The Olive Fairy Book

the other a Mohammedan badshah, they were not good friends at all. In order, however, to escape continual quarrels, the rajah and the badshah had drawn up an agreement, s

orning’s work over the affairs of the kingdom, and the badshah had taken up a pen and was cuttin

the king, ‘I’ve cut th

aring!’ said the

rtunes of others, and in mine also? Take him away, my guards, and put

owards the narrow doorway, through which unhappy criminals were wont to be led to prison or execution. As the doo

rascal?’ shoute

of the gaolers. And at his words, the king star

not only for the misfortunes of others, but for

finger with cool and healing ointment, and soothed the pain, he could not soothe the soreness of the king’

iercely that they were glad to leave him. So away and away he wandered, over field and through forest, so moody and thoughtful that many a fat buck and gaudy pheasant escaped without notice, and so careless was he whither he was going that he strayed without perceiving it over into the rajah’s territory, and only discovered the fact when

l about everything, and what days were lucky and what unlucky — and, whilst all the rest of the rajah’s councillors were offering him different advice until he was nearly crazy with anger and in

ah anxiously, ‘what

day! The god Devi is full of wrath, and commands that to-morrow you m

I leave it to you to carry out the sentence.’

ingers chanted chants, hundreds of priests, well washed and anointed, performed their sacred rites, whilst the rajah sat, nervous and ill at ease, amongst hundreds of court

bit of rag. Instantly he dropped the sword, and, with his eyes starting out of his head with excitement, pounced upon the rag and tore it off, and there h

p of his finger is gone! A sacrifice is no sacrifice unless it

nyone else I should not have minded; but, somehow — a king and all — well, it doesn’t seem quite right to sacrifice a king.’ And wi

ir kingdoms, where, amidst salutes and great rejoicings, they tore up the old agreement and drew up another in which each king promised welcome and safe conduct

that very evening he sen

man had been brought before him, ‘wha

now what is happening outs

his adventures. And when he

y escape, to pardon you freely, if you will tell me wh

for you that you did cut off the tip of your finger, for otherwise you would certainly hav

as if to make quite certain that it was still there, ‘but yet

d I known that my being in prison was to prevent the god Devi claiming me instead

tory.)