ISSN: 2397-9607 Issue 244In this 244th issue of the Baba Indaba’s Children’s Stories series, Baba Indaba narrates the story of “The Son of Seven Queens.”ONCE upon a time in Uttar Pradesh there lived a king who had seven Queens, but no children. This was a great grief to him, especially when he remembered that there would be no heir to the kingdom. Now it happened one day that a poor old fakir came to the King, and said, ‘Your prayers are heard, your desire shall be accomplished, and one of your seven Queens shall bear a son.’ The King’s was delighted at this promise and he gave orders for festivities to be prepared at the impending birth. Meanwhile the seven Queens lived luxuriously in a splendid palace, attended by hundreds of female slaves, and fed to their hearts’, content on sweetmeats and confectionery.The King was also fond of hunting, and one day, before he started, the seven Queens sent him a message saying, ‘May it please our dearest lord not to hunt towards the north to-day, for we have dreamt bad dreams, lest evil should befall you.’The King, promised regard for their wishes, and set out towards the south; but he found no game. Nor had he success to the east or west. Determined not to go home empty-handed, he forgot his promise, and turned to the north. Near sunset he had made up his mind to give up for that day, when a white hind with golden horns and silver hoofs flashed past him into a thicket. He instantly ordered his attendants to form a ring round the thicket, and so encircle the hind. Gradually narrowing the circle, he pressed forward till he could distinctly see the hind panting in the midst. Nearer and nearer he advanced. Just as he thought to lay hold of the beautiful strange creature, it gave one mighty bound, leapt clean over the King’s head, and fled towards the mountains. Forgetful of all else, the King, spurred his horse to followed at full speed.Leaving his retinue far behind, he kept the white hind in view, until, finding himself in a narrow ravine with no outlet, he reined in his steed. Before him stood a miserable hovel; into which, being tired after his long, unsuccessful chase, he entered to ask for a drink of water.Well only here our story truly begins. What happened to the king after he entered the hovel you ask? And what of his seven wives? Was the poor old fakir correct in predicting the birth of a son? Well, you’ll have to download and read this story to find out – wont you?Baba Indaba is a fictitious Zulu storyteller who narrates children’s stories from around the world. Baba Indaba translates as ‘Father of Stories’.Each issue also has a ‘WHERE IN THE WORLD – LOOK IT UP’ section, where young readers are challenged to look up a place on a map somewhere in the world. The place, town or city is relevant to the story. HINT – use Google maps.33% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.INCLUDES LINKS TO DOWNLOAD 8 FREE STORIES
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