Demon With Matted Hair " 196, part 17 · page 21 2101Yes, I am," answered the boy. "102I am servant to a grain merchant.103The last three nights I have gone into the King's garden and sung a song, and each night the youngest princess has come to me and asked me who I am, and whence I came, and I have answered nothing.104What shall I do now?"105The horse said, "Next time she asks you who you are, tell her you are a very poor man, and came from your own country to find service here."106The boy then went home to the grain merchant, and at night, when every one had gone to bed, he went to the King's garden and sang his sweet song again.107The youngest princess heard him, got up, dressed, and came to him. "108Who are you?109Whence do you come?" she asked.110"I am a very poor man," he answered. "111I came from my own country to seek service here, and I am now one of the grain merchant's servants."112Then she went away.113For three more nights the boy sang in the King's garden, and each night the princess came and asked him the same questions as before, and the boy gave her the same answers.114Then she went to her father, and said to him, "Father, I wish to be married; but I must choose my husband myself."115Her father consented to this, and he wrote and invited all the Kings and Rajas in the land, saying, "My youngest daughter wishes to be married, but she insists on choosing her husband herself.116As I do not know who it is she wishes to marry, I beg you will all come on a certain day, for her to see you and make her choice."117A great many Kings, Rajas, and their sons accepted this invitation and came.118When they had all arrived, the little princess's father said to them, "To-morrow morning you must all sit together in my garden" (the King's garden was very large), "for then my youngest daughter will come and see you all, and choose her husband.119I do not know whom she will choose."120The youngest princess ordered a grand elephant to be ready for her the next morning, and when the morning came, and all was ready, she dressed herself in the most lovely clothes, and put on her beautiful jewels; then she mounted her elephant, which was painted blue.121In her hand she took a gold necklace.122Then she went into the garden where the Kings, Rajas, and their sons were seated.123The boy, the grain merchant's servant, was also in the garden: not as a suitor, but looking on with the other servants.124The princess rode all round the garden, and looked at all the Kings and Rajas and princes, and then she hung the gold necklace round the neck of the boy, the grain merchant's servant.125At this everybody laughed, and the Kings were greatly astonished.126But then they and the Rajas said, "What fooling is this?" and they pushed the pretended poor man away, and took the necklace off his neck, and said to him, "Get out of the way, you poor, dirty man.127Your clothes are far too dirty for you to come near us!"128The boy went far away from them, and stood a long way off to see what would happen.129Then the King's youngest daughter went all round the garden again, holding her gold necklace in her hand, and once more she hung it round the boy's neck.130Every one laughed at her and said, "How can the King's daughter think of marrying this poor, common man!" and the Kings and the Rajas, who had come as suitors, all wanted to turn him out of the garden.131But the princess said, "Take care! take care!132You must not turn him out.133Leave him alone."134Then she put him on her elephant, and took him to the palace.135The Kings and Rajas and their sons were very much astonished, and said, "What does this mean?136The princess does not care to marry one of us, but chooses that very poor man!"137Her father then stood up, and said to them all, "I promised my daughter she should marry any one she pleased, and as she has twice chosen that poor, common man, she shall marry him."138And so the princess and the boy were married with great pomp and splendour: her father and mother were quite content with her choice; and the Kings, the Rajas and their sons, all returned to their homes.139Now the princess's six sisters had all married rich princes, and they laughed at her for choosing such a poor ugly husband as hers seemed to be, and said to each other, mockingly, "See! our sister has married this poor, common man!"140Their six husbands used to go out hunting every day, and every evening they brought home quantities of all kinds of game to their wives, and the game was cooked for their dinner and for the King's; but the husband of the youngest princess always stayed at home in the palace, and never went out hunting at all.141This made her very sad, and she said to herself, "My sisters' husbands hunt every day, but my husband never hunts at all."1 2← previousDemon With Matted Hair " 196, part 16next →Demon With Matted Hair " 196, part 18↑ back to Indian Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7128/23/page/2/