached quite near to look at her, while she, having no suspicion
of his presence, continued busy with preparations as for some coming
event. On a vast circle of porphyry she lighted a fire of sandal wood,
over which she scattered a quantity of odoriferous powders, uttering
words the while which it was beyond the power of the Minister to
understand. While she was thus occupied, there came a most beautiful
bird with many-coloured wings swiftly flying through the open window,
and when he had soared round three times in the soft vapour of the
sweet-scented gums the Princess had been burning, there appeared a bird
no longer, but Cuklaketu, the beautiful son of the gods, surpassing
all words in his beauty. The transformation was no sooner effected,
than they embraced each other, and reclining together on the silken
couches, feasted on the banquet that was laid out.
After a time, Cuklaketu rose to take leave, but before he went, he
said, "Now you are married to the husband heaven has appointed you,
tell me how it is with him."
At these words the Minister, jealous for his master, grew very
attentive that he might learn what opinion the Khan's wife had of his
master and what love she had for him. But she answered prudently,
"How it will be with him I know not yet, for he is still young;
I cannot as yet know any thing of either his merits or defects."
And with that they parted; Cuklaketu flying away in the form of
a beautiful bird with many-coloured wings as he had come, and the
Khan's wife exchanging her glittering apparel for the mantle in which
she came from the Khan's palace.
The next time that she went out to this palace, the Minister put
on his cap and followed her again and witnessed the same scene,
only when Cuklaketu was about to take leave this time, he said,
"To-morrow, I shall come and see what your husband is like." And
when she asked him, "By what token shall I know you?" he answered,
"I will come under the form of a swallow, and will perch upon his
throne." With that they parted; but the Minister went and stood before
the Khan and told him all that he had seen.
"But thou, O Khan," proceeded the Minister, "Cause thou a great fire
to be kept burning before the throne; and I, standing there with the
cap rendering me invisible to gods, men, and dæmons, on my head, will
be on the look out for the swallow, and when he appears, I will seize
him by the feathers of his tail and dash him into the fire; then must
thou, O Khan, slay him, and hew him in pieces with thy sword."
And so it was, for the next morning early, while the Khan and his
Consort were seated with all their Court in due order of rank,
there came a swallow, all smirk and sprightly, fluttering around
them, and at last it perched on the Khan's throne. The Princess
watched his every movement with delighted eyes, but the Minister,
who waited there wearing his cap which made him invisible to gods,
men, and dæmons, no sooner saw him perch on the throne, than he seized
him by the feathers of his tail and flung him on the fire. The swallow
succeeded in fluttering out of the fire, but as the Khan had drawn his
sword to slay him and hew him in pieces, the Princess caught his arm
and held it tight, so that the swallow just managed to fly away with
his singed wings through the open window. Meantime, the Princess was
so overcome with fear and excitement that she fainted away into the
arms of the attendants, who were struck with wonder that she should
care so much about an injury done to a little bird.
As soon as the day came round for her to go to the palace in the
outskirts of the city, again the Minister did not fail to follow
closely on her steps. He observed that she prepared every thing
with greater attention than before and decked herself out with more
costly robes and more glittering gems. But when the minutes passed by
and the beautiful bird still appeared not, her fear waxed stronger
and stronger, and she stood gazing, without taking her eyes off the
sky. At last, and only when it was already late, Cuklaketu came flying
painfully and feebly, and when he had exchanged his bird disguise for
the human form, the traces of the treatment the Minister had given
him were plainly visible in many frightful blisters and scars.
When the Princess saw him in this evil plight, she lifted up her
voice, and wept aloud. But the Prince comforted her with his great
steadfastness under the infliction, only he was obliged to tell her
that both his human body and his bird feathers being thus marred, it
would be impossible for him to come and visit her more. "But," he said,
"the Khan, thy husband, has proved himself to exceed me in his might,
therefore he has won thee from me." So after much leave-taking, they
parted; and Cuklaketu flew away as well as his damaged wings would
carry him.
It was observed that after this the Princess grew much more attached
to her husband, and the Khan rejoiced in the sagacity and faithfulness
of his Minister.
Nor was this the only use the Minister made of his cap, which made him
invisible to gods, men, and dæmons. He was enabled by its means to see
many things that were not rightly conducted, to correct many evils,
punish many offenders who thought to escape justice, and learn many
useful arts.
One day as he was walking with this cap upon his head, he came to a
temple where, the door being closed, a servant of the temple, thinking
himself alone, began disporting himself after the following manner:
First, he took out from under a statue of Buddha a large roll of paper,
on which was painted a donkey. Having spread it out flat on the floor
of the temple, he danced round it five times; and immediately on
completing the fifth turn, he became transformed into a donkey like
the one that was painted on the paper. In this form he pranced about
for some time, and brayed till he was tired, then he got on to the
paper again, on his hind legs, and danced round five times as before,
and immediately he appeared again in his natural form. When at last he
grew tired of the amusement he rolled up his paper, and replaced it
under the image of Buddha, whence he had taken it. He had no sooner
done so than the Minister, under cover of his cap, which made him
invisible to gods, men, and dæmons, possessed himself of the paper
which had such mysterious properties, and betook himself with it to
the dwelling of the beautiful woman and her daughter who sold strong
drink to travellers, who had treated his master and him so shamefully
at the outset of their travels.
When they saw him approach, for he now no longer wore the invisible
cap, they began to fear he had come to bring them retribution, and
they asked him with the best grace they could assume what was his
pleasure. But he, to win their confidence, that he might the better
carry out his scheme, replied,--
"To reward you for your handsome treatment of me and my companion,
therefore am I come." And at the same time he gave them a handful of
gold coin.
And they, recollecting what profit they had derived from his companion
before, and deeming it likely there might be means for turning the
present visit to similar good account, asked him what were his means
for being able to be so lavish of the precious metal.
"Oh, that is easily told," replied the Minister. "It is true I have not
the faculty of spitting gold coin out of my mouth like my companion,
as you doubtless remember, but I have another way, equally efficacious,
of coming into possession of all the money I can possibly desire."
"And what may that way be?" inquired mother and daughter together in
their eagerness.
"I have only to spread out this roll of paper on the ground," and he
showed them the roll that he had taken from under the image of Buddha
in the temple, "and dance five times round it, and immediately I find
myself in possession of as much gold as I can carry."
"What a treasure to possess is that same roll of paper," cried the
women, and they exchanged looks expressing the determination each
had immediately conceived, of possessing themselves of it.
"But now," proceeded the Minister, not appearing to heed their mutual
signs, though inwardly rejoicing that they had shown themselves so
ready to fall into his snare," but now pour me out to drink, for I
am weary with the journey, and thirsty, and your drink I remember
is excellent."
The women, on their part, were equally rejoiced that he had given them
the opportunity of plying him, and did not wait to be asked twice. The
Minister continued to drink, and the women to pour out drink to him,
till he was in a state of complete unconsciousness.
They no sooner found him arrived at this helpless condition than they
took possession of the mysterious roll, and forthwith spreading it
out on the ground, proceeded to dance round it five times after the
manner prescribed.
When the Minister came to himself, therefore, he found his scheme
had fully taken effect, and the woman and her daughter were standing
heavy and chapfallen in the form of two asses. The Minister put a
bridle in their mouth, and led them off to the Khan, saying,--
"These, O Khan, are the women who sell strong drink to travellers,
and who entreated us so shamefully at the time when having slain
the dragons we went forth on our travels. I have transformed them
by my art into two asses. Now, therefore, shall there not be given
them burdens of wood, and burdens of stone to carry, heavy burdens,
so that they may be punished for their naughtiness?"
And the Khan gave orders that it should be done as he had said. But
when at the end of five years, they were well weighed down with the
heavy burdens, and the Khan saw them wearied and trembling, and human
tears running down from their eyes, he called the Minister to him,
and said,--
"Take these women, and do them no more harm, for their punishment
is enough."
So the Minister fetched the paper, and having spread it out on the
ground, placed the women on it, making them stand on their hind legs,
and led them round it five several times till they resumed their
natural form. But with the treatment they had undergone, both were
now so bowed, and shrunk, and withered, that no one could know them
for the beautiful women they had been.
"As well might he have left them under the form of asses, as restore
their own shape in such evil plight," here exclaimed the Khan.