Indian Fairy Tales | Page 5

from a tank; and a stick and rope, to
which its owner had only to say, if any one came to make war on him,
"Stick, beat as many men and soldiers as are here," and the stick would
beat them and the rope would tie them up.
The four fakirs were quarrelling over these four things. One said, "I
want this;" another said, "You cannot have it, for I want it;" and so on.
The Raja's son said to them, "Do not quarrel for these things. I will
shoot four arrows in four different directions. Whichever of you gets to
my first arrow, shall have the first thing--the bed. Whosoever gets to
the second arrow, shall have the second thing--the bag. He who gets to
the third arrow, shall have the third thing--the bowl. And he who gets
to the fourth arrow, shall have the last things--the stick and rope." To
this they agreed, and the prince shot off his first arrow. Away raced the
fakirs to get it. When they brought it back to him he shot off the second,
and when they had found and brought it to him he shot off his third,
and when they had brought him the third he shot off the fourth.
While they were away looking for the fourth arrow the Raja's son let
his horse loose in the jungle, and sat on the bed, taking the bowl, the
stick and rope, and the bag with him. Then he said, "Bed, I wish to go
to the Princess Labam's country." The little bed instantly rose up into
the air and began to fly, and it flew and flew till it came to the Princess
Labam's country, where it settled on the ground. The Raja's son asked
some men he saw, "Whose country is this?"
"The Princess Labam's country," they answered. Then the prince went

on till he came to a house where he saw an old woman.
"Who are you?" she said. "Where do you come from?"
"I come from a far country," he said; "do let me stay with you to-
night."
"No," she answered, "I cannot let you stay with me; for our king has
ordered that men from other countries may not stay in his country. You
cannot stay in my house."
"You are my aunty," said the prince; "let me remain with you for this
one night. You see it is evening, and if I go into the jungle, then the
wild beasts will eat me."
"Well," said the old woman, "you may stay here to-night; but
to-morrow morning you must go away, for if the king hears you have
passed the night in my house, he will have me seized and put into
prison."
Then she took him into her house, and the Raja's son was very glad.
The old woman began preparing dinner, but he stopped her, "Aunty,"
he said, "I will give you food." He put his hand into his bag, saying,
"Bag, I want some dinner," and the bag gave him instantly a delicious
dinner, served up on two gold plates. The old woman and the Raja's son
then dined together.
When they had finished eating, the old woman said, "Now I will fetch
some water."
"Don't go," said the prince. "You shall have plenty of water directly."
So he took his bowl and said to it, "Bowl, I want some water," and then
it filled with water. When it was full, the prince cried out, "Stop, bowl,"
and the bowl stopped filling. "See, aunty," he said, "with this bowl I
can always get as much water as I want."
By this time night had come. "Aunty," said the Raja's son, "why don't
you light a lamp?"
"There is no need," she said. "Our king has forbidden the people in his
country to light any lamps; for, as soon as it is dark, his daughter, the
Princess Labam, comes and sits on her roof, and she shines so that she
lights up all the country and our houses, and we can see to do our work
as if it were day."
When it was quite black night the princess got up. She dressed herself
in her rich clothes and jewels, and rolled up her hair, and across her
head she put a band of diamonds and pearls. Then she shone like the

moon, and her beauty made night day. She came out of her room, and
sat on the roof of her palace. In the daytime she never came out of her
house; she only came out at night. All the people in her father's country
then went about their work and finished it.
The Raja's son watched the princess quietly, and was very happy. He
said to himself, "How lovely she is!"
At midnight,