family, and his account being satisfactory it was arranged that he should marry the princess.  Musicians were sent for and the marriage took place at once.  After his marriage the merchant’s son was much depressed at the thought of his brothers’ fate and in the middle of the night he used to rise up and weep till the bed was soaked with his tears; the princess noticed this and one night she pretended to go to sleep but really lay awake and watched her husband; and in the middle of the night saw him rise quietly and begin to sob.  She was filled with sympathy and went to him and begged him to tell her what was the matter and whether he was sorry that he had married her; and he answered “I cry because I am in despair; in the daytime I restrain my tears before others with difficulty but in the night they cannot be kept back; but I am ashamed for you to see me and I wait till you are asleep before I give way to my feelings.”

Then she asked what was the cause of his sorrow and he answered “My father and mother and brothers and sisters are all doomed to die; for our Raja has sworn to kill them by a certain day if he is not told why two fish, which my father sent to him as a present, laughed when they were brought before him.  In consequence of this threat my father sent me from home that one of the family might survive and although I may be safe here the thought of them and their fate makes me weep.”  The princess asked him what was the day fixed for the mystery to be explained; and he told her that it was at the full moon of a certain month.  Then the princess said “Come take me to your father’s house:  I shall be able to explain why the fishes laughed.”  The merchant’s son joyfully agreed to start off the next day; so in the morning they told the Raja why they wished to go, and he said to his daughter “Go and do not be afraid; go in confidence, I promise you that you will be able to explain why the fishes laughed.”

So they made ready and journeyed to the merchant’s house; and when they arrived they told the merchant to go to the Raja and ask him to collect all the citizens on a certain day to hear the reason why the fishes laughed.  The merchant went to the Raja and the Raja gave him a letter fixing the day and all the citizens were assembled in an open plain; and the princess dressed herself as a man and went to the assembly and stood before the Raja.

Then the Raja bade her explain why the fishes laughed, and the princess answered “If you wish to know the reason order all your Ranis to be brought here;” so the Ranis were summoned; then the princess said “The reason why the fishes laughed was because among all your wives it is only the eldest Rani who is a woman and all the others are men.  What will you give me if this is not proved to be true?” Then the Raja wrote a bond promising to give the merchant half his kingdom if this were proved to be true.  When enquiry was made it was found that the wives had really become men, and the Raja was put to shame before all his people.  Then the assembly broke up and the merchant received half the Raja’s kingdom.