Ministers, my royal brother, are often like obstinate swellings that want squeezing, and yours must be kept in order.’

‘They are not particularly obedient, I confess,’ said Tawny-hide.

‘It is very wrong,’ replied Stiff-ears; ’and if you will be advised by me—­as we have banqueted enough to-day—­you will appoint this grain-eating and sagacious Bull your Superintendent of Stores.’

‘It shall be so,’ exclaimed the King.

’Lusty-life was accordingly appointed to serve out the provisions, and for many days Tawny-hide showed him favor beyond all others in the Court.

“Now the Jackals soon found that food was no longer so freely provided by this arrangement as before, and they met to consult about it.

‘It is all our own fault,’ said Damanaka, ’and people must suffer for their own mistakes.  You know who said—­

    “I that could not leave alone
    ‘Streak-o’-Gold,’ must therefore moan. 
    She that took the House-wife’s place
    Lost the nose from off her face. 
    Take this lesson to thy heart—­
    Fools for folly suffer smart.”

‘No!’ said Karataka, ‘how was it?’ Damanaka related:—­

THE STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE PROCURESS

“In the city of ‘Golden-Streets’ there reigned a valorous King, named Vira-vikrama, whose officer of justice was one day taking away to punishment a certain Barber, when he was stopped by a strolling mendicant, who held him by the skirts, and cried out, ’Punish not this man—­punish them that do wrong of their own knowledge.’  Being asked his meaning, he recited the foregoing verses, and, being still further questioned, he told this story—­

“I am Prince Kandarpa-ketu, son of the King of Ceylon.  Walking one day in my summer-garden, I heard a merchant-captain narrating how that out at sea, deep under water, on the fourteenth day of the moon, he had seen what was like nothing but the famous tree of Paradise, and sitting under it a lady of most lustrous beauty, bedecked with strings of pearls like Lukshmi herself, reclining, with a lute in her hands, on what appeared to be a golden couch crusted all over with precious stones.  At once I engaged the captain and his ship, and steered to the spot of which he told me.  On reaching it I beheld the beautiful apparition as he had described it, and, transported with the exquisite beauty of the lady, I leapt after her into the sea.  In a moment I found myself in a city of gold; and in an apartment of a golden palace, surrounded by young and beautiful girls, I found the Sea-queen.  She perceived my approach, and sent an attendant with a courteous message to meet me.  In reply to my questions, I learned that the lady was the Princess Ratnamanjari, daughter of the King of All the Spirits—­and how she had made a vow that whoever should first come to see her golden city, with his own eyes, should marry her.