not be at all the same thing as your jumping across, and the Princess
would no more consent to marry you than she would now; for she has
vowed to marry no one who has not jumped across _on foot_. If you want
to do the thing, why not do it yourself, instead of talking nonsense.
Have you forgotten how, when you were a little boy, you were taught to
jump by conjurors and tumblers (for the parrot knew all the Rajah's
history)? Now is the time to put their lessons in practice. If you can
jump the seven ditches, and seven hedges made of spears, you will have
done a good work, and be able to marry the Panch-Phul Ranee; but if
not, this is a thing in which we cannot help you."

"You reason justly," replied the Rajah. "I will try to put in practice
the lessons I learnt when a boy; meantime, do you stay here till my
return."

So saying, he went away to the city, which he reached by nightfall.
Next morning early he went to where the Princess's bungalow stood, to
try to jump the fourteen great barriers. He was strong and agile, and
he jumped the seven great ditches, and six of the seven hedges made of
spears; but in running to jump the seventh hedge he hurt his foot,
and, stumbling, fell upon the spears and died--run through and through
with the cruel iron spikes.

When Panch-Phul Ranee's father and mother got up that morning and
looked out, as their custom was, toward their daughter's bungalow,
they saw something transfixed upon the seventh hedge of spears, but
what it was they could not make out, for it dazzled their eyes. So the
Rajah called his Wuzeer and said to him, "For some days I have seen no
one attempt to jump the seven hedges and seven ditches round
Panch-Phul Ranee's bungalow; but what is that which I now see upon the
seventh hedge of spears?" The Wuzeer answered, "That is a Rajah's son,
who has failed, like all who have gone before him." "But how is it,"
asked the Rajah, "that he thus dazzles our eyes?"

"It is," replied the Wuzeer, "because he is so beautiful. Of all that
have died for the sake of Panch-Phul Ranee, this youth is, beyond
doubt, the handsomest." "Alas!" cried the Rajah, "how many and how
many brave men has my daughter killed? I will have no more die for
her. Let us send her and the dead man together away into the jungle."

Then he ordered the servants to fetch the young Rajah's body. There he
lay, still and beautiful, with a glory shining round him as the
moonlight shines round the clear bright