Page:Indian Fairy Tales (Stokes, 1879).djvu/197

Rh He rode on and on through a very large jungle, and he rode a long, long way: at last in a jungle he saw a fakír, who was living in it. He made him salaams, and the fakír was delighted to see him, "because," he said, "for many years I have been in this country, and all that time have never seen any man." The prince sat down by the fakír, and the fakír was very much pleased. He asked the boy who had sent him to the jungle, and why he had come to it. "My mother has sore eyes," he answered, "and wants some night-growing rice. She has given me a letter to the man who owns it."

The fakír took and read the letter, and was very sorry. He tore it up and threw it away. Then he wrote another, in which he said, "Your sister is very ill, and her son has come for some night-growing rice for her." This he gave to the boy and told him to continue his journey. He also told him that the man who had the rice was a huge demon, and that he lived in a country by the great sea. Then he told him the way.

The boy rode on and on, and after a week's journeying he came to the demon's country. There he saw the huge demon sitting on the ground, with his great, big mouth, that was just like a cavern. As soon as the demon saw him he stood up and said, "It is many days since a man came here. Now I will eat this one." He went towards the prince to seize him, and a great rushing wind came blowing from the demon, as it always did when he was angry. But the boy, who had begun to walk towards him when he stood up, threw the letter to him with all his might, so that it fell on him; at the same time he made many salaams. The demon read the letter and found his sister was very ill, and this was her son; so he stopped the wind, and came up to the boy, who he thought was his sister's son. "You have come for the rice for my sister who is ill," he said to him; "you shall have it."