348 01^ SIAMESE LITERATURE. 



The King aghast at the sight calls on Phra-rot for assistance, who 

 touches tlie Yak with one end of the enchanted rod — and by thus killing 

 her enables the twelve Princesses to regain their places in the palace, 

 together with their eyes which Phra-rot replaces in the sockets and heals 

 up with one of the drugs brought with him. 



However extravagant or puerile this story is, it still affords traces of 

 the prevalent ideas of the people amongst whom it originated — and it has 

 seemingly been derived from Indian legends. 



Nang Champa-thang, or the Princess of the golden champa flower. 

 This Princess finds an alligator's egg which she keeps until it is hatched. 

 The alligator grows large, and then escapes to the river, and afterwards 

 distresses the peasants, killing and devouring numbers. The people inform 

 the King of the country that the animal will not leave the river unless 

 he sacrifices his daughter to appease it. To save his people the King orders 

 the Princess to descend to the bank of the river. She takes with her a 

 favorite cat Nang-wlla, and entices the animal on shore, which follows 

 her beyond her father's territory. Here she plunges into a lake and is 

 received into the cup of a lotus. The alligator pursuing falls on the spikes 

 of the huge flower and is killed. The cat dissuades the Princess from 

 returning home after the cruelty shewn towards her. She is caught by 

 Chang thau sing ho n Yaksa, a RaksJia, who adopts her as his daugh- 

 ter. Phra Chaiya chet. King of a neighbouring territory, having gone 

 upon a hunting expedition gives chace to a golden deer which crosses his 

 path. This deer is Indra in disguise, who leads the King to the Yaks 

 palace where he disappears, and as usual, a love scene ensues, which 

 ends in the Princess returning with the King to his city. The Queen 

 of the latter becomes jealous and falsely accuses her rival of having 

 been brought to bed of a log of wood : — matters are however amicably 

 adjusted. 



Lok sua Mo— The young tiger and bull. Leyden notices this as an 

 account of the friendship which existed betwixt a tiger and bull, and of 

 their being afterwards changed into men by a Rishi. 



