2 MUSANG BEEJANGGUT. 
forest and lea, and after a long while came to a kampong, where 
he begged a night’s lodging. Getting a welcome, he entered 
the house and after bathing and praying brought out his bag of 
provisions with the request that a meal might be prepared him. 
The house-wife gave the bag to her daughter Maimunah who 
when she saw all the provisions commingled got ready a meal 
from her parents’ own rice. Meanwhile Kemala-al-arifin had 
watched her. Thought he, This is not the girl I desire for 
my wife; to-morrow I must set out again in search of a true 
woman.’ Soon the morrow, he set out again. 
Now in the land of Askalan Rum there lived a poor old 
husbandman, by name Paman, who had a daughter Dang Sri 
Arif Laksana known to all the country round as the Fair Maid, 
fifteen years of age and of ashrewd wit. One day on his way 
home from the neighbouring hamlet, Paman met Kemala-al- 
arifin, who besought the favour of a night’s shelter. Paman 
consented. On their way, Kemala-al-arifin related his travels 
and declared that the object of his quest was a kitchenless 
house: he amazed Paman by opening his umbrella in jungle 
shade while in the heat of open spaces he closed it ; by donning 
his shoes in sloughs and doffing them onthe clean road. 
When they had reached the house, and Paman had invited his 
guest to enter, Kemala-al-arifin produced his bag and begged 
that a meal might be prepared from its contents. Paman passed 
the bag to his daughter, who when she saw all manner of 
provisions commingled carefully separated rice from sugar, fish 
from coconut. Kemala-al-arifin was delighted at the girl’s 
industry and thought “ Now at last is my desire accomplished.”’ 
The meal over, Paman related to Mita his wile the strange 
conduct of theic guest by the way. His daughter solved the 
puzzles. The mosque, she explained, was the house he sought : 
the- umbrella was opened in the forest to keep off droppings 
from the trees; the shoes donned in sloughs, because in them 
one cannot see thorns and so on. Kermala-al-arifin overhears 
her solution of the puzzles and is still more delighted. Next 
morning he begs Paman for his daughter’s hand to the joy of 
the old husbandman. A grand wedding (which is described at 
length with great detail) takes place. Three months later the 
Jour, Straits Branch 
