There was a king who had seven daughters. These one day went to a forest to gather Ponna flowers.
The sisters had a grudge against their youngest sister because their father and mother loved her more than them, she being the last and hence darling child.
So they persuaded her to climb a Ponna flower tree telling her that they would thus get fresh flowers and soon be able to fill their baskets and return home; and then when she was plucking flowers they ran away leaving her alone. Thus the poor thing was left high on the tree.
In the meantime a monkey passed. To it she spoke: ‘Oh monkey, monkey, pray set me down or else bite me.’
‘I neither know how to set you down nor to bite,’ replied the monkey.
Then an ape passed to which she said, ‘Oh ape, ape, pray set me down or else bite me.’
‘I know not how to set you down or how to bite you,’ replied the ape.
Then a bear passed to which she said, ‘Oh bear, bear, pray set me down or else devour me.’
‘I neither know how to set you down or how to devour you,’ said the bear.
Then a tiger passed, to which she said, ‘Oh tiger, tiger, pray set me down or else devour me.’
‘I neither know how to set you down or how to devour you,’ said the tiger.
Then a panther passed, to which she addressed thus, ‘Oh panther, panther, pray set me down or else devour me.’
‘I do not know how to set you down, but I know how to devour you.’
So saying it brought her down and devoured her.
What else? It is done.
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