AT a city there is a certain King; a widow lives at a house near his palace. She subsists by going to this royal palace and pounding rice there; having handed it over she takes away the rice powder and lives on it. During the time while she was getting a living in this way she bore a frog, which she reared there. When it was grown up, the King of that city caused this proclamation to be made by beat of tom-toms: “I will give half my kingdom, and goods amounting to an elephant’s load, to the person who brings the Jewelled Golden Cock 1 that is at the house of the Rākshasī (Ogress).” Every one said of it that it could not be done. The widow’s Frog having heard the King’s proclamation, said to the widow, “Mother, I will bring the Jewelled Golden Cock. Cook a bundle of rice and give me it.” Having heard the Frog’s words, the widow cooked a bundle of rice and gave it to him. The Frog took the bundle of rice, and hanging it from his shoulder went to an Indi (wild Date) tree, scraped the leaf off a Date spike (the mid-rib of the leaf), and strung the rice on it. While going away after stringing it, the Frog then became like a very good-looking royal Prince, and a horse and clothing for him made their appearance there. [Page 68] Putting on the clothes he mounted the horse, and making it bound along he went on till he came to a city. Hearing that he had arrived, the King of that city prepared quarters for this Prince to stay at, and having given him ample food and drink, asked, “Where art thou going ?” Then the Prince said: “The King of our city has made a proclamation by beat of tom-toms, that he will give half his kingdom and an elephant’s load of gold to the person who brings him the Jewelled Golden Cock that is at the Rākshasī’s house. Because of it I am going to fetch the Jewelled Golden Cock” The King, being pleased with the Prince on account of it, gave him a piece of charcoal. “Should you be unable to escape from the Rākshasī while returning after taking the Jewelled Golden Cock, tell this piece of charcoal to be created a fire-fence, and cast it down,” he said. Taking it, he went to another city. The King of that city in that very manner having prepared quarters, and made ready and given him food and drink, asked, “Where art thou going ?” The Prince replied in the same words, “I am going to bring the Jewelled Golden Cock that is at the house of the Rākshasī.” That King also being pleased on account of it gave him a stone, “Should you be unable to escape from the Rākshasī, tell this stone to be created a mountain, and cast it down,” he said. Taking the charcoal and the stone which those two Kings gave him, he went to yet another city. The King also in that very manner having given him quarters, and food and drink, asked, “Where art thou going ?” The Prince in that very way said, “I am going to bring the Jewelled Golden Cock.” That King also being greatly pleased gave him a thorn. “Should you be unable to escape from the