In a certain country there are a woman and a man; there are a boy and a girl of those two. During the time when these four were [there], they heard the notification tom-tom at another city. Then the man said, “I am going to look what this notification tom-tom is that we hear.”

After the man went to the city the King said, “Canst thou guard my elephants?”

The man said, “What will you give me?”

The King said, “I will give a thousand masuran, and expenses1 for eating.”

Thereupon the man says, “It is too little for me and my wife, and my boy and girl, for us four persons.”

After that the King said, “I will give two thousand masuran, and expenses for eating for you four persons.”

Thereupon the man said, “Having returned to my village I will go and call my wife and children to come.”

As he was going, a jewelled ring of a Maharaja had fallen [on the path]. This man, taking the jewelled ring in his hand, thought, “It is bad for me to destroy this jewelled ring; this I must give to the King.”

Thinking thus he went home, and summoning his wife and children came to the city. After he presented2 that jewelled ring to the King, the King asked, “Whence [came] this jewelled ring to thee?”

This man said, “This jewelled ring as I was going to the village had fallen on the path. It is that [ring] indeed which I placed [before you] as this present.”

After that the King [said], “A ring of a greater King than I! Because it is so it is bad to destroy this ring. What dost thou say about [thy reward for] it?”

“I say nothing. The thing that is given to me I will take.”

Thereupon the King said, “Are you quite satisfied [for me] to give a district from the kingdom, and goods [amounting] to a tusk elephant’s load?” This man said “Ha.”

After he said it the King gave them. Thereupon this man took charge of the guarding of the elephants.

One day when he was guarding the elephants the Rakshasa came. This man asked, “What came you for?”

The Rakshasa said, “It is to eat thee that I came.”

This man said, “What will you eat me for? Eat our King,” he said.

After that, the Rakshasa having come into the city, when he went near the King the King asked, “What hast thou come for?”

The Rakshasa said, “I came to eat you, Sir.”

“Who, Bola, told thee?” the King said.

Thereupon the Rakshasa said, “The man who guards the elephants told me.”

Then the King said, “What will you eat me for? Go thou and eat the man who guards the elephants.” Afterwards the Rakshasa went near the man who guards the elephants.

Thereupon the man asked, “What have you come here again for?”

The Rakshasa said, “The King told me to eat you,” he said.

After that, the man said, “[First] bring the few silver and gold articles that there are of yours,” he said.

The Rakshasa having gone home, after he brought the few silver and gold things this man said to the Rakshasa, “Having come [after] drawing out a creeper, tie a turn on the elephant’s neck and on your neck tie a turn.”

The Rakshasa having come after drawing out a creeper, tied a turn on the elephant’s neck and tied a turn on the Rakshasa’s neck. Afterwards this man said, “Ha; now then, come and eat me.” When the Rakshasa tried to go dragging the elephant, the elephant struck the Rakshasa; then the Rakshasa died.

Afterwards, while this man, taking those few silver and gold things, is guarding the elephants, one day having been soaked owing to the rain when is he squatting at the bottom of a tree, a snake appeared.

This man thinking, “Ane! I must go to warm myself with a little fire,” having gone away, when he looked about there were two Princesses in a rock-house (cave). Having seen them he went near [and said], “Ane! Will you give me a little fire?”

Afterwards the eldest Princess said, “Come here; having warmed yourself a little at the fire go away.”

After that, the man went into the rock-house and warmed himself at the fire, and taking the elephants came to the city, and told the King, “Having seen that in this manner there are two Princesses in a rock-house I came to tell you,” he said.

The King said, “Our elder brother and I and you, we three, let us go to-morrow to fetch the two Princesses.” The man said “Ha.”

On the following day the three persons having gone near the rock-house, that man went near that rock-house and asked for fire. At that time, when the eldest Princess is preparing to give the fire these three persons sprang in, and having drawn the two Princesses outside, when they were seizing them the two Princesses lost their senses. Afterwards restoring them to consciousness they came to the King’s city.

When the mother of these two Princesses [after] seeking food came to the rock-house, these two Princesses were not [there]. After that, when this widow woman is going weeping and weeping along a path, having seen that a great tusk elephant King is on the path this woman said, “Did you meet with my two Princesses?”

The tusk elephant King said, “Two royal thieves and a man who guards the elephants, placing the two Princesses on the back of an elephant went away.”

Afterwards, when this widow woman was going to the city along the path on which they took the tusk elephant she saw that the elder Princess is near the well. This widow woman having become thirsty asked for a little water.

The Princess said, “Go away, widow woman, there is not any water to give thee.”

Afterwards, when this widow woman met with the younger sister’s house, the Princess having been in the house came out, and said, “Our mother!” Quickly having bathed her with coconut milk scented with sandal wood and placed her on the bed, as she is going aside that woman said, “Daughter (pute), go for a little silver and gold for yourself. As you are going along the path on which you came there will be a tusk-elephant King. The tusk-elephant King will give it.”

Afterwards, [when she had got the silver and gold] the Princess and the widow woman went away. They went away with another King.

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.