diamond ring to fit your little finger.' But Surya Bai did not hear him, she was fast asleep.
He next tried to force open the door again, but it was too strong for him. In his efforts, however, he had broken off one of his finger-nails—(now the nail of a Rakshas is most poisonous)—which he left sticking in the crack of the door when he went away.
Next morning Surya Bai opened all the doors in order to look down on the world below; but when she came to the seventh door a sharp thing, which was sticking in it, ran into her hand, and immediately she fell down dead.
At that same moment the two poor old Eagles returned from their long twelvemonth's journey, bringing a beautiful diamond ring, which they had fetched for their little favourite from the Red Sea.
There she lay on the threshold of the nest, beautiful as ever, but cold and dead.
The Eagles could not bear the sight; so they placed the ring on her finger, and then, with loud cries, flew off to return no more.
But a little while after there chanced to come by a great Rajah, who was out on a hunting expedition. He came with hawks, and hounds, and attendants, and horses, and pitched his camp under the tree in which the Eagles' nest was built. Then looking up he saw, amongst the topmost branches, what appeared like a queer little house, and he sent some of his attendants to see what it was. They soon returned, and told the Rajah that up in the tree was a curious thing like a cage, having seven iron doors, and that on the threshold of the first door lay a fair maiden, richly dressed; that she was dead, and that beside her stood a little dog and a little cat.
At this the Rajah commanded that they should be fetched down, and when he saw Surya Bai he felt very sad to think that she was dead. And he took her hand to feel if it were already stiff; but all her limbs were supple, nor had she become cold, as the dead are cold; and, looking again at her hand, the Rajah saw that a sharp thing, like a long thorn, had run into the tender palm, almost far enough to pierce through to the back of her hand.
He pulled it out, and no sooner had he done so than Surya Bai opened her eyes, and stood up, crying, 'Where am I? and who are you? Is it a dream, or true?'
