Atondido Stories
eighteen thousand demons who kept watch and ward over the
treasure, told him to be off before she became too angry at her
daughter's foolishness in thus giving away so many good things.
Then the lad did as he had been told bravely. He journeyed on
and on till he came to a milk-white pond, guarded by the eight-
een thousand demons. They were really frightful to behold, but,
plucking up courage, he whistled a tune as he walked through
them, looking neither to the right nor the left. By-and-by he
came upon the Jogi's cow, tall, white, and beautiful, while the
Jogi himself, who was king of all the demons, sat milking her
day and night, and the milk streamed from her udder, filling the
milk-white tank.
The Jogi, seeing the lad, called out fiercely, "What do you
want here?"
Then the lad answered, according to the old hag's bidding, "I
want your skin, for King Indra is making a new kettle-drum, and
says your skin is nice and tough."
Upon this the Jogi began to shiver and shake (for no Jinn or
Jogi dares disobey King Indra's command), and, falling at the
lad's feet, cried, "If you will spare me I will give you anything I
possess, even my beautiful white cow!"
To this the son of seven Queens, after a little pretended hesi-
tation, agreed, saying that after all it would not be difficult to
find a nice tough skin like the Jogi's elsewhere; so, driving the
wonderful cow before him, he set off homewards. The seven
Queens were delighted to possess so marvellous an animal, and
though they toiled from morning till night making curds and
whey, besides selling milk to the confectioners, they could not
use half the cow gave, and became richer and richer day by day.
Seeing them so comfortably off, the son of seven Queens
started with a light heart to marry the Princess; but when
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