66 Indian Fairy Tales.
ceased. " Ah/' said the alligator, looking at the rnby, *' I swallowed that one day when I was drinking." And he gave the ruby to the man, saying, *' In return for your kindness I will give you this ruby. It is a very precious stone." (In old days every Raji possessed such a ruby ; now very few Rijis, if any, have one.) The poor man thanked the alliga<* tor, put the ruby into his cloth, and went on his way till he came to the camel, who said, " Did you ask your fate why I have to carry these two sacks of gold ?** " I did," said the man, and he took the sacks off the camel's back. How happy and grateful the camel felt ! '^ How kind of you," he said to the man, to take the sacks off. Now I can eat, now I can drink, and now I can lie down. Because you have been so kind to me, I give you the two sacks of gold, and I will carry them and your bundle home to your house for you, and then I will come back and live here in the jungle." Then the poor man put the two sacks of gold and his bundle on the camel, who carried them to his house. When he got there, he took the sacks and his bundle off the camel, who thanked him again for his kindness and went back to his jungle feeling very glad at having got rid of his heavy burthen.
When the poor man's wife and children saw the gold and jewels and the ruby, they cried, " Where did you get these ?" And the man told them his whole story. And he bought food for his wife and children, and gave them a beautiful house and got them clothes, for now fee was very rich.
Another poor man who was not quite, but nearly, as poor as this man had been, asked him where he had got his riches.
- I got them out of a river," answered the man. " I drew
the water with a bucket, and in every bucketful there was gold." The other man started off to the river and began drawing up water in a bucket. " Stop, stop I " cried an alliga- tor, who was the king of the fishes ; " you are taking all the water out of the river and my fishes will die." " I want
