imant. But, just then, a farmer who stood in front of the
crowd cried out that he had a petition to offer.

'Well, hasten then,' said the king; 'I have no time to waste.'

'Your majesty,' said the farmer, 'has now lived and administered
justice long in this city, and will know that the tiger who is king
of beasts hunts only in the forest, whilst jackals hunt in every place
where there is something to be picked up.'

'What is all this? what is all this?' asked the king. 'The man must be
mad!'

'No, your majesty,' answered the farmer, 'I would only remind your
majesty that there are plenty of jackals gathered to-day to try and
claim your daughter and kingdom: every city has sent them, and they
wait hungry and eager; but do not, O king, mistake or pretend again to
mistake the howl of a jackal for the hunting cry of a tiger.'

The king turned first red and then pale.

'There is,' continued the farmer, 'a royal tiger bred in the forest
who has the first and only true claim to your throne.'

'Where? what do you mean?' stammered the king, growing pale as he
listened.

'In prison,' replied the farmer; 'if your majesty will clear this
court of the jackals I will explain.'

'Clear the court!' commanded the king; and, very unwillingly, the
visitors left the palace.

'Now tell me what riddle this is,' said he.

Then the farmer told the king and his ministers how he had rescued the
queen and brought up Ameer Ali; and he fetched the old queen herself,
whom he had left outside. At the sight of her the king was filled with
shame and self-reproach, and wished he could have lived his life over
again, and not have married the mother of the proud princess, who
caused him endless trouble until her death.

'My day is past,' said he. And he gave up his crown to his son Ameer
Ali, who went once more and called to the forest fairy to provide him
with a queen to share his throne.

'There is only one person I will marry,' said he. And this time the
maiden did not run away, but agreed to be his wife. So the two were
married without delay, and lived long and reigned happily.

As for the old woman whose pitcher Ameer Ali had broken, she was the
forest maiden's fairy godmother, and when she was no longer needed to
look after the girl she gladly returned to fairyland.

The old king has never been heard to contradict his wife any more. If
he even looks as if he does not agree with her, she smiles at him and
says:

'Is it the tiger,