246 FOLK-TALES OF INDIA.
[The injury to his nose became known to the king.] The king provided his minister with physicians, who healed the end of his nose, and actually made him a false one of lac, so that he again attended on the king as before.
The king of Benares had, however, no son, but only one daughter, and a nephew. He had them, too, both brought up together, under his own eye. When they grew up they became much attached to each other. The king one day sent for his ministers, and said to them, " My nephew shall be governor of this realm; I'll give him my daughter, and install him as king." Having thus spoken, he thought to himself — " My nephew is in every way quite a kinsman, wherefore I'll get another king's daughter for him, and inaugurate him as king. I'll give my daughter to another king, and so I shall have many kinsfolk, and I shall be the suzerain of the two kings." He took counsel with his ministers, saying, " We must separate these two " ; so he caused his nephew to take up his abode in one quarter and his daughter in another. Having come of age, they were very much in love with each other.
The young prince thought to himself — " By what means, I wonder, shall I be able to remove my cousin from her father's house? There must be some mode of effecting it," said he. He sent for a celebrated fortune-teller, and gave her one thousand pieces of money.
" What am I to do in this matter ? " asked she. " You know, mother, that all you do turns out well. Only say what means are to be used, and I will carry them out, so that my uncle shall let his daughter be taken from his house."
'* So be it, my lord. I'll go to the king, and thus address him —
- Sire, your daughter is bewitched ;* we must lose no time in awaiting
the ill-luck that will befall her, but must take steps to prevent it. I, on a certain day, will place the king's daughter in a chariot, and, along with many armed men and a great retinue^ will proceed to the cemetery. There, within a magic circle, I will place two couches — on the lower one I'll place a dead man, and on the upper the king's daughter. Her will I bathe with perfumed water from more than eight hundred vessels — and so will cause the ill-luck to be washed away.' ♦ Or " misfortune is (hanging) over your daughter."
