.[4] And so this good
and dutiful daughter went every day to listen to the tree as she had
gone daily to the lake when her mother had been a tortoise, and the tree
sang sweeter when she was near than at any other time.

But such a wonderful thing as this could not be kept a secret. Others
heard of it and people came from far and near to hear the sweet music
come from the tree. One of the _amats_ of the great king who "ate"[5]
the country, heard that a miracle was to be seen in this jungle, and
accordingly reported it to his lord, who sent men to cut the tree down
and bring it to his palace. All day long the men worked at the tree,
from the time the country became light till the moon rose at night, but
although they had the sharpest of axes and were the most skillful
workmen in all the country, yet with all their labor they could only cut
through the bark, and during the night the tree grew so quickly that
when the morning dawned, it was twice as large as it was the night
before, and the marks made by the axes on the bark were covered with new
bark harder than ever.

The king was very angry when he heard of the ill success of his woodmen,
had them all executed, and sent others, but they had no better success
than the first. But this only made the king more stubborn and determined
to get the tree at any cost, and he therefore sent the heralds all
through the country and made a proclamation that any man who could bring
the tree to his palace should be made his _Kem Moeng,_ that is, heir
apparent; should it be a woman, she should become _Nang Me Prah_, or
chief queen. Many men therefore came with sharp _pahs_ and axes but all
were equally unsuccessful, and the king despaired of ever getting the
tree, when Nang Hsen Gaw heard of the reward offered by the king, and
told the heralds she could bring the tree to his palace. The king was
full of joy when he heard this, and made great preparations for her. On
her part she simply went to the jungle and, taking off her turban,
fastened it around the tree and carried it bodily into the palace where
it sang as sweetly every day as when it was in the jungle.

When the mother of Nang E heard of the good fortune that had befallen
Nang Hsen Gaw she was very angry, and calling her own daughter to
follow her, she set off for the capital. When she had arrived there she
disguised herself and became a servant to the queen, and pondered how
she could kill the _Nang Me Prah_ and put her own da