He walked on , thinking still that he must be dreaming . Very soon he retired to rest in a splendid room , far grander than anything he had ever dreamed of . When morning dawned he woke , and found that the palace , and himself , and his servants were all real , and that he was not dreaming after all ! If he was dumbfounded , the merchant , who was ushered into his presence soon after sunrise , was much more so . He told Wali Dad that he had not slept all night , and by the first streak of daylight had started to seek out his friend . And what a search he had had ! A great stretch of wild jungle country had , in the night , been changed into parks and gardens ; and if it had not been for some of Wali Dad 's new servants , who found him and brought him to the palace , he would have fled away under the impression that his trouble had sent him crazy , and that all he saw was only imagination . Then Wali Dad told the merchant all that had happened . By his advice he sent an invitation to the king and princess of Khaistan to come and be his guests , together with all their retinue and servants , down to the very humblest in the camp . For three nights and days a great feast was held in honour of the royal guests . Every evening the king and his nobles were served on golden plates and from golden cups ; and the smaller people on silver plates and from silver cups ; and each evening each guest was requested to keep the places and cups that they had used as a remembrance of the occasion . Never had anything so splendid been seen . Besides the great dinners , there were sports and hunting , and dances , and amusements of all sorts . On the fourth day the king of Khaistan took his host aside , and asked him whether it was true , as he had suspected , that he wished to marry his daughter . But Wali Dad , after thanking him very much for the compliment , said that he had never dreamed of so great an honour , and that he was far too old and ugly for so fair a lady ; but he begged the king to stay with him until he could send for the Prince of Nekabad , who was a most excellent , brave , and honourable young man , and would surely be delighted to try to win the hand of the beautiful princess . To this the king agreed , and Wali Dad sent the merchant to Nekabad , with a number of attendants , and with such handsome presents that the prince came at once , fell head over ears in love with the princess , and married her at Wali Dad 's palace amidst a fresh outburst of rejoicings . And now the King of Khaistan and the Prince and Princess of Nekabad , each went back to their own country ; and Wali Dad lived to a good old age , befriending all who were in trouble and preserving , in his prosperity , the simple-hearted and generous nature that he had when he was only Wali Dad Gunjay , the grass cutter . -LSB- Told the author by an Indian . -RSB- Tale of a Tortoise and of a Mischievous Monkey Once upon a time there was a country where the rivers were larger , and the forests deeper , than anywhere else . Hardly any men came there , and the wild creatures had it all to themselves , and used to play all sorts of strange games with each other .
The great trees , chained one XXXXX the other by thick flowering plants with bright scarlet or yellow blossoms , were famous hiding-places for the monkeys , who could wait unseen , till a puma or an elephant passed by , and then jump on their backs and go for a ride , swinging themselves up by the creepers when they had had enough .
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