Madschen

mad!'

'No, your majesty,' answered the farmer, 'I would only remind your

majesty that there are plenty of jackals gathered to-day to try and

claim your daughter and kingdom: every city has sent them, and they

wait hungry and eager; but do not, O king, mistake or pretend again to

mistake the howl of a jackal for the hunting cry of a tiger.'

The king turned first red and then pale.

'There is,' continued the farmer, 'a royal tiger bred in the forest

who has the first and only true claim to your throne.'

'Where? what do you mean?' stammered the king, growing pale as he

listened.

'In prison,' replied the farmer; 'if your majesty will clear this

court of the jackals I will explain.'

'Clear the court!' commanded the king; and, very unwillingly, the

visitors left the palace.

'Now tell me what riddle this is,' said he.

Then the farmer told the king and his ministers how he had rescued the

queen and brought up Ameer Ali; and he fetched the old queen herself,

whom he had left outside. At the sight of her the king was filled with

shame and self-reproach, and wished he could have lived his life over

again, and not have married the mother of the proud princess, who

caused him endless trouble until her death.

'My day is past,' said he. And he gave up his crown to his son Ameer

Ali, who went once more and called to the forest fairy to provide him

with a queen to share his throne.

'There is only one person I will marry,' said he. And this time the

maiden did not run away, but agreed to be his wife. So the two were

married without delay, and lived long and reigned happily.

As for the old woman whose pitcher Ameer Ali had broken, she was the

forest maiden's fairy godmother, and when she was no longer needed to

look after the girl she gladly returned to fairyland.

The old king has never been heard to contradict his wife any more. If

he even looks as if he does not agree with her, she smiles at him and

says:

'Is it the tiger, then? or the jackal?' And he has not another word to

say.