A KING of a single city had one son, who was a Prince of five years. At that time, a Yakā 1 having settled in that kingdom began to devour the people of the city, and by reason of this the whole city was like to be abandoned. At last, the King and the men of the city, making great efforts, seized the Yakā, and having made an iron house, put him in it, and shut the door. At that time it became necessary for the King of the city to go to war. After he had gone off to the war, when the King’s son one day had opened the door of the house in which was the man-eating Yakā, and was looking at him, the Yakā fell down, and made obeisance to him, and signifying his misery to the Prince, began to weep. So the Prince, pitying him, told the Yakā to go away. Then the Yakā, saying to the Prince, “It is good. I will assist you, too,” went away. After he had left, when the Prince had gone home the King who had gone to the war returned, having conquered. When he looked at the room in which the Yakā had been, the door was open. The King asked who had opened the door. The Queen replied that the Prince opened it. Then the King said, “To-morrow I must behead that wicked Prince.” The Queen, being sorry at this, having tied up a packet of cooked rice, and given it and money to the Prince, and having given him a horse and sword, said, “ The King has settled to behead you to-morrow for letting the Yakā escape. Go away at night to any country you like." [Page 138] So the Prince, taking the money and the bundle of cooked rice, and the sword, mounted the horse, and set off to go to another country. There was a travellers’ shed at the road along which he was going. As he was unable to go further on account of weariness, he went that night to the travellers’ shed ; and having fastened the horse to one of the posts of the shed, he lay down, placing the bundle of rice at his side. Then seeing a youth running along the road, he called him, and asked, “Boy, where art thou going ?” The boy said, “I am going to a place where they give to eat and to wear.” Then the Prince said, “I will give you pay. Stop and look after my horse.” The youth said, “It is good. I will stay.” The Prince said, “I do not know the fords in this country ; therefore tell me of a path by which we can go to another country.” The youth replied, “There is a river here. On the other side of it there is a city, to go to which there is not a short road from here. However, there is another road further on. By it we must pass over a bridge.” “If so,” said the Prince, “having bathed here let us go.” Having seen that three Princesses who were at the city on the other side were bathing, he also was pleased at bathing there. After he had gone to bathe, the three Princesses of the King of the country on the other side, when they looked saw the good figure of this Prince. After that, as the Prince wished to go after bathing, the youth who was to look after the horse having mounted it, began to ride