husband, and you must give me a dinner cooked just as you used to
cook one for me when I went to see you in your own country." "Good, I
will give it you," said the Rani; but she was quite frightened, for
she thought, "The Raja is so kind, and everything is so comfortable
for us, that I am sure something dreadful will happen." However, she
prepared the dinner, and told the servants how to cook it and serve
it; but first she worshipped God, and entreated him to have mercy on
her and her husband. The dinner was very good, and nothing evil
happened to any one. They lived in the palace Raja Nal gave them for
four and a half years.

Meanwhile the farmers in Raja Harichand's country had all these years
gone on ploughing and turning up the land, although not a drop of rain
had fallen all that time, and the earth was hard and dry. Now just
when the Raja and Rani had lived in Raja Nal's palace for four and a
half years Mahadeo was walking through Raja Harichand's country. He
saw the farmers digging up the ground, and said, "What is the good of
your digging and turning up the ground? Not a drop of rain is going to
fall." "No," said the farmers, "but if we did not go on ploughing and
digging, we should forget how to do our work." They did not know they
were talking to Mahadeo, for he looked like a man. "That is true,"
said Mahadeo, and he thought, "The farmers speak the truth; and if I
go on neglecting to blow on my horn, I shall forget how to blow on it
at all." So he took his deer's horn, which was just like those some
yogis use, and blew on it. Now when Raja Harichand had chosen the
twelve years' famine, God had said, "Rain shall not fall on Raja
Harichand's country till Mahadeo blows his horn in it." Mahadeo had
quite forgotten this decree; so he blew on his horn, although only ten
and a half years' famine had gone by. The moment he blew, down came
the rain, and the whole country at once became as it had been before
the famine began; and moreover, the moment it rained, everything in
Raja Harichand's palace became what it was before the angels entered
it. All the men and women came to life again; so did all the animals;
and the gold and silver were no longer charcoal, but once more gold
and silver. God was not angry with Mahadeo for forgetting that he said
the famine should last for twelve years, and that the rain should fall
when Mahadeo blew on his horn in Raja Harichand's country. "If it
pleased Mahadeo to blow on his horn,"