rope.  This he did and the girl was able to carry the sticks home on her head.  Defeated in this attempt the sisters-in-law the next day told the girl to go to a field of pulse which had been sown the day before and bring back all the grain by the evening.  The girl went to the field and picked up a few grains but it had been sown broadcast and the girl soon saw that the task was hopeless:  she sat down and cried and as she cried a flock of pigeons flew to her and asked her what was the matter:  she said that she could not pick up all the grain in the field.  They said that that was easily managed, and the pigeons spreading over the field soon picked up all the grain and put it into the girl’s basket, so that by evening she returned with the basket full.  The sisters-in-law were more than ever enraged.  They gave her a pot and told her that she must go to the jungle and bring it back full of bear’s milk.  The girl went to the jungle and being very frightened sat down and began to cry:  a large she bear came by and asked what was the matter.  The girl explained and the she bear, sorry for her distress willingly allowed herself to be milked without doing the girl any harm.  The sisters-in-law then resolved to make a more direct attempt on the girl’s life.  They took her into the jungle and told her to climb a certain tree and pick them the fruit.  The tree had a tall smooth trunk and the girl had to climb the tree by driving pegs into the trunk.  When she reached the branches the sisters-in-law pulled the pegs out of the tree and went home leaving the girl to starve.  Night came on and the girl stayed in the tree:  it so happened that that day the six brothers were returning home and being benighted stopped to sleep under that very tree.  The girl thought that they were dacoits and stayed still.  She could not help crying in her despair and a warm tear fell on the face of one the brothers sleeping below and woke him up.  He looked, up and recognized his sister.  The brothers soon rescued her and when they heard of the cruelty of their wives they went home and put them all to death.

(13)—­The False Rani.

Once upon a time a Raja who had just married was returning with his bride to his kingdom.  It was hot weather and a long journey and as they passed through a jungle the Raja and all his men went down to a stream to drink leaving the bride sitting in her palki.  As the bride thus sat all alone she was frightened at seeing a she-bear come up.  The bear asked the bride who she was and where she was going.  When she heard, she thought that she would like to share so agreeable a fate, so by threats she made the Rani get out of her palki and give her all her fine clothes and jewellery and go away into the jungle.  The bear dressing herself in the Rani’s clothes, got into the palki, and when the men came back they took up the palki and went on their way without noticing any change, nor did the Raja detect the fraud:  he took the