an make clogs so well, it is a great pity he should leave
this place; he would make a good husband for my daughter"; and,
catching hold of the young Rajah, he propounded his scheme to him.
(But all this time he had no idea that his guest was a Rajah.)

Now the Carpenter's daughter was a very pretty girl--as pretty as any
Ranee you ever saw; she was also good-tempered, clever, and could cook
extremely well. So when the Carpenter asked the Rajah to be his
son-in-law, he looked at the father, the mother, and the girl, and
thinking to himself that many a better man had a worse fate, he said,
"Yes, I will marry your daughter, and stay here and make clogs." So
the Rajah married the Carpenter's daughter.

This Rajah was very clever at making all sorts of things in wood. When
he had made all the clogs he wished to sell next day, he would amuse
himself in making toys; and in this way he made a thousand wooden
parrots. They were as like real parrots as possible. They had each two
wings, two legs, two eyes, and a sharp beak. And when the Rajah had
finished them all, he painted and varnished them and put them, one
afternoon, outside the house to dry.

Night came on, and with it came Parbuttee and Mahdeo, flying round the
world to see the different races of men. Among the many places they
visited was the city where the Carpenter lived; and in the garden in
front of the house they saw the thousand wooden parrots which the
Rajah had made and painted and varnished, all placed out to dry. Then
Parbuttee turned to Mahdeo, and said, "These parrots are very well
made--they need nothing but life. Why should not we give them life?"
Mahdeo answered, "What would be the use of that? It would be a strange
freak, indeed!" "Oh," said Parbuttee, "I only meant you to do it as an
amusement. It would be so funny to see the wooden parrots flying
about! But do not do it if you don't like." "You would like it,
then?" answered Mahdeo. "Very well, I will do it." And he endowed the
thousand parrots with life.

Parbuttee and Mahdeo then flew away.

Next morning the Rajah got up early to see if the varnish he had put
on the wooden parrots was dry; but no sooner did he open the door
than--marvel of marvels!--the thousand wooden parrots all came walking
into the house, flapping their wings and chatting to each other.

Hearing the noise, the Carpenter and the Carpenter's wife and daughter
came running out to see what was the matter, and were not less
asto