Next day, when the Court was full, the Rajah addressed all his people, and said: “I am resolved to give up my throne and all I possess to this man; for last night, unknown to me, he was willing to give up, not only his son’s life but his own, and the lives of all his family, in order to save mine, and for my sake.”
The poor servant was deeply touched and astonished at the turn matters had so unexpectedly taken, but the Rajah was firm in his resolve, and left his throne and his kingdom.
The servant then became Rajah, and ruled wisely and well to the end of his days.
THE PAINTED JACKAL
A jackal had the habit of visiting the kitchens of several people at night and eating whatever it could find.
One day, in visiting the house of a dyer, it put its head into a deep vessel containing blue dye, and, finding the mixture was not good to eat, tried to get its head out again, but could not do so for some time. When at last it managed to escape, its head was dyed a beautiful dark blue colour.
He ran away into the jungles, glad to escape, and unconscious of his strange appearance; but the other animals in the jungle thought some new animal had come, and were quite charmed, so that they created him their King.
They divided up all the wild creatures, and put their new King next to the jackals, so that when they cried out at nights, he cried too, and nobody found out that he was only a jackal.
But one day some young jackals made him angry, so he turned them out and ordered the wolves and foxes to remain nearest to him.