Page:Folk Tales from Tibet (1906).djvu/100

72 selected four of the finest Tigers, he allowed the others to go away. But he still hankered after the jewels, and in a few days' time he again summoned the Boy before him, and told him that unless he at once furnished four Peacocks to sit one on each of the four golden pinnacles of his palace roof, he should kill his mother and keep the Boy as a slave.

The poor Boy was very down-hearted on hearing this, and went sadly back to his mother with the news; but the little Mouse told him that it was all right, and giving him a handful of Peacock's feathers, she instructed him how to proceed. So the Boy went off to the top of a high hill, and, throwing the feathers into the air, he called aloud:

"Brother Peacock! Brother Peacock! Brother Peacock!"

Immediately a fluttering sound was heard, and a magnificent Peacock dropped to the ground in front of him from the branch of a neighbouring tree.

"Here I am, Brother," said the Peacock. "What do you want with me?"

"Oh! Brother Peacock," said the Boy, "the King says that if I cannot at once provide him with four Peacocks to sit on the four golden pinnacles of his palace, he will kill our mother and make me a slave."

"Never mind," said the Peacock, "we can easily arrange that."

So he fluttered back to the top of a high tree, and called the loud, shrill call of the Peacocks.