urt-house. It was a very, very thick trunk. He gave the prince a wax
hatchet, and said, "To-morrow morning you must cut this trunk in two
with this wax hatchet."

The Raja's son went back to the old woman's house. He was very sad,
and thought that now the Raja would certainly kill him. "I had his
oil crushed out by the ants," he said to himself. "I had his demons
killed by the tigers. My bed helped me to beat his kettle-drum. But
now what can I do? How can I cut that thick tree trunk in two with a
wax hatchet?"

At night he went on his bed to see the princess. "To-morrow," he said
to her, "your father will kill me." "Why?" asked the princess.

"He has told me to cut a thick tree-trunk in two with a wax hatchet.
How can I ever do that?" said the Raja's son. "Do not be afraid," said
the princess; "do as I bid you, and you will cut it in two quite
easily."

Then she pulled out a hair from her head, and gave it to the prince.
"To-morrow," she said, "when no one is near you, you must say to the
tree-trunk, 'The Princess Labam commands you to let yourself be cut in
two by this hair.' Then stretch the hair down the edge of the wax
hatchet's blade."

The prince next day did exactly as the princess had told him; and the
minute the hair that was stretched down the edge of the hatchet-blade
touched the tree-trunk, it split into two pieces.

The king said, "Now you can marry my daughter." Then the wedding took
place. All the Rajas and kings of the countries round were asked to
come to it, and there were great rejoicings. After a few days the
prince's son said to his wife, "Let us go to my father's country." The
Princess Labam's father gave them a quantity of camels and horses and
rupees and servants; and they travelled in great state to the prince's
country, where they lived happily.

The prince always kept his bag, bowl, bed, and stick; only as no one
ever came to make war on him, he never needed to use the stick.

Told by Muniya.

[Decoration]

XXIII.

THE PRINCESS WHO LOVED HER FATHER LIKE SALT.

In a country there lived a king who had seven daughters. One day he
called them all to him and said to them, "My daughters, how much do
you love me?" The six eldest answered, "Father, we love you as much as
sweetmeats and sugar;" but the seventh and youngest daughter said,
"Father, I love you as much as salt." The king was much pleased with
his six eldest daughters, but very angry with his youngest daughter.