64 HIKAYAT PARANG PUTING. 
The hero’s mother is in great distress at the disappearance of 
her son. On his return he loses his way in the forest. His 
dragon’s granddam, angry at hearing that the magic ring has been 
given to the- boy, sends a warrior dragon to ask for it back in re- 
turn for a magic stick. The dragon finds the boy. When he goes 
to bathe in a pool, the boy siezes the stick and striking the pool 
thrice prevents the dragon from leaving it. He hurries away, tak- 
ing the magic stick. He hears the sound of men felling in the 
jungle and going near espies a masterless knife (parang puting) 
felling a tree. At sight of him the knife runs off to a hut where 
an old man lives. The hero spends the night at the hut and shak- 
ing his magic stick provides food for them both. The old man 
gives him in return for the magic stick his knife which will obey 
all behests and can enlarge itself and fight foes. Our hero reaches 
home and goes to pay his greeting to the harbour-master. Always 
he provides cooked food for his mother and himself by means of 
the magic ring. : 
Now the ruler of the country, Raja Indra Mahadewa was 
childless. He went to the island Chahaya Permana (OQ ») 
to pay vows that he may get an heir. He and his consort bathed 
in a lake on the island, prayed and burnt incense. Betara Kala 
heard the prayer and dropped a manggo in the king’s path as he 
went up from the lake. There was no manggo tree in the neigh- 
bourhood. The king accepted it as a sign, and he and his wife 
partook of the fruit. On their return a dragon bars the bark’s way 
and the king induces him to desist by promising that his child if 
a girl shall be the dragon’s wife, if a boy his friend. The queen 
bears a daughter ‘“ Princess Mengindra, First Day of the Moon.” 
The dragon “king sends a lobster to see if the king has got a child. 
The legeicn hiding at a royal landing-stage hears cance erumbling 
at having to carry up bathing water for the princess. He bids a 
prawn enter one of the water-vessels and report on the beauty of 
the prince:s. ‘The lobster conveys the tale of her loveliness to the 
dragon king. ‘The dragon king sends one of his warrior dragons 
to block the estuary of “the country of Raja Indra Mengindra “and 
flood the land so that he may remember his promise. "A warrior 
goes down to the estuary and questions the dragon. The king asks 
fon three months’ grace, wherein to prepare for the nuptials. His 
viziers advise him to offer his daughter’s hand to whosoever can 
worst the dragon king. The king sends missives accordingly to 
the neighbouring princess and all accept the offer. He puts his 
daughter on a raft in an iron chest and all the princes who have 
accepted the challenge on other rafts and sends them down to the 
estuary where the dragon waits. Leaving the hawk and the white 
rat to look after his mother, our hero takes his magic ring and 
knife and goes aboard the princess’ raft where he is allowed to 
stay. At the estuary the waiting dragon scatters the rafts of the 
princes with his breath and bids our hero leave the raft of the 
princess. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
