Part 8 (2/2)
”Now Rajah Rasalu, soft heart and strong, heard a pitiful voice as he rode along 'Oh traveller! traveller! turn aside, and help God's creature,' it ht and saw that a fire had caught a bush, blazing higher and higher, while a tiny cricket lay gasping for breath, half-scorched, half-choked, and nigh to its death Then Rajah Rasalu, soft hearted and stout, put his hand in the fire and snatched it out! And the cricket drew forth a feeler and said: 'Take this,_ever_ prove troublesome, burn _this_ in the fire and _I_ will coh, 'I thank you, weakling! But none of your chaff! _You_ couldn't help _o bail' So he rode on careless o'er hill and dale, a glittering knight in his shi+ningSurkap, whom he'd sworn to kill with his sword so sharp Now as he rode through a garden gay, Seventy Maidens barred the way; Seventy Maidens young and fair, with flowers decking their golden hair Seventy daughters of the king, co who'd sworn to slay their father, the est old, and when she saw Rasalu so bold, and strong and handsoht her breath, and whispered to hier so gray, Turn thee back, turn thee back
If thou lowerest thy lance for the fray, Thy head will be forfeit to-day
Dost love life? then, stranger! I pray Turn thee back--turn thee back'
”But Rasalu smiled in the maiden's face, and drew his rein for an instant's space, while he gave her ansith courtly grace: 'Fair maiden, I come from afar, sworn conqueror in love and in war Thy fatherwill rue, for his head in four pieces I'll hew Then forth as a bridegroom I'll ride with you, little maid, as my bride'
”Now at these words, and his face so kind, and strong, and brave, the s whirled, she felt she could follow hih the world; but her sixty-nine sisters were jealous and cried: 'Not so fast, young er brother, beside! So do our bidding or go on your way' 'Fair sisters,' quoth he, 'let me hear your say!' Now the sisters vowed he should not succeed, so they took a whole hundred-weight of seed, as fine as the hundred-weight of sand they ave command: 'If you wish to marry our sister, sir, take the seed frohast; but he thought of the cricket's gift at last, and taking it out of his pocket thrust it into the fire, and a cloud as dust showed in the sky and the distant whirr of thousands of wings caused the air to stir, as, dark'ning the day like a fun'ral pall, a flight of crickets appeared at the call 'What is our task?' asked his friend with a laugh; 'only _that_? I've brought too many by half!' So they set to ith a will indeed, till the sand lay separate from the seed, and sixty-nine maidens pouted and frowned as they wondered _what_ new task could be found, to puzzle Rasalu and keep hi us all, sir, one by one, e grow tired your task is done!'--they laughed in their sleeve, for they knew right well, that when they'd be tired, none could tell!
”But Rasalu laughed: 'What! seventy girls--for my little bride is the pearl of pearls--and only onethe lot! Shall I spend o; I'll fasten the rope to hty bow, and shoot an arrow for all I know, so in with you, girls, sit all in a row, and don't be frightened,till you're tired, so have no fears'
”Then the seventy cla--soAnd Rasalu stood in his shi+ning array, as merry and careless as happy as they He fastened the ropes to his o; then with a twang he loosed the string, and like an arrow the laden sith its burden of seventy maidens fair, shot like an arrow into the air Merry and careless with laugh and s bird in the distant blue, while merry and careless, and tall and true, Rasalu waited upon the plain, till the swing swung back to its place again
Then he out with his sword and laughed anew, 'Ye have had a fine ride, ye giggling crew; enough and to spare, so out with you there!' Then he severed the ropes with one hty sweep, and the seventy maidens fell in a heap; and some were broken and some were bruised, and the only one that was not ill-used was the youngest maid, for she did not drop till the very last, so she fell on top!”
And here Prince Akbar used always to laugh gravely and say: ”Glad she didn't tuirl”
One day when the peach blossoreen fluffy ovals that by-and-bye would be luscious ripe fruits, Foster-father arrived in a great state of excite his Seventy Maidens
”News, news!” he cried; ”real news at last; and thank Heaven they are good! My , has not only secured shelter, but help, and hath written to his brother, Prince Askurry, advising hiiance at once, when all shall be forgotten In token of which cle to his still-dearly-beloved brother, Her Royal Highness the Princess Bakshee Bani Begum, that she may be a companion to her half-brother, the Heir-to-E on Roy's breast, suddenly sat up ”Is that irl like Rasalu's bride?”
Head-nurse laughed ”Nice enough I'll warrant, though I never saw her; she has been since she was born, six years past, with heras they send no fine ladies of nurses with her she is welcome”
Little Prince Akbar stood up and stretched himself, and looked at Head-nurse critically
”Akka elcome her, and Akka will tell you to be her nurse, and Akka will swing her a great big swing”
So far as he was concerned _that_ settled the question; but up at the Court there were endless questionings of heart Prince Askurry was, as ever, in two minds as to what he should do Cruel brother kumran, as Governor at Kabul, pressed his advice to stand fir Huainst Indian ones But Princess Sultanum had really become fond of the little Heir-to-Empire, and felt sure that if they only played their cards carefully the king, out of gratitude, would consent to a betrothal between his son and her little daughter Amina
And in the end the wife's counsel prevailed So a better lodgment was found for the royal children in an old palace surrounded by a lovely garden, and here, just as the roses were beginning to bloo his sister's arrival
He had insisted on having, like Rajah Rasalu, a coat ofcorselet of silver tissue, in which he looked very fine indeed, as he stood brandishi+ng a wooden sword covered with tin foil
But when the red and gold bedecked camel did finally co, little Akbar forgot all about the part he was playing, and when he saw his sister, just ran up to her and hugged her tight, and said breathlessly: ”Ah! you are a nice little girl!”
And a very nice little girl she was! Very s hazel eyes, and brownish hair all plaited in tiny, tiny little plaits on her forehead
And she was dressed just like a grown-up, with little ear-rings and wristlets and anklets and necklaces and rings, with the dearest, daintiest of fliauze veils set with little silver stars wound all about her! Never, said Head-nurse, had been such a darling little racefully at her brother's feet and begged his favour in a little piping voice, that stern believer in court etiquette was perfectly enchanted
”It will be a real boon to the First-Gentleman-of-the-World, the Courtly-one-of-Courts, etc, etc, to have the society of his equals,”
she said with a darkling look at Princess Sultanuht Prince Ibrahim and Baby Amina to welcoum did not turn out so demure as she looked! Indeed, when Head-nurse was not by, she was a regular to spent inwith her dolls, or stringing beads, while Down, the cat, on her lap blinked and purred and stared out on the world with her big blue eyes and her little white feet tucked well inside, she would, when the wo up like a squirrel, scattering beads and cats as if they were of no account! Then the garden would re-echo to children's laughter