is your solemn council held?' asked the Pundit. 'Oh, very far, far away,' answered the Demon, 'in the depths of the jungle, where our Rajah daily holds his court.'—'I and my friends should like to see the place, and your Rajah, and all his court,' said the Pundit; 'you must take us with you when you go, for we have absolute mastery over all Demons, even over their Rajah himself, and unless you do as we command, we shall be very angry.'— 'Very well,' answered the Demon for he felt quite frightened at the Pundit's fierce words; 'mount on my back, and I'll take you there.' So the Pundit, the Wrestler, and the Pearlshooter all mounted the Demon, and he flew away with them, on, on, on, as fast as wings could cut the air, till they reached the great jungle where the durbar[1] was to be held, and there he placed them all on the top of a high tree just over the Demon Rajah's throne. In a few minutes the Pearlshooter, the Wrestler, and the Pundit heard a rushing noise, and thousands and thousands of Demons filled the place, covering the ground as far as the eye could reach, and thronging chiefly round the Rajah's throne; but they did not notice the men up in the tree above them. Then the Rajah ordered that the evil spirit, who had taken of their treasure to give to mortals, should be brought to judgment; and when they had dragged the culprit into the midst of them, they accused him, and having proved him guilty, would have punished him, but he defended himself stoutly, saying, 'Noble Rajah, those who forced me to fetch them treasure were no ordinary mortals, but great and terrible; they said they ate many Demons; the man eats twelve a day, his wife eats three, and each of his children one. He said, moreover, that he and his friends were more powerful than us all, and ruled your majesty as absolutely as we are ruled by you.' The Demon Rajah answered, 'Let us see these great people of whom you speak, and we will believe you; but—.' At this moment the tree upon which the Pundit, the Pearlshooter, and the Wrestler were broke, and down they all tumbled; first the Wrestler, then the Pearlshooter, and lastly the Pundit, upon the head of the Demon Rajah as he sat in judgment. They seemed to have come down from the sky, so suddenly did they appear, and, being very much alarmed at their awkward position, determined to take the aggressive. So the Wrestler kicked and hugged and beat the Rajah with all his might and main, and the Pearlshooter did likewise, while the Pundit, who was perched up a little higher
- ↑ Council.
