Vicram Maharajah was hidden behind the image and heard her, and said—
“Champa Ranee Nautch girl, your prayer is heard!” (She thought the idol himself was speaking to her, and listened attentively.) “This is what you must do: sell all you possess, and give the money to the poor; you must also give money to all your servants and dismiss them. Level also your house to the ground, that you may be wholly separated from earth. Then you will be fit for heaven. Come, having done all I command you, on this day week to this place, and you shall be transported thither body and soul.”
Champa Ranee believed what she heard, and forgetful of Vicram Maharajah Parrot’s threat, hastened to do as she was bidden. She sold her possessions, and gave all the money to the poor; razed her house to the ground, and dismissed her servants; which being accomplished, on the day appointed she went to the temple, and sat on the edge of a well outside it, explaining to the assembled people how the idol himself had spoken to her, and how they would shortly see her caught up to heaven, and thus her departure from the world would be even more celebrated than her doings whilst in it. All the people listened eagerly to her words, for they believed her inspired, and to see her ascension the whole city had come out, with hundreds and hundreds of strangers and travelers, princes, merchants and nobles, from far and near, all full of expectation and curiosity.
Then, as they waited, a fluttering of little wings was heard, and a parrot flew over Champa Ranee’s head, calling out, “Nautch girl! Nautch girl! what have you done?” Champa Ranee recognized the voice as Vicram’s; he went on: “Will you go body and soul to heaven? have you forgotten polly’s words?”
Champa Ranee rushed into the temple, and, falling on her knees before the idol, cried out, “Gracious Power, I have done all as you commanded; let your words come true; save me; take me to heaven.”
But the Parrot above her cried, “Good-bye, Champa Ranee, good-bye; you ate a chicken’s head, not mine. Where is your house now? where your servants and all your possessions? Have my words come true, think you, or yours?”
Then the woman saw all, and in her rage and despair, cursing her own folly, she fell violently down on the floor of the temple, and dashing her head against the stone, killed herself.
It was now two years since the Rajah Vicram left his kingdom; and about six months before, Butti, in despair of his ever returning, had set out to seek for him. Up and down through many countries had he gone, searching for his master, but without success. As good fortune would have it, however, he chanced to be one of those strangers who had come to witness the Nautch girl’s translation, and no sooner did he see the Parrot which spoke to her than in him he recognized Vicram. The Rajah also saw him, and flew on to his shoulder, upon which Butti caught him, put him in a cage and took him home.
Now was a puzzling problem to be solved. The Rajah’s soul was in the Parrot’s body, and the Carpenter’s son’s soul in the Rajah’s body. How was the latter to be expelled to make way for the former? He could not return to his own body, for that had perished long before. The Wuzeer knew not how to manage the matter, and determined therefore to await the course of events.
It happened that the pretended Rajah and Butti each had a fighting ram, and one day the Rajah said to the Wuzeer, “Let us set our rams to fight to-day, and try the strength of mine against yours.” “Agreed,” answered the Wuzeer; and they set them to fight. But there was much difference in the two rams; for when Butti’s ram was but a lamb, and his horns were growing, Butti had tied him to a lime tree, and his horns had got very strong indeed by constantly rubbing against its tender stem and butting against it; but the Carpenter’s son had tied his ram, when a lamb, to a young teak tree, the trunk of which was so stout and strong that the little creature, butting against it, could make no impression on it, but only damaged and loosened his own horns.