HIKAYAT PUSPA WIRAJA. 
99 
This story occurs in the Persian “ Tales of a Parrot,” where a 
sick prince sends a parrot to wet fruit of the tree of life. The parrot 
gets it but tells the story of Solomon and the Water of Life — which 
inset tale alone occurs in the Malay lit. Bayan Budiman. The first 
fruit taken by an old man had been poisoned by a serpent. The 
parrot doomed to death gets another fruit and by it restores an 
old woman to youth and beauty, and so the parrot escapes death. 
In a Canarese story Katlia Manjari the fruit is a youth-giving 
mango; the parrot is killed; the real virtue of the fruit is dis- 
covered by a washerman’s mother who eats it to commit suicide 
but finds herself restored to youth. The king stabs himself for 
sorrow. There is a similar story in the Tamil Alakesa Katlia 
(pp. 174-6 (Houston’s “ Flowers from a Persian Garden,” London 
1890 and “Group of Eastern Romances and Stories,” 1889). 
So the executioners took the lads to the western gate. Here 
again the keeper refuses to open the gate and tells the tale of the 
snake and the mongoose. 
“ Once a peasant and his wife went to work in the rice-fields, 
leaving their baby in the care of a pet mongoose. A snake crept 
out and bit the child so that it died. The mongoose thereupon 
tore the snake to pieces and hid his body underneath some rolled- 
up mats: after which the mongoose with bloodied mouth lay to 
rest in the doorway. The peasants returned, saw the dead baby 
and the bloodied mongoose and, suspecting him of killing the baby, 
slew their pet. 
Then opening the mat to make a shroud for the baby’s corpse 
they saw the dead snake and realized too late how the mongoose 
had fought for their child.” 
So the executioners turned to the north gate, where the keeper 
hearing there has been no proper trial tells the tale of the faithful 
watch-dog. 
“ Once a poor man and his wife owned a pet dog. The man 
went to sea to earn a livelihood and the wife encouraged a lover. 
At last the husband returned and was made welcome by his false 
wife. A't night he had to return to watch his ship. So the 
woman’s lover came. The dog killed false wife and lover. In the 
morning the man came up from his boat, saw his wife’s corpse and 
speared the dog before he discovered her lover’s body. His re- 
morse for killing the faithful dog was great.” 
Day broke and the four gate-keepers went to the chief astro- 
loger and arranged to intercede 'for the two lads. The king con- 
sents to hear their case, discovers to his joy that they are his sons; 
sends for their mother and believes the captain when he declares 
a fierce heat has always prevented him from approaching her. 
Amid great rejoicings the royal family ite re-united. 
After some years Puspa Wiraja grows old and resolves to 
abdicate in favour of Java Indra, his son. An elaborate bathing- 
house ( puncha persada) of 17 tiers is erected and after ceremonial 
bathing with limes the young prince is installed. 
R. A. Soc., No. 83, 1921. 
