f the demons disappeared. The prince
at once embraced the maiden, and conducted her up to his palace. That
same day their marriage was celebrated with pomp and luxury.

Note.

Dr. Franz Boas informs me that this story is from the "Arabian Nights,"
"The Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam" (see Burton, Supplemental Nights," iii,
3-38; for Clouston's discussion of variants and analogues, ibid.,
553-563).

TALE 43

THE WICKED WOMAN'S REWARD.

Narrated by Gregorio Frondoso, a Bicol from Camarines. The story was
told by a father to one of his sons.

Once there lived a certain king. He had concubines, five in number. Two
of them he loved more than the others, for they were to bear him
children. He said that the one who should give birth to a male baby
he would marry. Soon one of them bore a child, but it was a girl,
and shortly afterward the other bore a handsome boy. The one which
had given birth to the baby girl was restless: she wished that she
might have the boy. In order to satisfy her wish, she thought of an
ingenious plan whereby she might get possession of the boy.

One midnight, when all were sound asleep, she killed her own baby
and secretly buried it. Then she quietly crept to her rival's bed and
stole her boy, putting in his place a newborn cat. Early in the morning
the king went to the room of his concubine who had borne the boy, and
was surprised to find a cat by her side instead of a human child. He
was so enraged, that he immediately ordered her to be drowned in the
river. His order was at once executed. Then he went into the room of
the wicked woman. The moment he saw the boy baby, he was filled with
great joy, and he smothered the child with kisses. As he had promised,
he married the woman. After the marriage the king sent away all his
other concubines, and he harbored a deep love for his deceitful wife.

Soon afterwards there was a great confusion throughout the
kingdom. Everybody wondered why it was that the river smelled so
fragrant, and the people were very anxious to find out the cause of
the sweet odor. It was not many days before the townspeople along
the river-bank found the corpse of the drowned woman floating in
the water; and this was the source of the sweetness that was causing
their restlessness. It was full of many different kinds of flowers
which had been gathered by the birds. When the people attempted to
remove the corpse from the water, the birds pecked them, and would
not let the