HIKAYAT PARANG PUTING. 63. 
The incident of a dragon growing too big for a river occurs 
also in the Perak folk-tale Raja Budiman (ed.—Clifford, Singa- 
pore, p. 5) and in the Achehnese //ikayat Banta Ahmat (Snouck 
Hurgronje’s “The Achehnese,” vol. II, p. 142). 
The following is the outline of the story :— 
Prince Dewa Laksana Dewa ruled in fairy-land. His consort 
Chahaya Khairan bore a beautiful daughter Putri Langkam Cha- 
haya. One day when she was plucking flowers in the pleasance, a 
fairy (dewa) Mambang Indra Segara espied her and fell in love. 
He cast a spell on a grass-hopper and sent him to fly and settle on 
the princess and awaken in her thoughts of love. Then wearing 
his creese and burning “as if he would set fairy-land afire,”’ he 
entered the pleasance. The princess sent a maid to call him. His 
hot words of love call forth her reproof and she bids him seek 
her parents. He flies away in dudgeon and resolves to bring a 
sickness upon her. He is sleepless till the dawn when “ the 
eocks crowed, the birds of paradise (chénderawasel) sang in the 
heavens, parrots sang in the angsoka trees, parroquets on the 
boughs of the nagasarit, mynahs on the chémpaka trees and a 
drizzle of rain made all the flowers in the garden bloom.” 
After waiting seven days he charms (puja) a frangipanni 
flower and throws it into the bosom of the princess as she and her 
maids are picking flowers. She becomes pregnant. Her father 
curses her and changing her into the form of an ugly mortal wo- 
man casts her down into the world. She bears a child in the 
forest. ‘She lives in an abandoned hut, at first begging rice and 
cooking-pots and later pounding rice for hire. One day in her 
absence, while her boy is playing under the house, a stranger offers 
to sell him a young snake for half a coconut-shell full of rice. He 
buys the snake and makes it his plaything day and night. Another 
day he buys a young hawk and later a white rat. The snake grows 
the horns (chula) and claws of a dragon. The boy rides a bout on 
the dragon’s back and other children give fruit in return for per- 
mission to play with the hero. The harbour-master (shahbandar) 
hears of it and sends for the boy who goes riding on his dragon 
with the young hawk flying above his head and the white rat fol- 
lowing. He is given fruit and rice and raiment. The Raja of 
the country hears of the marvel and sends for the boy to come on 
his dragon. He bestows on him rice, raiment and two slaves 
(sahaya). 
One night the dragon who has grown so big he cannot bathe 
in the river without flooding the country decides to run away to 
the lake where his father and himself live. His little master fol- 
lows and overtakes him. The dragon’s grandsire, a terrible beast, 
gives him a ring out of his mouth which in a moment can pro- 
vide food for a thousand men. He bids the boy call upon his 
whilom plaything if ever he needs his help. The hawk and the 
white rat take leave of their dragon play HE Ie. : 
R. A. Soc., No. 85, 1922. 
