Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 4, 1893.djvu/300

 292 and took her by the hand, and led her to Naina Bai, and said, "Take care of her till her husband and her brother-in-law come back." That day they spent at the house.

Then Naina Bai's husband came home, and seeing this beautiful woman, he said to Naina Bai, "You must arrange for me to get possession of her, and if you don't I'll carry her off to another country." Naina Bai went to her father-in-law and said, "Your son is in love with this woman; you should know this."

Twenty days passed, and one day Naina Bai's husband began to make advances to the disguised prince; and the prince gave him a kick. This killed him, and the prince dug a hole and buried him inside his house, and then went off and joined his brother the goatherd. Naina Bai went to her father-in-law, and said, "Last night your son ran off with that woman." Her father-in-law begged her to tell no one of it. For eight or nine days he hunted for his son and the woman, but found nothing. Then the two brothers, the prince and the goatherd, mounted their mares and came to the father-in-law, and the goatherd said, "I have seen my brother and returned; now bring out the woman, and we will return to our own country."

The father-in-law saw that he was in a difficult situation, so he drew the goatherd aside, and said: "My son has carried off the woman, and has gone off to some other country. I know not where he has gone. Attend to me for God's sake, and do not tell anyone else. The king of this place is a dreadful tyrant, and if he hears of it he will destroy me. There is my son's wife, Naina Bai her name is; I'll give her to you, take her instead of the other."

The goatherd was angry, and said: "How is it that people said you were a trustworthy man? You have done me great injustice, and made away with the woman entrusted to you. I shall report it to the king." The father-in-law took off his turban and threw it at the goatherd's feet, saying, "My son has disgraced me; take Naina Bai, and