of his house. Every night the bird came and asked after
the Maharaja and the children and the servants, and left a great many
pearls and rubies behind her. At last the doorkeeper had a whole heap
of pearls and rubies.

One day a Fakir came and begged, and as the doorkeeper had no pice, or
flour, or rice to give, he gave him a handful of pearls and rubies.
"Well," said the Fakir to himself, "I am sure these are pearls and
rubies." So he tied them up in his cloth. Then he went to the Raja to
beg, and the Raja gave him a handful of rice. "What!" said the Fakir,
"the great Maharaja only gives me a handful of rice when his
doorkeeper gives me pearls and rubies!" and he turned to walk away.
But the Maharaja stopped him. "What did you say?" said he, "that my
doorkeeper gave you pearls and rubies?" "Yes," said the Fakir, "your
doorkeeper gave me pearls and rubies." So the Maharaja went to the
doorkeeper's house, and when he saw all the pearls and rubies that
were there, he thought the man had stolen them from his treasury. The
Maharaja had not as many pearls and rubies as his doorkeeper had. Then
turning to the doorkeeper he asked him to tell him truly where and how
he had got them. "Yes, I will," said the doorkeeper. "Every night a
beautiful bird comes and asks after you, after your children, after
all your elephants, horses, and servants; and then it cries, and when
it cries pearls drop from its eyes; and then it laughs, and rubies
fall from its beak. If you come to-night I dare say you will see it."
"All right," said the Pomegranate Raja.

So that night the Maharaja pulled his bed out under the tree on which
the bird always perched. At night the bird came and called out,
"Doorkeeper! doorkeeper!" and the doorkeeper answered, "Yes, lord."
And the bird said, "Is your Maharaja well?" "Yes." "Are the children
well?" "Yes." "And all his servants, horses, and camels and
elephants--are they well?" "Yes." "Are you well?" "Yes." "Have you had
plenty of food?" "Yes." "What a fool your Maharaja is!" And then she
cried, and the pearls came tumbling down on the Maharaja's eyes, and
the Maharaja opened one eye and saw what a beautiful bird it was. And
then it laughed, and rubies fell from its beak on to the Maharaja.

Next morning the Maharaja said he would give any one who would catch
the bird as much money as he wanted. So he called a fisherman, and
asked him to bring his net and catch the bird when it came that night.
The fisherman