Atondido Stories
The Son of Seven Queens
Once upon a time there lived a King who had seven Queens, but
no children. This was a great grief to him, especially when he re-
membered that on his death there would be no heir to inherit the
kingdom.
Now it happened one day that a poor old fakir came to the
King, and said, "Your prayers are heard, your desire shall be ac-
complished, and one of your seven Queens shall bear a son."
The King's delight at this promise knew no bounds, and he
gave orders for appropriate festivities to be prepared against the
coming event throughout the length and breadth of the land.
Meanwhile the seven Queens lived luxuriously in a splendid
palace, attended by hundreds of female slaves, and fed to their
hearts' content on sweetmeats and confectionery.
Now the King was very fond of hunting, and one day, before
he started, the seven Queens sent him a message saying, "May it
please our dearest lord not to hunt towards the north to-day, for
we have dreamt bad dreams, and fear lest evil should befall
you."
The king, to allay their anxiety, promised regard for their
wishes, and set out towards the south; but as luck would have it,
although he hunted diligently, he found no game. Nor had he
more success to the east or west, so that, being a keen sportsman,
and determined not to go home empty-handed, he forgot all
about his promise, and turned to the north. Here also he was at
first unsuccessful, but just as he had made up his mind to give
up for that day, a white hind with golden horns and silver hoofs
flashed past him into a thicket. So quickly did it pass that he
scarcely saw it; nevertheless a burning desire to capture and pos-
sess the beautiful strange creature filled his breast. He instantly
ordered his attendants to form a ring round the thicket, and so
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