Page:Life in Java Volume 1.djvu/297

Rh "Bid him," said he to the messenger, "choose between these. Surely four of my own horses will amply recompense him for the loss of a little bird."

But the prince was still doomed to disappointment, for the poor man would not consent to part with his favourite.

"Poor as I am," said he, in reply to the prince's message, "I would not give up my little bird for the richest gift from the Soesuhunan's Palace. A great blessing has been given to me; if I sell it, I forfeit all my luck."

I have told this simple tale merely to prove the estimation in which any bird from these woods is held.

On a large mound stands the ruined gateway of the city walls. The towers on each side are now about thirty-five feet in height, but, from the appearance of their ruins, must once have been much higher. They are built of red brick, closely