Brat A Novel Gabriel Smith download

https://ebookbell.com/product/brat-a-novel-gabriel-smith-57593464

Explore and download more ebooks at ebookbell.com

Here are some recommended products that we believe you will be
interested in. You can click the link to download.

Say Nothing A Novel Brad Parks Parks Brad

https://ebookbell.com/product/say-nothing-a-novel-brad-parks-parks-
brad-22901826

Cactus Jack A Novel Brad Smith

https://ebookbell.com/product/cactus-jack-a-novel-brad-smith-46290386

Magicians Impossible A Novel Brad Abraham Abraham Brad

https://ebookbell.com/product/magicians-impossible-a-novel-brad-
abraham-abraham-brad-35385064

Miss Jane A Novel Brad Watson

https://ebookbell.com/product/miss-jane-a-novel-brad-watson-37599662
The Shards A Novel Bret Easton Ellis

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-shards-a-novel-bret-easton-
ellis-48370206

The Shards A Novel Bret Easton Ellis

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-shards-a-novel-bret-easton-
ellis-50231400

The Shards A Novel Bret Easton Ellis

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-shards-a-novel-bret-easton-
ellis-48337746

The Last Act A Novel Brad Parks Parks Brad

https://ebookbell.com/product/the-last-act-a-novel-brad-parks-parks-
brad-22896910

Closer Than You Know A Novel Brad Parks Parks Brad

https://ebookbell.com/product/closer-than-you-know-a-novel-brad-parks-
parks-brad-32833974
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
was right in following her husband. And Trusty was their son, and
like them. For the cloth is always like the threads. But the king has a
right to use his subjects' lives to save his own. So when Shudraka
gave his life for them, he proved himself the best of all."
When the goblin heard this, he jumped from the king's shoulder and
went back to his home without being seen. And the king was not
disturbed by this magic, but started back through the night to catch
him.
 FIFTH GOBLIN
The Brave Man, the Wise Man, and the Clever Man.
To which should the girl be given?

T
hen King Triple-victory went back to the sissoo tree and saw the
body with the goblin in it hanging there just as before. He took
it down without being frightened by all its twistings and
writhings, and quickly set out again. And as he walked along in
silence as before, the goblin said: "O King, you are obstinate, and
you are pleasing to look at. So to amuse you, I will tell another
story. Listen."

There is a city called Ujjain, famous throughout the world. There

lived a king named Merit, who had as counsellor a Brahman named
Hariswami, adorned with all noble virtues. The counsellor had a
worthy wife, and a son named Devaswami was born to her, and was
as good as she. And they had one daughter named Moonlight, who
was worthy of her name, for she was famous for her matchless
beauty and charm.
When the girl had grown out of childhood, she was proud of her
wonderful beauty, and she told her mother, her father, and her
brother: "I will marry a brave man or a wise man or a clever man. I
should die if I were married to anyone else."
Now while her father was busy looking for such a husband for her,
he was sent by King Merit to another king in the southern country to
make a treaty for war and peace. When he had finished his
business, a Brahman youth, who had heard of his daughter's beauty,
came and asked him for her.
And he said: "My daughter will not marry anyone unless he is a
clever man or a wise man or a brave man. Which of these are you?
Tell me." And the Brahman said: "I am a clever man." "Show me,"
said the father, and the clever man made a flying chariot by his skill.
Then he took Hariswami in this magic chariot, and carried him to the
sky. And he took the delighted father to the camp of the king of the
southern country where he had been on business. Then Hariswami
appointed the marriage for the seventh day.
At this time another Brahman youth in Ujjain came to the girl's
brother and asked him for her. And when he was told that she would
marry only a wise man or a clever man or a brave man, he said he
was a brave man. Then when he had shown his skill with weapons,
the brother promised his sister to the brave man. And without telling
his mother, he consulted the star-gazers and appointed the marriage
for the seventh day.
At the same time a third Brahman youth came to the girl's mother
and asked for the girl. And the mother said: "My son, a wise man or
a clever man or a brave man shall marry my daughter, but no one
else. Which of these are you? Tell me." And he said: "I am a wise
man." So she asked him about the past and the future, and found
that he was a wise man. Then she promised to give him her
daughter on the seventh day.
The next day Hariswami came home and told his wife and his son all
that he had done. And she and he each told him all that she or he
had done. So Hariswami was greatly perplexed, because three
bridegrooms had been invited. Then the seventh day came and the
three bridegrooms came to Hariswami's house.
Strange to say, at that moment Moonlight disappeared. Then the
wise man said: "A giant named Smoke-tail has carried her to his den
in the Vindhya forest."
When Hariswami heard this from the wise man, he was frightened
and asked the clever man to find a remedy for the trouble. And the
clever man made a chariot as before, full of all kinds of weapons,
and brought Hariswami with the wise man and the brave man in a
moment to the Vindhya forest. And the wise man showed them the
giant's den.
When the giant saw what had happened, he came out in anger, and
the brave man fought with him. Then came a famous duel with
strange weapons between a man and a giant for the sake of a
woman, like the ancient fight between Rama and Ravana. Though
the giant was a terrible fighter, the brave man presently cut off his
head with an arrow shaped like a half-moon. When the giant was
killed, they found Moonlight in the den and all went back to Ujjain in
the clever man's chariot.
 The giant came out in anger and the brave man fought with him.

Then when the proper time for the wedding came, there arose a
great dispute among the three in Hariswami's house.
The wise man said: "If I had not discovered her by my wisdom, how
could you have found her hiding-place? She should be given to me."
The clever man said: "If I had not made a flying chariot, how could
you have gone there in a moment and come back like the gods, or
how could you have had a chariot-fight with him? She should be
given to me."
The brave man said: "If I had not killed the giant in the fight, who
would have saved her in spite of all your pains? The girl should be
given to me."
And as they quarrelled, Hariswami stood silent, confused, and
perplexed.

When the goblin had told this story, he said to the king: "O King, do
you say to which of them she should be given. If you know and will
not tell, then your head will split into a hundred pieces."
Then the king broke silence and said: "She should be given to the
brave man, who risked his life and killed the giant and saved the girl.
The wise man and the clever man were only helpers whom Fate
gave him. A star-gazer and a chariot-maker work for other people,
do they not?"
When the goblin heard this answer, he suddenly escaped from the
king's shoulder and went back. And the king determined to get him,
and went again to the sissoo tree.
 SIXTH GOBLIN
The Girl who transposed the Heads of her Husband
and Brother. Which combination of head and body is
her husband?

T
hen the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
shoulder as before, and started in silence toward the monk. And
the goblin said to him: "O King, you are wise and good, so I am
pleased with you. To amuse you, therefore, I will tell you another
story with a puzzle in it. Listen."

Long ago there was a king named Glory-banner in the world. His city
was named Beautiful. And in this city was a splendid temple to the
goddess Gauri. And to the right of the temple was a lake called Bath
of Gauri. And on a certain day in each year a great crowd of people
came there on a pilgrimage from all directions to bathe.
One day a laundryman named White came there from another
village to bathe. And the youth saw a maiden who had also come
there to bathe. Her name was Lovely, and her father's name was
Clean-cloth. She robbed the moon of its beauty and White of his
heart. So he inquired about her name and family and went home
lovesick.
When he got there, he was ill and could not eat without her. And
when his mother asked him, he told her what was in his heart, but
did not change his habits. But she went and told her husband,
whose name was Spotless.
So Spotless went and saw how his son was acting, and said: "My
son, why should you be downcast? Your desire is not hard to obtain.
For if I ask Clean-cloth, he will surely give you his daughter. We are
not inferior to him in birth, wealth, or social position. I know him and
he knows me. So there is no difficulty about it." Thus Spotless
comforted his son, made him eat and take care of himself, went with
him the next day to Clean-cloth's house, and asked that the girl
might be given to his son White. And Clean-cloth graciously
promised to give her to him.
Then when the time came, Clean-cloth gave White his charming
daughter, a wife worthy of him. And when he was married, White
went happily to his father's house with his sweet bride.
Now as he lived there happily, Lovely's brother came to visit. And
when they had all asked him about his health and his sister had
greeted him with a kiss, and after he had rested, he said: "My father
sent me to invite Lovely and White to a festival in our house." And
all the relatives said it was a good plan and entertained him that day
with appropriate things to drink and eat.
The next morning White set out for his father-in-law's house,
together with his brother-in-law and Lovely. And when he came to
the city Beautiful, he saw the great temple of Gauri. And he said to
Lovely and her brother: "We will see this goddess. I will go first and
you two stay here." So White went in to see the goddess. He
entered the temple and bowed before the goddess whose eighteen
arms had killed the horrible demons, whose lotus-feet were set upon
a giant that she had crushed.
And when he had worshipped her, an idea suddenly came to him.
"People honour this goddess with all kinds of living sacrifices. Why
should I not win her favour by sacrificing myself?" And he fetched a
sword from a deserted inner room, cut off his own head, and let it
fall on the floor.
Presently his brother-in-law entered the temple to see why he
delayed so long. And when he saw his brother-in-law with his head
cut off, he went mad with grief, and cut off his own head in the
same way with the same sword.
Then when he failed to come out, Lovely was alarmed and entered
the temple. And when she saw her husband and her brother in that
condition, she cried: "Alas! This is the end of me!" and fell weeping
to the floor. But presently she rose, lamenting for the pair so
unexpectedly dead, and thought: "What is my life good for now?"
Before killing herself, she prayed to the goddess: "O Goddess! One
only deity of happiness and character! Partaker of the life of Shiva!
Refuge of all women-folk! Destroyer of grief! Why have you killed my
husband and my brother at one fell swoop? It was not right, for I
was always devoted to you. Then be my refuge when I pray to you,
and hear my one pitiful prayer. I shall leave this wretched body of
mine on this spot, but in every future life of mine, O Goddess, may I
have the same husband and brother." Thus she prayed, praised, and
worshipped the goddess, then tied a rope to an ashoka tree which
grew there.
 "Do nothing rash, my daughter, leave the rope alone."

But while she was arranging the rope about her neck, a voice from
heaven cried: "Do nothing rash, my daughter. Leave the rope alone.
Though you are young, I am pleased with your unusual goodness.
Place the two heads on the two bodies and they shall rise up again
and live through my favour."
So Lovely left the rope alone and joyfully went to the bodies. But in
her great hurry and confusion she made a mistake. She put her
husband's head on her brother's body and her brother's head on her
husband's body. Then they arose, sound and well, like men awaking
from a dream. And they were all delighted to hear one another's
adventures, worshipped the goddess, and went on their way.
Now as she walked along, Lovely noticed that she had made a
mistake in their heads. And she was troubled and did not know what
to do.

When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King,
when they were mingled in this way, which should be her husband?
If you know and do not tell, then the curse I spoke of will be
fulfilled."
And the king said to the goblin: "The body with the husband's head
on it is her husband. For the head is the most important member. It
is by the head that we recognize people."
Then the goblin slipped from the king's shoulder as before, and
quickly disappeared. And the king went back, determined to catch
him.
 SEVENTH GOBLIN
The Mutual Services of King Fierce-lion and Prince
Good. Which is the more deserving?

T
hen the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
shoulder as before, and started. And as he walked along, the
goblin said: "O King, I will tell you a story to amuse your
weariness. Listen."

On the shore of the Eastern Ocean is Copper City. There a king

named Fierce-lion lived. He turned his back to other men's wives,
but not to fighting men. He destroyed his enemies, but not other
men's wealth.
One day a popular prince named Good came from the south to the
king's gate. He introduced himself, but did not get what he wanted
from the king. And he thought: "If I am born a prince, why am I so
poor? And if I am to be poor, why did God give me so many desires?
For this king pays no attention to me, though I wait upon him and
grow weary and faint with hunger."
While he was thinking, the king went hunting. He went with many
horsemen and footmen, and the prince ran along in the dress of a
pilgrim with a club in his hand. And during the hunt the king chased
a great boar a long distance, and so came into another forest. There
he lost sight of the boar, for the trail was covered with leaves and
grass. And the king was tired and lost his way in the forest. Only the
pilgrim-prince thought nothing of his life, and hungry and thirsty as
he was, he followed on foot the king who rode a swift horse.
And when the king saw him following, he spoke lovingly: "My good
man, do you perhaps know the way we came?"
And the pilgrim bowed low and said: "I know, your Majesty. But first
rest yourself a moment. The blazing sun, the middle jewel in the
girdle of heaven's bride, is terribly hot." Then the king said eagerly:
"See if there is water anywhere."
And the pilgrim agreed and climbed a high tree and looked around.
And he saw a river and climbed down and took the king to it. He
unsaddled the horse, gave him water and grass, and let him rest.
And when the king had bathed, the pilgrim took two fine mangoes
from his skirt, washed them and gave them to the king.
"Where did you get these?" asked the king, and the pilgrim bowed
and said: "Your Majesty, I have lived on such food for ten years.
While I was serving your Majesty, I had to live like a monk." And the
king said: "What can I say? You deserve your name of Good." And
he was filled with pity and shame, and thought: "A curse on kings,
who do not know whether their servants are happy or not! And a
curse on their attendants, who do not tell them this and that!" And
when the pilgrim insisted, the king was prevailed on to take the two
mangoes. He rested there with the pilgrim and ate the mangoes and
drank water with the pilgrim, who was accustomed to eat mangoes
and drink water.
Then the pilgrim saddled the horse and went ahead to show the
way, and at last, at the king's command, mounted behind on the
horse; so the king found his soldiers and went safely home. And
when he got there, he proclaimed the devotion of the pilgrim, and
made him a rich man, but could not feel that he had paid his debt.
So Good stayed there happily with King Fierce-lion and stopped
living as a pilgrim.
One day the king sent Good to Ceylon to ask for the hand of the
daughter of the King of Ceylon. So he set out after sacrificing to the
proper god, and entered a ship with some Brahmans chosen by the
king. And when the ship had safely reached the middle of the ocean,
there suddenly arose from the waves a very large flag-pole made of
gold, with a top that touched the sky. It was adorned with waving
banners of various colours and was quite astonishing.
At the same moment the clouds gathered, it began to rain violently,
and a mighty wind blew. And the ship was driven by the storm winds
and caught on the flag-pole. Then the pole began to sink, dragging
the ship with it into the raging waves. And the Brahmans who were
there were overcome with fear and cursed the name of their king
Fierce-lion.

Good sank into the ocean, and when he looked about he saw a wonderful city.

But Good could not endure that because of his devotion to his king.
He took his sword in his hand, girt up his garment, and threw
himself after the flag-pole into the sea. He had no fear of the pole
which seemed a refuge from the ocean. Then as he sank, the ship
was battered by the winds and waves and broke up. And all in it fell
into the mouths of sharks.
But Good sank into the ocean, and when he looked about he saw a
wonderful city. There he entered a shrine to Gauri, tall as the
heavenly mountain, with great gem-sprinkled banners on walls made
of different kinds of jewels, in a golden temple blazing with jewelled
pillars, with a garden that had a pool, the stairs to which were made
of splendid gems. After he had bowed low and praised and
worshipped the goddess there, he sat down before her in
amazement, wondering if it was all a conjuror's trick.
Just then the door was suddenly opened by a heavenly maiden. Her
eyes were like lotuses, her face like the moon. She had a smile like a
flower and a body soft as lotus-stems. And a thousand women
waited upon her. She entered the shrine of the goddess and the
heart of Good at the same moment. And when she had worshipped
the goddess there, she went out from the shrine, but not from the
heart of Good.
She entered a circle of light, and Good followed her. And he saw
another splendid house, that seemed like a place of meeting for all
riches and all enjoyments. And he saw the girl sitting on a jewelled
couch, and he approached and sat beside her. He was like a man
painted in a picture, for his eyes were fastened on her face.
Now a servant of the maiden saw that his body was thrilled, that he
was intent upon the maiden, that he was in love. She understood his
feelings and said to him: "Sir, you are our guest. Enjoy the
hospitality of my mistress. Arise. Bathe. Eat." And he felt a little
hope at her words and went to a pool in the garden which she
showed him.
He plunged into the pool, and when he rose to the surface, he found
himself in the pool of King Fierce-lion in Copper City. And when he
saw that he had come there so suddenly, he thought: "Oh, what
does it mean? Where is that heavenly garden? What a difference
between the sight of that girl which was like nectar to me, and this
immediate separation from her which is like terrible poison! It was
no dream. I was awake when the serving-maid deceived me and
made a fool of me."
He was like a madman without the girl. He wandered in the garden
and mourned in a lovelorn way. He was surrounded by wind-blown
flower-pollen which seemed to him the yellow flames of separation.
And when the gardener saw him in this state, he went and told the
king.
And the king was troubled. He went himself to see Good, and asked
him soothingly: "What does this mean? Tell me, my friend. Where
did you go? And where did you come? And where did you stay? And
what did you fall into?"
Then Good told him the whole adventure. And the king thought:
"Ah, it is fortunate for me that this brave man is lovelorn. For now I
have a chance to pay my debt to him." So the king said to him: "My
friend, give over this vain grief. I will go with you by the same road,
and bring you to the heavenly maiden." So he comforted Good, and
made him take a bath.
The next day he transferred his royal duties to his counsellors and
entered a ship with Good. Good showed the way through the sea
and they saw the flag-pole with its banners rising as before in the
middle of the ocean. Then Good said to the king: "Your Majesty,
here is the magic flag-pole standing up. When I sink down there,
you must sink too along the flag-pole." So when they came near the
sinking pole, Good jumped first, and the king followed him.
They sank down and came to the heavenly city. And the king was
astonished, and after he had worshipped the goddess, he sat down
with Good. Then the girl, like Beauty personified, came out of the
circle of light with her friends. "There she is, the lovely creature,"
said Good, and the king thought: "He is quite right to love her." But
when she saw the king looking like a god, she wondered who the
strange and wonderful man might be, and entered the shrine to
worship the goddess.
But the king took Good and went into the garden to show how little
he cared about her. A moment later the girl came from the shrine;
she had been praying for a good husband. And she said to a girl
friend: "My friend, I wonder where I could see the man who was
here. Where is the great man? You girls must hunt for him and ask
him to be good enough to come and accept our hospitality. For he is
a wonderful man, and we must be polite to him."
So the girl found him in the garden and gave him her mistress'
message very respectfully. But the brave king spoke loftily to her:
"Your words are hospitality enough. Nothing else is necessary."
Now when her mistress had heard what he said, she thought he was
a noble character, better than anybody else. She was attracted by
the courage of the king in refusing a sort of hospitality which was
almost too much to offer a mere man, and thought about the
fulfilment of her prayer for a husband. So she went into the garden
herself. She drew near to the king and lovingly begged him to accept
her hospitality.
But the king pointed to Good and said: "My dear girl, he told me of
the goddess here, and I came to see her. And by following the flag-
pole I saw the goddess and her very marvellous temple. It was only
afterwards that I happened to see you."
Then the girl said: "O King, you may be interested in seeing a city
which is the wonder of the three worlds." And the king laughed and
said: "He told me about that, too. I believe there is a pool for
bathing there." And the girl said: "O King, do not say that. I am not
a deceitful girl. Why should I deceive an honourable man, especially
as your noble character has made me feel like a servant? Pray do
not refuse me."
So the king agreed and went with Good and the girl to the edge of
the circle of light. There a door opened and he entered and saw
another heavenly city like a second hill of heaven; for it was built of
gems and gold, and the flowers and fruits of every season grew
there at the same time.
And the princess seated the king on a splendid throne and brought
him gifts and said: "Your Majesty, I am the daughter of the great
god Black-wheel. But Vishnu sent my father to heaven. And I
inherited these two magic cities where one has everything he wants.
There is no old age or death to trouble us here. And now you are in
the place of my father to rule over the cities and over me." So she
offered him herself and all she had. But the king said: "In that case
you are my daughter and I give you in marriage to my brave friend
Good."
In the king's words she saw the fulfilment of her prayer, and being
sensible and modest, she agreed. So the king married them and
gave all the magic wealth to happy Good, and said: "My friend, I
have paid you now for one of the two mangoes which I ate. But I
remain in your debt for the second."
Then he asked the princess how he could get back to his city. And
she gave the king a sword called Invincible, and the magic fruit
which wards off birth, old age, and death. And the king took the
sword and the fruit, plunged into the pool which she showed him,
and came up in his own country, feeling completely successful. But
Good ruled happily over the kingdom of the princess.
When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King,
which of these two deserves more credit for plunging into the sea?"
And the king was afraid of the curse, so he gave a true answer:
"Good seems to me the more deserving, for he did not know the
truth beforehand, but plunged without hope into the sea, while the
king knew the truth when he jumped."
And as soon as the king broke silence, the goblin slipped from his
shoulder as before without being seen and went to the sissoo tree.
And the king tried as before to catch him. Brave men do not waver
until they have finished what they have begun.
 EIGHTH GOBLIN
The Specialist in Food, the Specialist in Women, and
the Specialist in Cotton. Which is the cleverest?

S
o the king went back under the sissoo tree, caught the goblin
just as before, put him on his shoulder, and started toward the
monk. And as he walked along, the goblin on his shoulder spoke
and said: "O King, listen once more to the following story to beguile
your weariness."

In the Anga country there is a great region called Forest. There lived
a great Brahman, pious and wealthy, whose name was Vishnuswami.
To his worthy wife three sons were born, one after another. When
they had grown to be young men, specialists in matters of luxury,
they were sent one day by their father to find a turtle for a sacrifice
which he had begun.
So the brothers went to the ocean and there they found a turtle.
Then the eldest said to the two younger: "One of you take this turtle
for Father's sacrifice. I cannot carry a slimy thing that smells raw."
But when the eldest said this, the two younger said: "Sir, if you feel
disgust, why shouldn't we?"
When the eldest heard this, he said: "You take the turtle, otherwise
Father's sacrifice will be ruined on your account. Then you and
Father too will surely go to hell."
When they heard him, the two younger brothers laughed and said:
"Sir, you seem to know our common duty, but not your own."
Then the eldest said: "What! Are you not aware that I am a
connoisseur in food? For I am a specialist in foods. How can I touch
this loathsome thing?"
When he heard these words, the second brother said: "But I am
even more of a connoisseur. I am a specialist in women. So how can
I touch it?"
After this speech, the eldest said to the youngest: "Do you then,
being younger than we, carry the turtle."
Then the youngest frowned and said to them: "Fools! I am a great
specialist in cotton."
So the three brothers quarrelled, and arrogantly leaving the turtle
behind them, they went to have the matter decided at Pinnacle, the
capital of a king called Conqueror. When they came there, and had
been announced and introduced by the door-keeper, they told their
story to the king. And when the king had heard all, he said: "Stay
here. I will examine you one after another." So they agreed and all
stayed there.
Then the king invited them in at his own dinner hour, seated them
on magnificent seats, and set before them sweet dishes of six
flavours, fit for a king. While all the rest ate, one of the Brahmans,
the specialist in food, disgustedly shook his head and refused to eat.
And when the king himself asked him why he would not eat food
that was sweet and savoury, he respectfully replied: "Your Majesty,
in this food there is the odour of smoke from a burning corpse.
Therefore, I do not wish to eat it, however sweet it may be."
Then at the king's command all the rest smelt of it and declared it
the best of winter rice, and perfectly sweet. But the food-critic held
his nose and would not touch it. Now when the king reflected and
made a careful investigation, he learned from the commissioners
that the dish was made of rice grown near a village crematory. Then
he was greatly astonished and pleased, and said: "Brahman, you are
certainly a judge of food. Pray take something else."
After dinner the king dismissed them to their rooms, and sent for the
most beautiful woman of his court. And at night he sent this lovely
creature, all adorned, to the second brother, the specialist in women.
She came with a servant of the king to his chamber, and when she
entered, she seemed to illuminate the room. But the judge of
women almost fainted, and stopping his nose with his left hand, he
said to his servants: "Take her away! If not, I shall die. A goaty smell
issues from her."
So the servants, in distress and astonishment, conducted her to the
king and told him what had happened. Then the king sent for the
specialist in women, and said: "Brahman, she has anointed herself
with sandal, camphor, and aloes, so that a delightful perfume
pervades her neighbourhood. How could this woman have a goaty
smell?" But in spite of this the specialist in women would not yield.
And when the king endeavoured to learn the truth, he heard from
her own lips that in her infancy she had been separated from her
mother and had been brought up on goat's milk. Then the king was
greatly astonished and loudly praised the critical judgment of the
specialist in women.
 The brothers went to the ocean, and there they found a turtle.

Quickly he had a couch prepared for the third brother, the specialist
in cotton. So the critic of cotton went to sleep on a bed with seven
quilts over the frame and covered with a pure, soft coverlet. When
only a half of the first watch of the night was gone, he suddenly
started from the bed, shouting and writhing with pain, his hand
pressed to his side. And the king's men who were stationed there
saw the curly red outline of a hair deeply imprinted on his side.
They went at once and informed the king, who said to them: "See
whether there is anything under the quilts or not." So they went and
searched under each quilt, and under the last they found one hair,
which they immediately took and showed to the king. And the king
summoned the specialist in cotton, and finding the mark exactly
corresponding to the hair, was filled with extreme astonishment. And
he spent that night wondering how the hair could sink into his body
through seven quilts.
Now when the king arose in the morning, he was delighted with
their marvellous critical judgment and sensitiveness, so that he gave
each of the three specialists a hundred thousand gold-pieces. And
they were contented and stayed there, forgetting all about the
turtle, and thus incurring a crime through the failure of their father's
sacrifice.

When he had told this remarkable story, the goblin on the king's
shoulder said: "O King, remember the curse I spoke of and declare
which of these three was the cleverest."
When he heard this, the wise king answered the goblin: "Without
doubt I regard the specialist in cotton as the cleverest, on whose
body the imprint of the hair was seen to appear visibly. The other
two might possibly have found out beforehand."
When the king had said this, the goblin slipped from his shoulder as
before. And the king went back under the sissoo tree again to fetch
him.
 NINTH GOBLIN
The Four Scientific Suitors. To which should the girl
be given?

T
hen the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
shoulder, and started. And the goblin spoke to him again: "O
King, why do you go to such pains in this cemetery at night? Do
you not see the home of the ghosts, full of dreadful creatures,
terrible in the night, wrapped in darkness as in smoke? Why do you
work so hard and grow weary for the sake of that monk? Well, to
amuse the journey, listen to a puzzle which I will tell you."

In the Avanti country is a city built by the gods at the beginning of

time, adorned with wonderful wealth and opportunities for
enjoyment. In the earliest age it was called Lotus City, then Pleasure
City, then Golden City, and now it is called Ujjain. There lived a king
named Heroic. And his queen was named Lotus.
One day the king went with her to the sacred Ganges river and
prayed to Shiva that he might have children. And after long prayer
he heard a voice from heaven, for Shiva was at last pleased with his
devotion: "O King, there shall be born to you a brave son to continue
your dynasty, and a daughter more beautiful than the nymphs of
heaven."
When he heard the heavenly voice, the king was delighted at the
fulfilment of his wishes, and went back to his city with the queen.
And first Queen Lotus bore a son called Brave, and then a daughter
named Grace who put the god of love to shame.
When the girl grew up, the king sought for a suitable husband for
her, and invited all the neighbouring princes by letter, but not one of
them seemed good enough for her. So the king tenderly said to his
daughter: "My dear, I do not see a husband worthy of you, so I will
summon all the kings hither, and you shall choose." But the princess
said: "My dear father, such a choice would be very embarrassing. I
would rather not. Just marry me to any good-looking young man,
who understands a single science from beginning to end. I wish
nothing more nor less than that."

"I understand the cries of all beasts and birds."

Now while the king was looking for such a husband, four brave,
good-looking, scientific men from the south heard of the matter and
came to him. And when they had been hospitably received, each
explained his own science to the king.
The first said: "I am a working-man, and my name is Five-cloth. I
make five splendid suits of clothes a day. One I give to some god
and one to a Brahman. One I wear myself, and one I shall give to
my wife when I have one. The fifth I sell, to buy food and things.
This is my science. Pray give me Grace."
The second said: "I am a farmer, and my name is Linguist. I
understand the cries of all beasts and birds. Pray give me the
princess."
The third said: "I am a strong-armed soldier, and my name is
Swordsman. I have no rival on earth in the science of
swordsmanship. O King, pray give me your daughter."
The fourth said: "O King, I am a Brahman, and my name is Life. I
possess a wonderful science. For if dead creatures are brought to
me, I can quickly restore them to life. Let your daughter find a
husband in a man who has such heroic skill."
When they had spoken, and the king had seen that they all had
wonderful garments and personal beauty, he and his daughter
swung in doubt.

When the goblin had told this story, he said to the king: "Remember
the curse I mentioned, and tell me to which of them the girl should
be given."
And the king said to the goblin: "Sir, you are merely trying to gain
time by making me break silence. There is no puzzle about that.
How could a warrior's daughter be given to a working-man, a
weaver? Or to a farmer, either? And as to his knowledge of the
speech of beasts and birds, of what practical use is it? And what
good is a Brahman who neglects his own affairs and turns magician,
despising real courage? Of course she should be given to the warrior
Swordsman who had some manhood with his science."
When the goblin heard this, he escaped by magic from the king's
shoulder, and disappeared. And the king followed him as before.
Discouragement never enters the brave heart of a resolute man.
 TENTH GOBLIN
The Three Delicate Wives of King Virtue-banner.
Which is the most delicate?

T
hen the king went to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
shoulder once more, and started toward the monk. And as he
walked along, the goblin on his shoulder said: "O King, I will tell
you a strange story to relieve your weariness. Listen."

There once was a king in Ujjain, whose name was Virtue-banner. He

had three princesses as wives, and loved them dearly. One of them
was named Crescent, the second Star, and the third Moon. While the
king lived happily with his wives, he conquered all his enemies, and
was content.
One day at the time of the spring festival, the king went to the
garden to play with his three wives. There he looked at the flower-
laden vines with black rows of bees on them; they seemed like the
bow of the god of love, all ready for service. He heard the songs of
nightingales in the trees; they sounded like commands of Love. And
with his wives he drank wine which seemed like Love's very life-
blood.
Then the king playfully pulled the hair of Queen Crescent, and a
lotus-petal fell from her hair into her lap. And the queen was so
delicate that it wounded her, and she screamed and fainted. And the
king was distracted, but when servants sprinkled her with cool water
and fanned her, she gradually recovered consciousness. And the king
took her to the palace and waited upon his dear wife with a hundred
remedies which the physicians brought.
And when the king saw that she was made comfortable for the
night, he went to the palace balcony with his second wife Star. Now
while she slept on the king's breast, the moonbeams found their way
through the window and fell upon her. And she awoke in a moment,
and started up, crying "I am burned!" Then the king awoke and
anxiously asked what the matter was, and he saw great blisters on
her body. When he asked her about it, Queen Star said: "The
moonbeams that fell on me did it." And the king was distracted
when he saw how she wept and suffered. He called the servants and
they made a couch of moist lotus-leaves, and dressed her wounds
with damp sandal-paste.
 She gradually recovered consciousness.

At that moment the third queen, Moon, left her room to go to the
king. And as she moved through the noiseless night, she clearly
heard in a distant part of the palace the sound of pestles grinding
grain. And she cried: "Oh, oh! It will kill me!" She wrung her hands
and sat down in agony in the hall. But her servants returned and led
her to her room, where she took to her bed and wept. And when the
servants asked what the matter was, she tearfully showed her hands
with bruises on them, like two lilies with black bees clinging to them.
So they went and told the king. And he came in great distress, and
asked his dear wife about it. She showed her hands and spoke,
though she suffered: "My dear, when I heard the sound of the
pestles, these bruises came." Then the king made them give her a
cooling plaster of sandal-paste and other things.
And the king thought: "One of them was wounded by a falling lotus-
petal. The second was burned by the moonbeams. The third had her
hands terribly bruised by the sound of pestles. I love them dearly,
but alas! The very delicacy which is so great a virtue, is positively
inconvenient."
And he wandered about in the palace, and it seemed as if the night
had three hundred hours. But in the morning the king and his skilful
physicians took such measures that before long his wives were well
and he was happy.

When he had told this story, the goblin asked: "O King, which of
them was the most delicate?" And the king said: "The one who was
bruised by the mere sound of the pestles, when nothing touched
her. The other two who were wounded or blistered by actual contact
with lotus-petals or moonbeams, are not equal to her."
When the goblin heard this, he went back, and the king resolutely
hastened to catch him again.
 ELEVENTH GOBLIN
The King who won a Fairy as his Wife. Why did his
counsellor's heart break?

T
hen the king went as before to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on
his shoulder, and started back. And the goblin said once more:
"O King, I like you wonderfully well because you are not
discouraged. So I will tell you a delightful little story to relieve your
weariness. Listen."

In the Anga country was a young king named Glory-banner, so

beautiful that he seemed an incarnation of the god of love. He had
conquered all his enemies by his strength of arm, and he had a
counsellor named Farsight.
At last the king, proud of his youth and beauty, entrusted all the
power in his quiet kingdom to his counsellor, and gradually devoted
himself entirely to pleasure. He spent all his time with the ladies of
the court, and listened more attentively to their love-songs than to
the advice of statesmen. He took greater pleasure in peeping into
their windows than into the holes in his administration. But Farsight
bore the whole burden of public business, and never wearied day or
night.
Then the people began to murmur: "The counsellor Farsight has
seduced the king, and now he alone has all the kingly glory." And
the counsellor said to his wife, whose name was Prudence: "My dear,
the king is devoted to his pleasures, and great infamy is heaped
upon me by the people. They say I have devoured the kingdom,
though in fact I support the burden of it. Now popular gossip
damages the greatest man. Was not Rama forced to abandon his
good wife by popular clamour? So what shall I do now?"
Then his clever wife Prudence showed that she deserved her name.
She said: "My dear, leave the king and go on a pilgrimage. Tell him
that you are an old man now, and should be permitted to travel in
foreign countries for a time. Then the gossip will cease, when they
see that you are unselfish. And when you are gone, the king will
bear his own burdens. And thus his levity will gradually disappear.
And when you come back, you can assume your office without
reproach."
To this advice the counsellor assented, and said to the king in the
course of conversation: "Your Majesty, permit me to go on a
pilgrimage for a few days. Virtue seems of supreme importance to
me."
But the king said: "No, no, counsellor. Is there no other kind of
virtue except in pilgrimages? How about generosity and that kind of
thing? Isn't it possible to prepare for heaven in your own house?"
Then the counsellor said: "Your Majesty, one gets worldly prosperity
from generosity and that kind of thing. But a pilgrimage gives
eternal life. A prudent man should attend to it while he has strength.
The chance may be lost, for no one can be sure of his health."
But the king was still arguing against it when the door-keeper came
in and said: "Your Majesty, the glorious sun is diving beneath the
pool of heaven. Arise. The hour for your bath is slipping away." And
the king went immediately to bathe.
The counsellor went home, still determined on his pilgrimage. He
would not let his wife go with him, but started secretly. Not even his
servants knew.
He wandered alone through many countries to many holy places,
and finally came to the Odra country. There he saw a city near the
ocean, where he entered a temple to Shiva and sat down in the
court. There he sat, hot and dusty from long travel, when he was
seen by a merchant named Treasure who had come to worship the
Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world,
offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth.
That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of
books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to
self-development guides and children's books.

More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge

connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an
elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can
quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally,
our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time
and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and

personal growth every day!

ebookbell.com