The legends of the Panjâb

—
RAJA EASALtJ. 61
Saying this he remained silent, and the Rani thought to herself
that after all he had never said anything against her, and
moreover that he had always corrected the maina when she
had spoken roughly, so considering him faithful she let him
out of the cage, and then the parrot said,
" Let me go, and I will give the maina two or three kicks
and revenge myself for the annoyance she has given vne."
So the Rani, being very pleased, let him loose, and then the
parrot, to please the Rani more, gave the
dead maina two or
three kicks, and then he asked the R6,ni for a bath, " For,"
said he, " I am a good Hindfl, and I have touched a deadbody."
So the Rani, who had now become very fond of him, threw
some water over him and wetted him, and then the parrot asked
for some food. So the Rani mixed flour and sugar and ghl,
and made cakes of it which she gave the parrot to eat.
When
the parrot had eaten his fill he flew away to the top of the
palace and began to weep, and the Rani asked him why he
wept,
" Rani, live for ever," said the parrot, " but you have killed
my friend the maina. and have made me very miserable."
Said the Rani
Totid we parosid, na jam hd zor :
Ik jo maind ham ne mdri, das maina desdh hor.
Man^d apne Rabb nun murdwUi mere Icol !
Dulth terd main mutdwdngi : tu mandd bol na bol !
Friendly parrot, go not incontinently away !
For the one maind I killed I will give thee ten more.
For thy God's sake come back to me.
I will take away thy grief:
speak not harsh words.
And though the Rani coaxed and comforted him much he
would not remain, and flew ofl" to R4ja Ras§,lu, who was sleeping
under a tree in the hills by the river-side swamps. When he
found the Raja, the parrot went into a pool, and making his
feathers all wet and draggled he sat on a branch of the tree
just over Raja Rasalu. As he sat there he shook himself to