The Turtle’s wife came home gaily. Other women asked, "What is [the reason of] so much sportiveness of the Turtle’s wife which there is to-day?"

"You will perceive [the reason of] my playfulness when you have gone to the house."

The other women, to look at [the meaning of] those words, came to the house of the Turtle’s wife with the Turtle’s wife. Having come, when they looked the husband of the Turtle’s wife is like a King.

This story is the two noblemen’s.

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

NO. 208

THE GEM-SET RING

In a certain country there are a King and a Queen, it is said; there are seven Princes of these two persons. Out of the seven, the youngest Prince from the day on which he was born is lying down; only those six perform service, go on journeys after journeys (gaman sagaman).

Well then, at the time when this Prince is living thus, the King said at the hand of the Queen, "Should this Prince remain there is no advantage to us; I must behead him."

The Queen said, "There is no need to behead him. Drive away the Prince whom we do not want to a quarter he likes." The King said, "It is good."

The Queen having come near the Prince, said, "Son, he must behead you, says the King. Because of it go to a place you like, to seek a livelihood."

Then the Prince said, "For me to go for trading give me (dilan) a thousand masuran, and a packet of cooked rice." After that, the Queen gave him a packet of cooked rice and a thousand masuran.

The Prince having taken the packet of cooked rice and the thousand masuran, arrived (eli-baessa) at a travellers' shed. At the time when he is sitting in the travellers' shed a man came, bringing a Cobra.

Then the Prince asked, "For how much will you sell the Cobra?"

The man said, "It is a thousand masuran."

Afterwards the Prince said, "There are a thousand masuran of mine. Here (inda), take them." Having given the thousand masuran he got the Cobra.

Taking it, and having unfastened the packet of cooked rice, the Cobra and the Prince ate, and the Prince, taking the Cobra, came back to the Prince’s city.

Then the Queen asked, "Son, what is the merchandise you have brought?"

The Prince said, "Mother, having given those thousand masuran that I took, I brought a Cobra."

Afterwards the Queen said, "Appa! Son, should that one remain it will bite us. Take it to a forest, and having conducted it a short distance come back."

The Prince having taken it and put it in a rock house (cave) in the forest, shut the door, and came back. At the time when he was there the Queen said, "Son, should the King come to know that you are [here] he will behead you. Because of it go to any place you like."

Afterwards the Prince said, "Give me a thousand masuran, and a packet of cooked rice." The Queen gave them.

After that, the Prince taking them and having gone, while he was in that travellers' shed a man taking a Parrot came to the travellers' shed.

The Prince asked, "Will you sell that Parrot?" The man said he would sell it. The Prince asked, "For how much?" The man said, "It is a thousand masuran." The Prince gave the thousand masuran and got the Parrot. The Prince and the Parrot having eaten the packet of cooked rice, the two came to the Prince’s city.

The Queen asked, "Son, what is the merchandise you have brought to-day?"