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 to 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 . Near the rivers huge tortoises were to be found , and though to our eyes a tortoise seems a dull , slow thing , it is wonderful to think how clever they were , and how often they outwitted many of their livelier friends . There was one tortoise in particular that always managed to get the better of everybody , and many were the tales told in the forest of his great deeds . They began when he was quite young , and tired of staying at home with his father and mother . He left them one day , and walked off in search of adventures . In a wide open space surrounded by trees he met with an elephant , who was having his supper before taking his evening bath in the river which ran close by . ` Let us see which of us two is strongest , ' said the young tortoise , marching up to the elephant .
` Very well , ' replied the elephant , much amused at the impertinence of the little creature ; ` when would you like the trial XXXXX be ? '
In Near at by on than till to whether with