“What did you say?” said the Siddhi-kur, leaning forward.
Another gurgle, and the Prince turned his head, whereat the Siddhi-kur burst into a merry peal of laughter, for wedged between the lad’s teeth was a piece of wood, making speech impossible. [[181]]
“You are a wiser youth than I thought,” said the Siddhi-kur, when he had a little recovered from his mirth. “Did you put that wedge in your mouth before I began my tale, so that you could not speak, no matter how much you wanted to?”
The Khan’s son nodded.
The Siddhi-kur settled back in his sack with a sigh. “You have won,” he said, “and I might as well resign myself to my fate! Farewell, dear mango tree and lovely garden of ghost children! Farewell, for now I must dwell far away in another cool grove beside the cave of Nagarguna, on the Shining Mountain!
“But I suppose you really deserve to know the ending of my story,” he continued, in a more cheerful tone, “though you might guess the rest for yourself.
“Of course, the princess went back to her father, who was nigh dead with repentance now that his wrath had cooled, and Sunshine hastened to the cave in the desert to relieve the minds of the good [[182]]old hermit and Moonshine, his faithful brother. And then, of course, there was a great royal wedding, a double one—for not only did Sunshine marry the lovely princess, but Moonshine found an almost equally beautiful bride in her younger sister.
“The prophecy which the Khan had dreaded so long came true, but in a very different way than he had expected. He did indeed lose his throne and crown to a strange lad, but he gave them up of his own free will to Sunshine, because he loved the boy so, and because he was old and weary and had no greater wish in life than to see his son and daughter ruling quietly and prosperously over his kingdom. So they all lived happily ever after. And—oh, yes!—they soon paid a visit to Sunshine’s father and found him grown old and gray, sorrowing for his two dear sons. The wicked queen had meanwhile died, just because she was too wicked to [[183]]live. So everybody was happy and satisfied.”
A look of great contentment and relief settled upon the face of the Prince, and he moved briskly on again in the direction of the Shining Mountain. At last they saw it gleaming in the distance.
“And now, O Prince,” said the Siddhi-kur, “we are nearing the end of our journey. Keep well the lesson of silence you have learned with such pain and labor, for a king who thinks much and speaks little will be a wise monarch, and his people will dwell in peace, happiness and prosperity under his sway.”