Page:Bengal Fairy Tales.djvu/171

Rh As soon, however, as he found that the coast was clear he got up and began inspecting the different apartments of the palace; and lo! on reaching the third story he saw the damsel with hair of cloudy colour who had visited his father's capital, and whom the princes were so eager to discover. He approached her from behind, and overheard her thus lamenting in the ears of her golden parrot, "Ah, parrot of gold, ineffectual has been my voyage in the boat with silver oars, since no one has come after me." While she was thus absorbed in her gloomy thoughts the monkey stole away the flowers of pearl bedecking the knot of her hair. He was not, however, quick enough to escape the eyes of the parrot, which raised the alarm, crying out, "Princess Kalabutti, thy flowers of pearl are in the hands of him whose bride thou art destined to be." The girl looked back in great excitement, and finding the monkey behind her, fell to the ground, weeping. But knowing that she was decreed by fate to wed him who came to her having safely passed through the red river, the kingdoms of the three witches, and the deep dungeon in her palace, she reconciled herself to her lot, cast the nuptial wreath round the monkey's neck, and swore eternal fealty to him. He asked her to release the princes and follow him to his country. She agreed, but said that, as fated, she could not be taken out save in a casket of gold. Boodhu adopted the proposed means, and after many fresh adventures, together with his bride in the casket, the princes and their retinue, including the boatmen and the old woman's kantha, finally reached the bottom of the river in which the mayurpankhis had sunk. Bhootoom, who had been meanwhile waiting patiently above ground, at last felt a strain on the rope he held, and dragged up Boodhu with his companions. The homeward voyage was begun, and the boats sped merrily onwards. One day the monkey was caught opening the casket and whispering to some one inside. The suspicions of the princes were roused, and they threw him, with the kantha wrapped round his body, into the water; at the same