rince said to his servants, "Fetch that man here." And the Rajah
came toward them, so changed that not even his own mother knew him--no
one recognized him but his wife. For eighteen years he had been among
the nautch people; his hair was rough, his; beard untrimmed, his face
thin and worn, sunburnt and wrinkled; he wore a nose-ring and heavy
earrings, such as the nautch people have; and his dress was a rough,
common cumlee. All traces of his former self seemed to have
disappeared. They asked him if he did not remember he had been a Rajah
once, and about his journey to Panch-Phul Ranee's country. But he
said, No, he remembered nothing but how to beat the drum--Rub-a-dub!
tat-tat! tom-tum! tom-tum! He thought he must have beaten it all his
life.

Then the young Prince gave orders that all the nautch people should be
put into jail until it could be discovered what part they had taken in
reducing his father to so pitiable a state. And sending for the wisest
doctors in the kingdom, he said to them, "Do your best and restore the
health of this Rajah, who has to all appearance lost both memory and
reason; and discover, if possible, what has caused these misfortunes
to befall him." The doctors said, "He has certainly had some potent
charm given to him, which has destroyed both his memory and reason,
but we will do our best to counteract its influence."

And so they did. And their treatment succeeded so well that, after a
time, the Rajah entirely recovered his former senses. And they took
such good care of him that in a little while he regained his health
and strength also, and looked almost as well as ever.

He then found to his surprise that he, Panch-Phul Ranee, and their
son, had all this time been living in his father's kingdom. His father
was so delighted to see him again that he was no longer unkind to him,
but treated him as a dearly beloved, long lost son. His mother also
was overjoyed at his return, and they said to him, "Since you have
been restored to us again, why should you wander any more? Your wife
and son are here; do you also remain here, and live among us for the
rest of your days." But he replied, "I have another wife--the
Carpenter's daughter--who first was kind to me in my adopted country.
I also have there nine hundred and ninety-eight talking wooden
parrots, which I greatly prize. Let me first go and fetch them."

They said, "Very well; go quickly and then return." So he mounted the
two wooden parrots