hing, but nothing
will see you."

He carried the feather straight as she had bidden him and reached the
tree in safety. Then he climbed up it, took the little cage, and came
down again. Though the Rakshas was far off, he knew at once something
had happened to his bird. Hiralal pulled off the bird's right leg, and
the Rakshas' right leg fell off, but on he hopped on one leg. Then
the Raja's son pulled off the bird's left leg, and off fell the
Rakshas' left leg, but still he went on towards his house on his
hands. Then Hiralal pulled off the bird's wings, and the Rakshas' two
arms fell off. And then, just as the Rakshas reached the door of his
house, Hiralal wrung the bird's neck, and the Rakshas fell dead.
Sonahri Rani was greatly frightened when she heard such a heavy thing
fall thump on the ground so close to the house, but she could not
move, for the thick stick lay at her feet. Hiralal ran as fast as he
could to Sonahri Rani. When he arrived at the door of her house he saw
the Rakshas lying dead, and he went in and told Sonahri Rani that her
Rakshas-father was killed. "Nonsense," she said. "It is true," said
Hiralal; "come and see." So he put the stick at her head. "I am sure
you are telling a lie," said Sonahri Rani. "I should be very glad if
he were dead, for I do not like living with him, I am so afraid of
him." "Indeed he's dead. Do come and see," said Hiralal. Then they
went outside, and when Sonahri Rani saw her Rakshas-father lying there
dead, she was exceedingly happy, and said to Hiralal, "I will go home
with you, and be your wife." So they were married, and then they went
into Sonahri Rani's Rakshas-father's house and took all the money and
jewels they could find. And Hiralal gave the sari, the stone, and the
necklace to Sonahri Rani, and he took some flowers for the
Rakshas-Rani.

When they came to the river, the water-snake carried them across to
the other side, and they travelled on till they came to Manikbasa
Raja's kingdom. There Hiralal went first of all to his mothers, and
when they saw Sonahri Rani they wondered who the beautiful woman could
be that their son had brought home. He said to them, "This is Sonahri
Rani, my wife. But for her I should have died." Then he bought a grand
house for Sonahri Rani and his seven mothers to live in, and he got
four servants for Sonahri Rani, two to cook, and two to wait on her.
The seven mothers and Sonahri used all to sit on a beautiful, clean
quilted cushion