scover if he had ever heard anything like his dream
before; but he could make nothing of it.

While he was thus thinking, his wife awoke and asked him what was the
matter. He told her, and she said, "That is a strange dream. If I were
you, I'd ask the old parrot about it; he is a wise bird, and perhaps
he knows." This parrot of which she spoke was the most wise of all the
thousand wooden parrots. The Rajah took his wife's advice, and when
all the birds came home that evening, he called the old parrot and
told him his dream, saying, "Can this be true?" To which the parrot
replied, "It is all true. The Panch-Phul Ranee's country lies beyond
the Red Sea, and is surrounded by seven seas, and she dwells in a
house built in the centre of her father's kingdom. Round her house are
seven ditches, and seven hedges made of spears, and she has vowed not
to marry any man who cannot jump these seven ditches and seven hedges;
and because she is very beautiful many great and noble men have tried
to do this, but in vain.

"The Rajah and Ranee, her father and mother, are very fond of her and
proud of her. Every day she goes to the palace to see them, and they
weigh her in a pair of scales. They put her in one scale and five
lotus flowers in the other, and she's so delicate and fragile she
weighs no heavier than the five little flowers, so they call her the
Panch-Phul Ranee. Her father and mother are very proud of this."

"I should like to go to that country and see the Panch-Phul Ranee,"
said the Rajah; "but I don't know how I could cross the seven seas."
"I will show you how to manage that," replied the old parrot. "I and
another parrot will fly close together, I crossing my left over his
right wing; so that we will move along as if we were one bird (using
only our outside wings to fly with), and on the chair made of our
interlaced wings you shall sit, and we will carry you safely across
the seven seas. On the way we will every evening alight in some high
tree and rest, and every morning we can go on again." "That sounds a
good plan; I have a great desire to try it," said the Rajah. "Wife,
what should you think of my going to the Panch-Phul Ranee's country,
and seeing if I can jump the seven ditches, and seven hedges made of
spears. Will you let me try?"

"Yes," she answered. "If you like to go and marry her, go; only take
care that you do not kill yourself; and mind you come back some day."
And she prepared food for him to take wit