m home quickly, and give him a jug of
rose-water to bring back with him, and see that he gets no hurt." Then
the Raja's son set out again for the Rakshas-Rani's mother's house. He
had not gone very far when he met a very big Rakshas, and he cried out
to him, "Uncle." "Who is this boy," said the Rakshas, "who calls me
uncle?" And he was just going to kill him when Hiralalbasa showed his
letter, and the Rakshas let him pass on. He went a little further
until he met another Rakshas, bigger than the first, and the Rakshas
screamed at him and was just going to fall on him and kill him, but
the Raja's son showed the letter, and the Rakshas let him pass
unhurt. When Hiralalbasa came to the Rakshas-Rani's mother he showed
her the letter, and she gave him the rose-water at once and sent him
off. All the Rakshases were very good to him, and some carried him
part of the way home. When he came to Sonahri Rani's house she was
lying on her bed with the stick at her feet, and as soon as she saw
Hiralalbasa she laughed and said, "Oh, you have come back again? Put
this stick at my head." "Yes," said the Raja's son, "I've come back
again, but I was dreadfully frightened very often." Then he put the
stick at her head, and she gave him some food to eat. After he had
eaten it he went on again, and when he came to the river the
water-snake carried him across to the other side, and he travelled to
his father's kingdom. There he went to the Rakshas-Rani and gave her
the rose-water. She was very angry at seeing him, and said, "I'm sure
my father and my mother, my brothers and my sisters, don't love me one
bit."

And she said to Hiralalbasa, "You must go to-morrow to the Rakshas
kingdom to fetch me flowers." "I will go," said Hiralal, "but this
time I must have four shields full of rupees." The Rakshas-Rani gave
him the four shields full of rupees; and the Raja's son went to his
mother's hole and bought a quantity of food for them, enough to last
them all the time he should be away, and he hired two servants for
them, and said good-bye to his seven mothers and returned to
Manikbasa's palace for his letter. This the Rakshas-Rani gave him, and
in it she wrote, "Kill him and eat him at once. If you do not, and you
send him back to me, I will never see your faces again." Hiralal took
his letters and went on his way. When he reached the river the
water-snake took him across to the other side, and he walked on till
he came to Sonahri Rani's house. Sh