She bowed her head and sat down on a big scarlet cushion , drawing her little boy , who was asleep in a corner , on to her knee , and began to tell the story of her life . As her brother listened , he would fain have left the house and hidden himself in the forest , but it was his duty to wave the fan of peacock 's feathers over the king 's head to keep off the flies , and he knew he would be seized by the royal guards if he tried to desert his post . He must stay where he was , there was no help for it , and luckily for him the king was too much interested in the tale to notice that the fan had ceased moving , and that flies were dancing right on the top of his thick curly hair . The story went on , but the story-teller never once looked at the prince , even through her veil , though he on his side never moved his eyes from her . When she reached the part where she had sat weeping in the tree , the king 's son could restrain himself no longer . ` It is my wife , ' he cried , springing to where she sat with the sleeping child in her lap . ` They have lied to me , and you are not dead after all , nor the boy either ! But what has happened ? Why did they lie to me ? and why did you leave my house where you were safe ? ' And he turned and looked fiercely at his father . ` Let me finish my tale first , and then you will know , ' answered she , throwing back her veil , and she told how her brother had come to the palace and accused her of being a witch , and had tried to persuade the king to slay her . ` But he would not do that , ' she continued softly , ` and after all , if I had stayed on in your house , I should never have met the snake , nor have got my hand back again . So let us forget all about it , and be happy once more , for see ! our son is growing quite a big boy . ' ` And what shall be done to your brother ? ' asked the king , who was glad to think that someone had acted in this matter worse than himself . ` Put him out of the town , ' answered she . From ` Swaheli Tales , ' by E. Steere . The Bones of Djulung In a beautiful island that lies in the southern seas , where chains of gay orchids bind the trees together , and the days and nights are equally long and nearly equally hot , there once lived a family of seven sisters .
Their father and mother were dead , and they had no brothers , so the eldest girl ruled XXXXX the rest , and they all did as she bade them .
As From at by for if in on over to