One fell dead just beneath the window where
the white Queen was sitting. Looking out, she saw the lad, hale and
hearty, standing before her, and grew whiter than ever with rage and
spite.
She sent for him to ask how he had returned so soon, and when she
heard how kindly her mother had received him, she very nearly had a
fit. However, she dissembled her feelings as well as she could, and,
smiling sweetly, said she was glad to have been able to fulfil her
promise, and that if he would give her this third pigeon, she would
do yet more for him than she had done before, by giving him the
millionfold rice, which ripens in one night.
The lad was of course delighted at the very idea, and, giving up the
pigeon, set off on his quest, armed as before with a potsherd, on
which was written, "Do not fail this time. Kill the lad, and sprinkle
his blood like water!"
But when he looked in on his Princess, just to prevent her becoming
anxious about him, she asked to see the potsherd as usual, and
substituted another, on which was written, "Yet again give this lad
all he requires, for his blood shall be as your blood!"
Now when the old hag saw this, and heard how the lad wanted the
millionfold rice which ripens in a single night, she fell into the
most furious rage, but being terribly afraid of her daughter, she
controlled herself, and bade the boy go and find the field guarded by
eighteen millions of demons, warning him on no account to look back
after having plucked the tallest spike of rice, which grew in the
center.
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