it so that his name might be held in remembrance.  So they finished the work and then the merchant said to his sons:  “My sons I cannot arrange for your marriages, for the Raja has threatened to kill us all, if I cannot explain why the fish laughed; you must all escape from here so that our family may not die out;” but the younger sons all answered “We are not able to take care of ourselves, either you come with us to protect us or we will stay here.”  Then the merchant told his eldest son to escape alone so that their family might not become extinct.

So the eldest son took a supply of money and went away into a far country.  After travelling a long time he came to a town where a Raja lived and decided to stay there; so he first went to a tank and bathed and sat down on the bank to eat some refreshment; and as he sat the daughter of the Raja came down to the tank to bathe and she saw the merchant’s son and their eyes met.  Then the princess sent her maid-servants to ask him where he came from; and he told them where he came from and that he meant to make a stay in that town, and he promised them a rupee if they could persuade the princess to uncover her face.  They went and told their mistress all this and she answered “Go and get your rupee from him, I will uncover my face; and ask him what he wants.”  And when they went, she drew aside the cloth from her face; then he gave them the rupee, and they asked him whether he had seen her and what his intention was; then he said that his wish was to marry the princess and live with her in her father’s house!  When the princess heard this she said “Yes, my heart has gone out to him also;” so then she bathed and went home and lay down in her room and would not get up, and when her father asked her what was the matter, she made no answer.  Then they asked her maidens what was the matter and they said that she had seen a stranger by the tank and wished to marry him.  The Rani asked whether the stranger was still there and they said that they had left him by the tank.  So two men were sent to fetch the stranger or to find out where he had gone.  The two servants went and found the merchant’s son just ready to continue his journey, and they asked him who he was and what he wanted.  He said that he was looking for employment but would like best to marry and live in the house of his father-in-law.  Then they told him not go away and they would arrange such a marriage for him, so they took him to a house in the town and left him there and went back to the Raja.  They told the Raja that the stranger had gone away but that they could follow him and bring him back if he gave them some money for their journey.  So the Raja gave them two rupees; then they went off but only ate their dinner at home, and then they brought the merchant’s son to the Raja, pretending that they had overtaken him a long way off.  He was questioned about himself and he told his whole history except that the Raja had threatened to cut off his