e, for they
knew right well, that when they'd be tired, none could tell!

"But Rasalu laughed: 'What! seventy girls--for my little bride is the
pearl of pearls--and only one man to swing the lot! Shall I spend my
life in such silly rot? No! into one swing the seventy go; I'll fasten
the rope to my mighty bow, and shoot an arrow for all I know, so in
with you, girls, sit all in a row, and don't be frightened, my little
dears, I'll swing till you're tired, so have no fears.'

"Then the seventy clambered into one swing--so merry, so careless, their
voices ring. And Rasalu stood in his shining array, as merry and
careless as happy as they. He fastened the ropes to his mighty bow, and
bent till it would no further go; then with a twang he loosed the
string, and like an arrow the laden swing with its burden of seventy
maidens fair, shot like an arrow into the air. Merry and careless with
laugh and smile, up in the sky for many a mile; like a soaring bird in
the distant blue, while merry and careless, and tall and true, Rasalu
waited upon the plain, till the swing swung back to its place again.
Then he out with his sword and laughed anew, 'Ye have had a fine ride,
ye giggling crew; enough and to spare, so out with you there!' Then he
severed the ropes with one mighty sweep, and the seventy maidens fell in
a heap; and some were broken and some were bruised, and the only one
that was not ill-used was the youngest maid, for she did not drop till
the very last, so she fell on top!"

And here Prince Akbar used always to laugh gravely and say: "Glad she
didn't tumble down _really_, for she was a nice little girl."

One day when the peach blossoms had all floated away, leaving in their
place grey-green fluffy ovals that by-and-bye would be luscious ripe
fruits, Foster-father arrived in a great state of excitement just as
Rasalu had finished swinging his Seventy Maidens.

"News, news!" he cried; "real news at last; and thank Heaven they are
good! My master, the King, has not only secured shelter, but help, and
hath written to his brother, Prince Askurry, advising him not to listen
to ill advice, but to give in his allegiance at once, when all shall be
forgotten. In token of which clemency he is sending to his
still-dearly-beloved brother, Her Royal Highness the Princess Bakshee
Bani Begum, that she may be a companion to her half-brother, the
Heir-to-Empire."

Prince Akbar, who was leaning on Roy's breast, suddenly sat up. "Is th