Then the goblin escaped by magic from the king's shoulder and
went back. And the king pursued him, undiscouraged. No great
man stops in the middle of the hardest undertaking.


SEVENTEENTH GOBLIN

The Youth who went through the Proper Ceremonies. Why did he
fail to win the magic spell?

Then the king went back through the night to the cemetery filled
with ghouls, terrible with funeral piles that seemed like ghosts
with wagging tongues of flame. But when he came to the sissoo
tree, he was surprised to see a great many bodies hanging on the
tree. They were all alike, and in each was a goblin twitching its
limbs.

And the king thought: "Ah, what does this mean? Why does that
magic goblin keep wasting my time? For I do not know which of
all these I ought to take. If I should not succeed in this night's
endeavour, then I would burn myself alive rather than become a
laughing-stock."

But the goblin understood the king's purpose, and was pleased
with his character. So he gave up his magic arts. Then the king saw
only one goblin in one body. He took him down as before, put him
on his shoulder, and started once more.

And as he walked along, the goblin said: "O King, if you have no