He asked at the hand of the next (ekkama) son; that son replied in that very manner.
He asked at the hand of the next son. That son said, “It is good for [enabling] the Mī-flower[1] Princess, and the Nā-flower[2] Princess, and the Blue-Lotus-flower Princess to perambulate on the carriage which they keep.”
Thereupon anger went to the King. Having caused the executioner to be brought, he started off the youngest Prince and the two elder Princes and the executioner, these four persons. He told him to behead the Prince.
At the time when these four were going in the midst of the jungle, there was a Banyan-tree; the four persons sat down in the shade under the Banyan-tree. The youngest Prince having collected a heap of sand and having been [hidden][3] in it, both the elder Princes and the executioner, these three persons, [not seeing him], set out to come away. Having come a considerable distance [the executioner], killing a lizard (kaṭussā) and smearing the blood on the sword, came and told the King, “I beheaded him.” The King took it for the fact.
The Prince having arisen, when he looked about, his two elder brothers were not [there], and the executioner was not [there]. Because there was not a place to go to he went to sleep again under that very Banyan-tree.
Having arisen in the morning, when he looked there was no water, no food. Having climbed up the tree, he saw that water was pouring down at the margin of a rocky hill. He descended from the Banyan-tree, and went along looking constantly at the hill. Taking a little water [at it], and washing his face, at the time when he was going up the hill a bee came, and turned (flew) round his head; then he struck at the bee. A second time having come it turned round his head; a second time he struck at it. Having come even the third time, when it was turning round his head he thought, “I must look for [the hive of] this.”
On the hill there were rocks. Having come [and found the hive], sitting down at them he drew out the comb. Having drawn it out, when he looked in the hive (mīya) there was an ash-pumpkin [flower]. He took out the ash-pumpkin [flower], and when he looked in it there was a Princess.[4] Having gone away, taking the Princess also, after sitting down under a Nā-tree and looking and looking around, eating and eating the honey he gave to the Princess also. This Princess in a day or two became big.
Beneath that very Nā-tree they stayed for three days. While one day sitting below the same Nā-tree, when he looked upward in the Nā-tree there was a large flower, a kind of ash-pumpkin [flower], in the Nā-tree. He went up the tree for that flower also, and plucking the flower descended. After having thrown away the petals, when he looked [inside] there was a Princess. He gave honey to the Princess, and they remained under the same Nā-tree.
After four days they set out from beneath the Nā-tree. In a day or two these two Princesses were [as big as though their age was] twelve years. Having gone along in the jungle, they came out at a certain country, and went to the house of a widow-Mahagē (an old woman of good connections), and stayed there. The widow-Mahagē eats by pounding paddy at the King’s house and being given the rice-dust. She gave [some] to these three persons also; the two Princesses and the Prince were unable to eat it, they said.
At that time the widow-Mahagē having gone near the King says, “O King, Your Majesty, at the place where I live, two Princesses and a Prince having come thus, are staying.”