🧚 Opening, part 21

“Fair Prince, on the charger so gray, Turn thee back!1 Turn thee back!2 Or lower thy lance for the fray; Thy head will be forfeit to-day!3 Dost love life?4 Then, stranger, I pray, Turn thee back!5 Turn thee back!”6

But he, smiling at the maiden, answered lightly:7

“Fair maiden, I come from afar, Sworn conqueror in love and in war!8 King Sarkap my coming will rue, His head in four pieces I’ll hew; Then forth as a bridegroom I’ll ride, With you, little maid, as my bride!”9

Now when Rasalu replied so gallantly, the maiden looked in his face, and seeing how fair he was, and how brave and strong, she straightway fell in love with him, and would gladly have followed him through the world.10

But the other sixty-nine maidens, being jealous, laughed scornfully at her, saying: “Not so fast, oh gallant warrior!11 If you would marry our sister you must first do our bidding, for you will be our younger brother.”12

“Fair sisters!” quoth Rasalu gayly, “give me my task and I will perform it.”13

So the sixty-nine maidens mixed a hundred-weight of millet seed with a hundred-weight of sand, and giving it to Rasalu, bade him separate the seed from the sand.14

Then he bethought him of the cricket, and drawing the feeler from his pocket, thrust it into the fire.15 And immediately there was a whirring noise in the air, and a great flight of crickets alighted beside him, and amongst them the cricket whose life he had saved.16

Then Rasalu said, “Separate the millet seed from the sand.”17

“Is that all?” quoth the cricket.18 “Had I known how small a job you wanted me to do, I would not have assembled so many of my brethren.”19

With that the flight of crickets set to work, and in one night they separated the seed from the sand.20

Now when the sixty-nine fair maidens, daughters of the king, saw that Rasalu had performed his task, they set him another, bidding him swing them all, one by one, in their swings, until they were tired.21

Whereupon he laughed, saying, “There are seventy of you, counting my little bride yonder, and I am not going to spend my life swinging girls!22 Why, by the time I have given each of you a swing, the first will be wanting another!23 No!24 If you want a swing, get in, all seventy of you, and then I’ll see what can be done.”25

So the seventy maidens climbed into one swing, and Rajah Rasalu, standing in his shining armor, fastened the ropes to his mighty bow, and drew it up to its fullest bent.26 Then he let go, and like an arrow the swing shot into the air, with its burden of seventy fair maidens, merry and careless, full of smiles and laughter.27

But as it swung back again, Rasalu, standing there in his shining armor, drew his sharp sword and severed the ropes.28 Then the seventy fair maidens fell to the ground headlong; and some were bruised and some were broken, but the only one who escaped unhurt was the maiden who loved Rasalu, for she fell out last, on the top of the others, and so came to no harm.29

After this, Rasalu strode on fifteen paces, till he came to the seventy drums, that everyone who came to play chaupur with the king had to beat in turn; and he beat them so loudly that he broke them all.30 Then he came to the seventy gongs, all in a row, and he hammered them so hard that they cracked to pieces.31

Seeing this, the youngest Princess, who was the only one who could run, fled to her father, the king, in a great fright, saying:32

“A mighty Prince, Sarkap! making havoc rides along, He swung us, seventy maidens fair, and threw us out headlong; He broke the drums you placed there, and the gongs, too, in his pride, Sure, he will kill thee, father mine, and take me for his bride!”33

But King Sarkap replied scornfully:34

“Silly maiden, thy words make a lot Of a very small matter; For fear of my valor, I wot, His armor will clatter.35 As soon as I’ve eaten my bread I’ll go forth and cut off his head!”36

Notwithstanding these brave and boastful words he was in reality very much afraid, having heard of Rasalu’s renown.37 And learning that he was stopping at the house of an old woman in the city, till the hour of playing chaupur arrived, Sarkap sent slaves to him with trays of sweetmeats and fruit, as to an honored guest.38 But the food was poisoned.39

Now, when the slaves brought the trays to Rajah Rasalu, he rose up haughtily, saying: “Go tell your master I have naught to do with him in friendship.40 I am his sworn enemy, and I eat not of his salt!”41

So saying, he threw the sweetmeats to Rajah Sarkap’s dog, which had followed the slaves, and lo! the dog died.42

Then Rasalu was very wroth, and said bitterly, “Go back to Sarkap, slaves.43 And tell him that Rasalu deems it no act of bravery to kill even an enemy by treachery.”44

Now, when evening came, Rajah Rasalu went forth to play chaupur with King Sarkap, and as he passed some potters’ kilns he saw a cat wandering about restlessly; so he asked what ailed her, that she never stood still, and she replied: “My kittens are in an unbaked pot in the kiln yonder.45 It has just been set alight, and my children will be baked alive; therefore I cannot rest!”46

Her words moved the heart of Rajah Rasalu, and going to the potter, he asked him to sell the kiln as it was; but the potter replied that he could not settle a fair price till the pots were burned, as he could not tell how many would come out whole.47 Nevertheless, after some bargaining, he consented at last to sell the kiln, and Rasalu, having searched all the pots, restored the kittens to their mother, and she in gratitude for his mercy, gave him one of them, saying, “Put it in your pocket, for it will help you when you are in difficulties.”48 So Rajah Rasalu put the kitten in his pocket, and went to play chaupur with the king.49

Now, before they sat down to play, Rajah Sarkap fixed his stakes—on the first game, his kingdom; on the second, the wealth of the whole world, and on the third, his own head.50 So, likewise, Rajah Rasalu fixed his stakes—on the first game, his arms; on the second, his horse, and on the third, his own head.51

Then they began to play, and it fell to Rasalu’s lot to make the first move.52 Now he, forgetful of the dead man’s warning, played with the dice given him by Rajah Sarkap, besides which, Sarkap let loose his famous rat, Dhol Rajah, and it ran about the board, upsetting the chaupur pieces on the sly, so that Rasalu lost the first game, and gave up his shining armor.53

Then the second game began, and once more Dhol Rajah, the rat, upset the pieces; and Rasalu, losing the game, gave up his faithful steed.54 Then Bhanur, the Arab steed, who stood by, found voice, and cried to his master:55

“Sea-born am I, bought with much gold; Dear Prince!56 Trust me now as of old.57 I’ll carry you far from these wiles— My flight, all unspurr’d, will be swift as a bird, For thousands and thousands of miles!58 Or if needs you must stay; ere the next game you play Place your hand in your pocket, I pray!”59