of their father's sacrifice.


When he had told this remarkable story, the goblin on the king's
shoulder said: "O King, remember the curse I spoke of and declare
which of these three was the
cleverest."

When he heard this, the wise king answered the goblin: "Without
doubt I regard the specialist in cotton as the cleverest, on whose
body the imprint of the hair was seen to appear visibly. The other
two might possibly have found out beforehand."

When the king had said this, the goblin slipped from his shoulder
as before. And the king went back under the sissoo tree again to
fetch him.


NINTH GOBLIN

The Four Scientific Suitors. To which should the girl be given?

Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
shoulder, and started. And the goblin spoke to him again: "O King,
why do you go to such pains in this cemetery at night? Do you not
see the home of the ghosts, full of dreadful creatures, terrible in
the night, wrapped in darkness as in smoke? Why do you work so
hard and grow weary for the sake of that monk? Well, to amuse the
journey, listen to a puzzle which I will tell you."