"I'm not afraid," said the young man. "Her Majesty is not my enemy."
"Very well, I'll give you some of my milk, but beware of the queen. Look here," said the tigress, taking him to an immense rock, "I'll let a drop of my milk fall on this rock and you'll see what happens." As soon as she did so, the rock split into a thousand pieces! "You see the power of my milk. Yet if that queen were to drink the whole of my milk, it would not have the slightest effect on her. She is an ogress, I tell you. Go and see for yourself."
The young man returned and gave the milk to the king, who took it to his wife. She drank all of it in one gulp and pretended to be cured. The king was very impressed with the young man and promoted him to a higher position. But the queen was determined to put an end to him and was still plotting. After some days, she pretended to be ill again, and told the king, "I'm getting ill again, but don't worry about me. My grandfather lives in the same jungle as the tigress who gave the young man her milk. He has a special medicine that would cure me. Please ask the brave young man to go and get it for me. "
So the young man started out again, and when he passed the fakir, the fakir said to him, "Where are you going?" The young man told him.
"Don't go," said the fakir. "This man is an ogre and will certainly kill you." But the young man was not to be talked out of it. "You must go? Then go, but listen to me first. When you see the ogre, call him Grandfather. He will ask you to scratch his back, which you must do---but do it very roughly." |
