Page:Sagas from the Far East; or, Kalmouk and Mongolian traditionary tales.djvu/36

12 night in this elephant-stable of the palace hard by, and there shall our son be born; and in the morning, the elephant-tamers finding thee shall bring thee to my mother and my chief wife. But thou, take the jewel and give it to the chief wife and send her away to her own people. Then shall my mother have joy in thee alone and in the child, and you two together shall direct the Government till he be come to man's estate." Thus spoke the Khan.

While he spoke these words, the wife was so stricken with fear and grief that she fell to the ground senseless, nor knew that he bore her into the elephant-stable, and went up to the deva's kingdom.

In the night their son was born; and in the morning, the elephant-tamers coming in, said, "Here is a woman and a babe lying in the elephant-stable; this must not be, who knows but that it might bring evil to the elephants?" so they raised her up, with her infant, and took her to the Khan's mother. Then she told the Khan's mother all that had befallen her, and as the jewel was found in the place the Khan had told her, it was taken for proof of her truth. Accordingly, the jewel was given to the chief wife, and she was dismissed to her own people; and as the Khan had left no other child, the boy born in the elephant-stable was declared heir, and his mother and the Khan's mother directed the Government together till he should come to man's estate.