A few days later the miserly father-in-law died and the woman saw three beings dragging him out of the house by his heels, and she laughed to see him treated so for his sins.  But the family were shocked by her laughter and concluded that she was a witch and had killed her father-in-law by her witchcraft; so after the funeral they held a family council and called on the woman to explain why she had laughed.  She assured them that if she told she would die, but they insisted and at last she told them of the boon conferred on her by the Jugi, and what she had seen, and then she lay down upon her bed and died.

LXVI.  The Raja’s Dream.

Once upon a time there was a Raja who had no children.  So he and his wife agreed that he should marry again.  His second wife bore him two sons, and they were very pleased that the Raja should have heirs and all lived happily together.  But after the two sons had been born, the elder Rani also gave birth to a son.  This caused discord in the family, for the younger Rani had counted on her sons succeeding to the Raja, but now she feared that the son of the elder Rani would be preferred.  So she went to the Raja and besought him to send away the elder Rani and her son.  The Raja listened to her and gave the first wife a separate estate and a separate house and sent them away.

Time passed and one night the Raja had a dream, the meaning of which he could not understand; he dreamt that he saw a golden leopard and a golden snake and a golden monkey dancing together.  The Raja could not rest until he had found out the meaning of the dream, so he sent for his younger wife and her two sons and consulted them.  They could give no explanation, but the younger son said that he had a presentiment that his brother, the son of the elder Rani, could interpret the dream.  So that son was sent for, and when he appeared before his father and heard the story of the dream, he said “This is the interpretation:  the three golden animals represent us three brothers, for we are like gold to you.  Thakur has sent this dream in order that we may not fight hereafter; we cannot all three succeed to the Raj and we shall assuredly fight if one is not chosen as the heir.  It is intended that whichever of us can find a golden leopard, and a golden snake and a golden monkey and make them dance before the people, he is your principal son and shall be your heir,” The Raja was pleased with this interpretation and told his three sons that he would give the Raj to whichever of them could find the three animals by that day year.

The sons of the younger Rani went away, feeling that it was useless for them to make any attempt to fulfil the conditions; even if they got a goldsmith to make the animals, they would never be able to make them dance.

But the other brother went to his mother and told her all that had happened, and she bade him be of good courage and he would find the animals; if he went to a Gosain who lived in the jungle, he would be told what to do.