Page:Tales of the Punjab.pdf/161

Rh broad their ships, prepared to kill him.However he begged and prayed them so hard to wait till evening, on the chance of a breeze coming up, that they consented to wait till sunset.Then, when none came, the Prince took a knife and made a tiny cut on his little finger.As the first ship filled with wind, and she glided swiftly out of harbour; at the second drop, the second ship did likewise, and so on till the whole fleet were sailing before a strong breeze.

The merchants were enchanted at having such a valuable possession as the Prince, who could thus compel the winds, and took the very greatest care of him; before long he was a great favourite with them all, for he was really an amiable young man.At length they arrived at another city, which happened to be the very one where the Prince's brother had been elected King by the elephant, and while the merchants went into the town to transact business, they left the Prince to watch over the vessels.Now, growing weary of watching, the Prince, to amuse himself, began with the clay on the shore beside him, to make a model from memory of his father's palace.Growing interested in his work, he worked away till he had made the most beautiful thing imaginable.There was the garden full of flowers, the King on his throne, the courtiers sitting round,even the Prince learning in school, and the pigeons fluttering about the tower.When it was quite finished, the poor young Prince could not help the tears coming into his eyes, as he looked at it, and he sighed to think of past days.

Just at that very moment the Prince Minister's