the way; Seventy Maidens young and fair, with flowers decking their golden hair.  Seventy daughters of the king, come out to play and laugh and swing and jibe at the stripling who’d sworn to slay their father, the mightiest king of this day.  But the youngest maid had a heart of gold, and when she saw Rasalu so bold, and strong and handsome riding to death, on his horse Iraki, she caught her breath, and whispered to him as he passed her way: 

    “’Fair prince on thy charger so gray,
    Turn thee back, turn thee back. 
    If thou lowerest thy lance for the fray,
    Thy head will be forfeit to-day. 
    Dost love life? then, stranger!  I pray
    Turn thee back—­turn thee back.’

“But Rasalu smiled in the maiden’s face, and drew his rein for an instant’s space, while he gave her answer with courtly grace:  ’Fair maiden, I come from afar, sworn conqueror in love and in war.  Thy father my coming will rue, for his head in four pieces I’ll hew.  Then forth as a bridegroom I’ll ride with you, little maid, as my bride.’

“Now at these words, and his face so kind, and strong, and brave, the maiden’s mind fluttered, the blood through her heartstrings whirled, she felt she could follow him through the world; but her sixty-nine sisters were jealous and cried:  ’Not so fast, young man!  If she be your bride, you be our younger brother, beside!  So do our bidding or go on your way.’  ‘Fair sisters,’ quoth he, ‘let me hear your say!’ Now the sisters vowed he should not succeed, so they took a whole hundred-weight of seed, as fine as the hundred-weight of sand they mixed it with, then gave command:  ’If you wish to marry our sister, sir, take the seed from the sand without demur.’

“Then Rajah Rasalu stood aghast; but he thought of the cricket’s gift at last, and taking it out of his pocket thrust it into the fire, and a cloud as dust showed in the sky and the distant whirr of thousands of wings caused the air to stir, as, dark’ning the day like a fun’ral pall, a flight of crickets appeared at the call.  ‘What is our task?’ asked his friend with a laugh; ‘only that?  I’ve brought too many by half!’ So they set to work with a will indeed, till the sand lay separate from the seed, and sixty-nine maidens pouted and frowned as they wondered what new task could be found, to puzzle Rasalu and keep him there a slave to the wishes of maidens fair.  ’Now swing us all, sir, one by one, when we grow tired your task is done!’—­they laughed in their sleeve, for they knew right well, that when they’d be tired, none could tell!

“But Rasalu laughed:  ’What! seventy girls—­for my little bride is the pearl of pearls—­and only one man to swing the lot!  Shall I spend my life in such silly rot?  No! into one swing the seventy go; I’ll fasten the rope to my mighty bow, and shoot an arrow for all I know, so in with you, girls, sit all in a row, and don’t be frightened, my little dears, I’ll swing till you’re tired, so have no fears.’