Page:Old Deccan Days.djvu/141

 Rh whole country is called Panch-Phul Ranee's country. She lives in a small bungalow in the centre of the city you see yonder; but, unluckily for us, she has vowed to marry no man who cannot jump on foot over the seven hedges made of spears, and across the seven great ditches that surround her house. This cannot be done. Babamah! I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of Rajahs have tried to do it, and died in the attempt! Yet the Princess will not break her vow. Daily, worse and worse tidings come from the city, of fresh people having been killed in trying to jump the seven hedges and seven ditches, and I see no end to the misfortunes that will arise from it. Not only are so many brave men lost to the world, but, since the Princess will marry no one who does not succeed in this, she stands a chance of not marrying at all; and if that be so, when the Rajah dies there will be no one to protect her and claim the right to succeed to the throne. All the nobles will probably fight for the Raj, and the whole kingdom be turned topsy-turvy.'

'Mai,' said the Rajah, 'if that is all, I will try and win your Princess, for I can jump right well.'

'Baba,' answered the Malee's wife, 'do not think of such a thing are you mad? I tell you, hundreds of thousands of men have said these words before, and been killed in their rashness. What power do you think you possess to succeed where all before you have failed? Give up all thought of this, for it is utter folly!'

'I will not do it,' answered the Rajah, 'before going to consult some of my friends.'

So he left the Malee's cottage, and returned to the banyan-tree to talk over the matter with the parrots; for he thought they would be able to carry him on their wings across the seven ditches and seven hedges made of spears. When he reached the tree the old parrot said to him, 'It is two days since you left us; what news have you brought from the village?' The Rajah answered, 'The Panch-Phul Ranee still lives in the house surrounded by the seven ditches and seven hedges made of spears, and has vowed to marry no man who cannot jump over them; but cannot you parrots, who brought me all the way across the seven seas, carry me on your wings across these great barriers?'

'You stupid man,' answered the old parrot, 'of course we could; but what would be the good of doing so? If we carried you across, it would not be at all the same thing as your jumping