Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 686 pages of information about Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12).

Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12) eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 686 pages of information about Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12).

The Prince was very sorry when he heard this.  “How can I crush the oil out of all this mustard seed in one day?” he said to himself; “and if I do not, the King will kill me.”  He took the mustard seed to the old woman’s house, and did not know what to do.  At last he remembered the Ant-Rajah, and the moment he did so, the Ant-Rajah and his ants came to him.  “Why do you look so sad?” said the Ant-Rajah.

The Prince showed him the mustard seed, and said to him, “How can I crush the oil out of all this mustard seed in one day?  And if I do not take the oil to the King to-morrow morning, he will kill me.”

“Be happy,” said the Ant-Rajah; “lie down and sleep; we will crush all the oil out for you during the day, and to-morrow morning you shall take it to the King.”  The Rajah’s son lay down and slept, and the ants crushed out the oil for him.  The Prince was very glad when he saw the oil.

The next morning he took it to the court-house to the King.  But the King said, “You cannot yet marry my daughter.  If you wish to do so, you must fight with my two demons, and kill them.”  The King a long time ago had caught two demons, and then, as he did not know what to do with them, he had shut them up in a cage.  He was afraid to let them loose for fear they would eat up all the people in his country; and he did not know how to kill them.  So all the Rajahs and Rajahs’ sons who wanted to marry the Princess Labam had to fight with these demons; “for,” said the King to himself, “perhaps the demons may be killed, and then I shall be rid of them.”

When he heard of the demons the Rajah’s son was very sad.  “What can I do?” he said to himself.  “How can I fight with these two demons?” Then he thought of his tiger:  and the tiger and his wife came to him and said, “Why are you so sad?” The Rajah’s son answered, “The King has ordered me to fight with his two demons and kill them.  How can I do this?” “Do not be frightened,” said the tiger.  “Be happy.  I and my wife will fight with them for you.”

Then the Rajah’s son took out of his bag two splendid coats.  They were all gold and silver, and covered with pearls and diamonds.  These he put on the tigers to make them beautiful, and he took them to the King, and said to him, “May these tigers fight your demons for me?” “Yes,” said the King, who did not care in the least who killed his demons, provided they were killed.  “Then call your demons,” said the Rajah’s son, “and these tigers will fight them.”  The King did so, and the tigers and the demons fought and fought until the tigers had killed the demons.

“That is good,” said the King.  “But you must do something else before I give you my daughter.  Up in the sky I have a kettle-drum.  You must go and beat it.  If you cannot do this, I will kill you.”

The Rajah’s son thought of his little bed; so he went to the old woman’s house and sat on his bed.  “Little bed,” he said, “up in the sky is the King’s kettle-drum.  I want to go to it.”  The bed flew up with him, and the Rajah’s son beat the drum, and the King heard him.  Still, when he came down, the King would not give him his daughter.  “You have,” he said to the Prince, “done the three things I told you to do; but you must do one thing more.”  “If I can, I will,” said the Rajah’s son.

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Young Folks Treasury, Volume 2 (of 12) from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.