“Your wish shall be granted,” said the king. “I am the master of the garden, and rule it from here through my ministers. There is no living or growing thing there that is not carefully watched, not even a blade of grass.”
And now the young man understood that which had before been a mystery to him, and the love and gratitude he had always felt for his master grew greater. The king commended him for his good conduct and for the manner in which he had acted upon the advice given by the three guards, and as a reward raised him to a position of power and honor.
RASALU, THE FAKIR, AND THE GIANTS
There was once a fakir who had gained such a wide reputation for working wonders that Rájá Rasalu, King of Sialkot, determined to pay him a visit. So one day, accompanied by his retinue, he set out for the village of Tilláh, where the holy man dwelt.
The fakir’s power was so great that he knew of the King’s approach long before he reached the foot of the mountain on one side of which the village was situated, and he said to his disciples, “Rájá Rasalu is on his way here with the purpose of putting my knowledge to the test. He is the son of a Hindoo, and therefore should know better. I have heard that his own power is very great, so I will first put him to the test.”
His pupils agreed with him, but said that he should first change himself into some great animal, so that the King might not know him. The fakir then turned himself into a powerful tiger, and when Rasalu and his followers reached the house they saw this wild beast prowling round.
The King’s attendants were stricken with fear, and said, “How great must be the power of this fakir when even tigers are under his sway! Let us return while we may!”
But the Rájá answered sternly, “A wise man will finish the enterprise upon which he starts, and only a fool will confess to failure.” So he challenged the tiger, and said, “You are indeed a mighty full-grown tiger, but I am a Rájput, therefore let us fight.”
Then the tiger uttered a terrific growl which was like the roar of an earthquake, and prepared to spring. But Rasalu fitted a magic arrow to his bow, and the fakir, knowing its power, immediately vanished.