Page:Indian Fairy Tales (Stokes, 1879).djvu/176

 XXIII.

THE PRINCESS WHO LOVED HER FATHER LIKE SALT.

IN a country there lived a king who had seven daughters. One day he called them all to him and said to them, "My daughters, how much do you love me?" The six eldest answered, "Father, we love you as much as sweetmeats and sugar;" but the seventh and youngest daughter said, "Father, I love you as much as salt." The king was much pleased with his six eldest daughters, but very angry with his youngest daughter. "What is this?" he said; "my daughter only loves me as much as she does salt!" Then he called some of his servants, and said to them, "Get a palanquin ready, and carry my youngest daughter away to the jungle." The servants did as they were bid; and when they got to the jungle, they put the palanquin down under a tree and went away. The princess called to them, "Where are you going? Stay here; my father did not tell you to leave me alone in the jungle." "We will come back," said the servants; "we are only going to drink some water." But they returned to her father's palace.

The princess waited in the palanquin under the tree, and it was now evening, and the servants had not come back. She was very much frightened and cried bitterly. "The tigers and wild beasts will eat me," she said to herself. At