Page:Swahili tales.djvu/407

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THE SPIRIT AND THE SULTAN'S SON.
387

that I may show you." And he said, "Get up yourself first, and play, that when I see you, father, I may get to play." And he got up, and played. And he took hold of him and pushed him into the cauldron, and he boiled with the ghee and died.

And the boy ran away and went till he saw the horse under the tree, and it came running. And the horse came and took him up and put him on its back, and said, "Now let us be off." And they went away.

Those companions there of his came, and looked for him, and did not see him. And they were getting very hungry, and they looked into the cauldron, and saw the food was done, and they said, "Let us eat this food;" and they took it off and dished it up and ate. And when they had done they looked for him and did not find him. And they went into the house and took out all the food and all the rice; and they came and cooked and ate the second day also, and they saw he was not yet come, and they went away home.

And the boy, he and his horse went, till far off there were other towns, and they stopped at the end of a town. And he said, "Here let us stay;" and they stayed and ate food. And he said, "Here let us build a house;" and they built a large house and everything within it, and they put in it horses, and asses, and oxen, and goats, and slaves, and they remained.

Till one day the Sultan heard of it, and went and sent people, and they went to look whether the news was true that there was a large house; and the people said, "It is true, Sultan, there is a large house."

And the Sultan sent his people to see who it was. And he told them, "I am a person like other people." And they said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said, "I come from our town, and am come travelling."