Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/114

 92 be a queen. The neighbour asked her to do her a good turn, seeing that she was now going to be so rich and noble, and to allow her and daughter to go in her company.

The day arrived for the departure, and they all embarked; the maiden and brother, the neighbour and the daughter. When they were sailing far at sea the neighbour gave the maiden a drink to poison her. As the maiden became very ill, the brother, anxious for her safety, every day came to inquire how she was getting on. One day the neighbour gave her such a quantity of poison in the beverage that the maiden remained like one dead. The brother, believing that she was dead, had her corpse, with much grief, thrown into the sea, as was the custom. After that he began to lament, saying that he was very wretched and unfortunate now, as in his sister were centred his only hopes of advancing in life. The wily neighbour, hearing this, advised him to pass off her daughter as his sister to the king, and take her to the palace to present her. The brother replied, that the difficulty did not consist in that, but that he feared the towel and comb would not act with her as with his sister. They tested the girl, but no pearls or anything else ever fell when she made use of them. The neighbour then said that it was not to be expected that they would work there, but the moment they were in presence of the king the towel and comb would without a doubt work the miracle. They reached the said land, and they all three directed their steps to the palace. The young sailor presented his neighbour's daughter, the towel, and the comb to the king, saying she was his sister. The king ordered her at once to use the towel, but nothing fell. She combed herself with the comb, but instead of pearls, scurf fell from her head. The king being very angry, said to the sailor, "Then, you have deceived me. Now you must go to prison, and afterwards you shall be put to death." Just at this interval, a servant who had gone to the beach with his net to catch a fish for his majesty's