by accompanying their mothers to the places where they worked, and assisting them. Boodhu collected cow-dung cakes for his mother, and Bhootoom lightened the toil of his mother by feeding the fledglings in the Zoo. Their attentions to their mothers did not stop here. When these ladies suffered greatly for want of the means of subsistence, Boodhu brought them delicious fruits of every description. Bhootoom, not to be outdone, brought in his beak a plentiful supply of betel-nuts. Thus the two discarded Ranis passed their days in sad privation and distress, only relieved by the devotion of the monkey and the owl, their children.
One day the princes rode on their fleet horses towards the menagerie. On their way they saw the monkey and the owl on the bakul tree, and said to their bodyguards, "Lay hold of the owl and the monkey, and bring them to us. We will keep them with us." On this, the attendants cast a net round the tree, and Bhootoom and Boodhu, unable to break through it, were caught and were taken to the palace, each in a cage; the princes being entirely ignorant of their connection with their captives.
Their mothers, on returning home from their work, found Bhootoom and Boodhu absent, and fearing some mishap, they threw themselves on the ground and rent the air with their cries.
On coming to the palace, Bhootoom and Boodhu were speechless with wonder at what they saw. There were spacious halls, elephants, horses, soldiers, sentinels, and many other astonishing things. They were greatly pleased, and thought thus: "Why do our mothers live in the hut? Why can't they and we live here together?" They then gave expression to their thoughts, and addressing the princes, said, "O princes, our brothers, you have brought us here, but why is it that you do not do the same with our mothers?"
The princes were astonished to find them talking like human beings, but they replied, "Tell us where your mothers are, and we will have them fetched into the Zoo, where they
