Page:Indian Fairy Tales (Stokes, 1879).djvu/63

 XI.

BRAVE HÍRÁLÁLBAŚÁ. NCE there was a Rájá called Mánikbásá Rájá, or the Ruby King, who had seven wives and seven children. One day he told his wives he would go out hunting, and he rode on and on, a long, long way from his palace. A Rakshas was sitting by the wayside, who, seeing the Rájá coming, quickly turned herself into a beautiful Rání, and sat there crying. The Rájá asked her, "Why do you cry?" And the Rakshas answered, "My husband has gone away. He has been away many days, and I think he will never come back again. If some Rájá will take me to his house and marry me, I shall be very glad." So the Rájá said, "Will you come with me?" And the Rakshas answered, "Very well, I will come." And then the Rájá took the pretended Rání home with him and married her. He gave her a room to live in. Every night at twelve o'clock the Rakshas got up and devoured an elephant, or a horse, or some other animal. The Rájá said, "What can become of my elephants and horses? Every day either an elephant or a horse disappears. Who can take them away?" The Rakshas-Rání said to him, "Your seven Ránís are Rakshases, and every night at twelve o'clock they devour a horse, or an elephant, or some other creature."

So the Rájá believed her and had a great hole dug just outside his kingdom, into which he put the seven Ránís with their children, and then he sent a sepoy to them and bade him take out all the Ránís' eyes and bring them to him. This