he high rocks.

Now you will say there never was a Jackal so clever as this. Very
true, for this was not a common Jackal, or he could never have done
all that I have told you. This Jackal was, in fact, a great Rajah in
disguise, who, to amuse himself, took the form of a Jackal; for he was
a great magician as well as a great prince.

The den to which he took the Brahmin's daughter looked like quite a
common hole in the rocks on the outside, but inside it was a splendid
palace, adorned with silver, and gold, and ivory and precious stones.
But even his own wife did not know that he was not always a Jackal,
for the Rajah never took his human form except every morning very
early, when he used to take off the Jackal skin and wash it and brush
it, and put it on again.

After he and his wife, the Brahmin's daughter, had lived up in their
home in the rocks happily for some time, who should the Jackal see one
day but his father-in-law, the old Brahmin, climbing up the hill to
come and pay him a visit. The Jackal was vexed to see the Brahmin, for
he knew he was very poor, and thought he had most likely come to beg;
and so it was. The Brahmin said to him, "Son-in-law, let me come into
your cave and rest a little while. I want to ask you to help me, for I
am very poor and much in need of help."

"Don't go into my cave," said the Jackal; "it is but a poor hole, not
fit for you to enter" (for he did not wish his father-in-law to see
his fine palace); "but I will call my wife, that you may see I have
not eaten her up, and she and you and I will talk over the matter, and
see what we can do for you."

So the Brahmin, the Brahmin's daughter and the Jackal all sat down on
the hillside together, and the Brahmin said, "I don't know what to do
to get food for myself, my wife, and my six daughters. Son-in-law
Jackal, cannot you help me?"

"It is a difficult business," answered the Jackal, "but I'll do what I
can for you;" and he ran to his cave and fetched a large melon, and
gave it to the Brahmin, saying, "Father-in-law, you must take this
melon, and plant it in your garden, and when it grows up sell all the
fruit you find upon it, and that will bring you in some money." So the
Brahmin took the melon home with him and planted it in his garden.

By next day the melon that the Jackal had given him had grown up in
the Brahmin's garden into a fine plant, covered with hundreds of
beautiful ripe melons. The Brahmin, his wife and family were