After journeying many hundreds of weary miles, and having become almost hopeless of hearing anything further of his parents and uncles, he reached a country that was full of rocks and stones and trees, and there he saw a large palace with a high tower, near which was a Malee’s little house.
As he was looking about the Malee’s wife saw him, and ran out of the house and said: “My dear boy, who are you that dare venture to this dangerous place?”
He answered, “I am a Rajah’s son, and I am in search of my father and mother and my uncles, whom a wicked enchanter bewitched.”
Then said the Malee’s wife: “This country and this palace belong to a great Magician, who is all-powerful, and if anyone displeases him he turns them into stones and trees. All the rocks and trees you see here were once living people, and the enchanter turned them into what they now are. Some time ago a Rajah’s son came here, and soon afterwards came his six brothers, and all of them were turned into stones and trees; and these are not the only unfortunate ones, for up in that tower lives a beautiful Princess whom the Magician has kept prisoner there for twelve years, because she hates him and will not marry him.”
The young Prince said to himself, “At last I have found what I seek; these must be my parents and uncles.” So he told his story to the Malee’s wife, and begged her to help him. This she agreed to do, and advised him to disguise himself, lest the Magician should see him and turn him into stone. So she dressed him up in a saree, and pretended that he was her daughter.
One day, not long after this, as the Magician was walking in his garden he saw a little girl (as he thought) playing about, and asked her who she was. She told him she was the Malee’s daughter, and the Magician said, “You are a very pretty little girl, and to-morrow you shall take a present of flowers from me to the beautiful lady who lives in the tower.”
This delighted the young Prince, who went immediately to inform the Malee’s wife.
Now it happened that when Balna was married her husband had given her a small gold ring on which her name was engraved, and she had put it on her little son’s finger when he was a baby, and later on it was enlarged, so that he was still able to wear it. The Malee’s wife advised him to fasten this ring to the bouquet he was to present to his mother, and she would surely recognize it.
This the young Prince did the next day when he took the flowers to the imprisoned Princess. Balna knew the ring at once, and believed the story her son told her of his long search. She told him how the Magician had kept her shut up in the tower for twelve long years because she refused to marry him, and had kept her so closely guarded that there was no hope of release. She begged him to advise her what to do, and at the same time refused to allow him to endanger his own life by attempting to rescue her.
Balna’s son was a very clever boy, and he said: “Dear mother, have no fear; the first thing to do is to find out how far the Magician’s power extends, in order that we may be able to free my father and uncles. You have been angry with him for twelve long years, now speak kindly to him. Say that you have given up all hopes of seeing your husband again, and that you are willing to marry him. Then try to find out where his power lies, and if it is possible to put him to death.”