विक्रम चरित (उज्जैन सम्राट् विक्रमादित्य - पराक्रम, न्याय एवं ३२ पुतलियों की कथा सटीक)

10 the whole equipage to return to Oujein ; and, mounting the king’s horse, he quitted the place with them. In a few days he arrived at the capital, and it becoming known, the minister and all the courtiers assembled in the audience- hall to wait upon their king, and to congratulate him upon his safe return, which they did with every possible degree of esteem, love, and regard. The counterfeit Vickram then held a council with the members of the court, and told them that when he left the city it was not his intention to return so speedily, but that his follower Koobjuck having deserted, he was loath to proceed any further. “ I thought,” said he, “ of setting out again on my tour, but there are reasons the urgency of which prevent my doing so at present.” He then left the court and proceeded to the apartments of the queen. The queen was a person of great merit, and of much beauty. The accomplishments of her mind were also far above the common calibre ; and, above all, she was possessed of much solid virtue. She saw the king approaching her, and prepared to receive him. After the usual interchange of civilities, into which she threw much of that winning soft- ness of manner peculiar to her sex alone, and not sus- pecting the person before her to be other than her lawful king and husband, she entered into that free and confidential mode of talk pertaining to a wedded life, although surprised at seeing Vickramadetea enter her apartments at an hour of the day to him quite unusual. She said she was very anxious to see the trial of what the hermit had instructed him in, and pressed him much to set about it. She said, “ Your majesty need not come into these rooms allotted to me for the next six months at least, unless you satisfy me in what I now solicit at your hands. I am desirous equally with you to derive the pleasure to be found from the knowledge of such a wonderful secret. I shall then only— that is, after you satisfy me on this head—willingly obey your majesty in all that it may be your pleasure to direct me.” The base usurper thus replied to the queen : “ Oh, my lovely angel ! the desire of my soul ! if it be your wish

11 to become mistress of the art I now possess, I solemnly de- clare I shall not thwart your inclination in this respect, nor in any other that you may ask me. I undertake to meet them all; but I recommend you to think well, and not insist on knowing that which, for reasons I cannot well explain, had best remain locked up in my breast. I do not wish to displease you, but I would fain not teach you the art of transmigration. I give you time to recall your thoughts, and ponder well upon what I have said; and if you still persist in knowing it, I will satisfy you." In his concluding remarks, the false king threw much warmth and some displeasure into his manner, unlike the true sovereign. In the latter, no trivial events, such as these, could have ruffled his temper in the slightest degree. This circum- stance did not pass unnoticed by the wise minister of those realms, and he could not but ask himself, what could have worked such a change in his sovereign? 'There is certain- ly,' thought he, 'a wide difference between his former car- riage and bearing and these he now displays;' and as he had some slight belief in the power of transmigration, he naturally enough concluded that he had only the body of the king before him, with some other soul inhabiting it for the present, a matter he was determined to ascertain. Mean- while the new king commenced a reign, marked by the grossest injustice, and the violation of all the rights and privileges which previously tended so much to the well-being and prosperity of each and all in the country, and to the stability of the government itself. This occasioned much bitterness and lamentation, where there formerly reigned peace and happiness. Where it was once customary to bestow commendations on the king, and to call down bless- ings on him, every mouth was now filled with the direst imprecations and curses. The minister, though much averse to be made a tool in the hands of such a despot, was, nevertheless, forced to submit to that which, under the cir- cumstances, there could be no means for effectually putting a stop to. All he could do, by his advice and suggestions, 3

12 were done most zealously ; but they went but a little way with the king, who, to his other bad qualities, added that of conceit. We will leave him for the present, and treat of the serpent which had been brought into life, and which we left in the woods. The serpent, then, after coiling and sporting in the woods for a time, returned, with the same speed that marked his onward course, to the spot whence he first started, and found there the body of Koobjuck alone in the place where he had left him in life. At first sight, the serpent (who it will no doubt be recollected was the rightful king in disguise) was rooted to the spot, with rage and astonish- ment contending within him. He could scarcely believe his own eyes. After a long gaze at the body of Koobjuck, he exclaimed, "How now! I am scarcely out of my na- tural frame and within the woods, but thou committest such a daring outrage upon my person!" While contemplating his position, he became dejected and melancholy ; in a word, he was quite beside himself. He again burst forth in terms of mingled rage and disappointment, and casting his eyes on the body lying before him, said, "What a dreadful and un- paralleled instance of duplicity and mischief hast thou shown towards me, in assuming my form and going away, and leaving me the choice of yours, or retaining that of the ser- pent! If I enter thy body, so cursed that if I look on it I incur a great sin ; and if I converse with such as thee, then my crime is equivalent to a murder; if I eat with such it is even worse, for the murder will then be as that of a brahmin; and equally unfortunate will it prove, should I receive even a drink of water from such a person's hands. The company of the wicked is ever pregnant with evils, and places a man in danger. It is said in the law, that a man should not approach to within five paces of a bullock, ten of a horse, and a thousand of an elephant; but that one should abandon the city altogether, when the residence in it of a wicked man is fully ascertained. Oh! what mis- fortune hast thou not brought on me!—thou hast injured

me both in soul and body by preventing a re-union of them. Certainly—oh, unhappy destiny !—what has been fated must come to pass, and I have therefore only to bear it with patience. Oh, perfidious wretch ! Oh, most ungrateful villain ! I will never appear in thy detestable form, so full of deceit, ingratitude, and wickedness !" In this state of grief, bordering on despair, a sudden thought crossed his mind, which gave him some relief. He knew that he had very kind and faithful friends in Soodew and Veytal.* On this he endeavoured to restrain his sorrow, and become more calm and collected. Believing he would be preserved from all danger, he started for the city of Sendoornuggry. While journeying along, he was led into considering the great danger he ran by continuing in the form of a serpent, a reptile held in deserved detestation by mankind, in consequence of the bitter enmity between them, and the venomous nature of the former. It chanced, however, that he found, shortly after his musings, under a Vurt† tree, a dead parrot, and knowing it to be a bird held in high repute for its beauty, colour, and other estimable qualities, he lost no time in taking its form, by which he not only lessened his danger, but acquired speed in his movements,—a thing by no means to be despised, situated as he was. Having transformed himself into the parrot, he ascended high into the air, and after having satisfied himself in all that delighted him in his new form,—perching on a tree here, picking a fruit there, and so on,—he arrived just without the walls of Sendoornuggry in much less time than he could have done without the wings of a parrot, and its light and active frame. The parrot (that is, the king) alighted on a tree, under the inviting shelter of which a troop of Bahooroopees,‡ who were in very distressed cir- cumstances, had shortly before taken up their residence.

* The king of demons. † The Indian fig-tree. ‡ A wandering tribe, who go about as dancers, actors, maskers, &c.

14 They were bitterly complaining of their hard lot, and were loud in their bewailings ; they were heard to raise their voice and exclaim, “ Almighty Creator of all things ! consider the vast and boundless difference between the rich and the poor : while we are every day, every hour, and every mo- ment of our lives, exposed to the most harassing fatigues, painful privations, and the direst of calamities, which may be summed in the brief monosyllable ‘ want,’—want of the necessaries of life, of food and clothing for ourselves and families—want of comfort—want of everything, in short, that can make life desirable, or even tolerable,—the rich are permitted to roll in wealth, with a superfluity of all that is denied to us, and of the ‘things which are essential to life. What have these done to secure for themselves so enviable a lot, and what have we been found wanting in to deserve so much misery ? We have parted with ‘ the little we possessed, consisting of the ornaments used in our profes- sion, and which were our all, in order to procure the bare means of subsistence for to-day ; tomorrow we may meet with death staring us in the face !” Having disburdened themselves of their griefs in this wise, they laid themselves down. The parrot, who had heard every word they uttered from his lofty perch, was much affected at the affliction of the poor and wretched Bahooroopees, as expressed in their words. He deigned to address them as follows :—“ Strangers,” said he, “ whence come ye, and whither are you bound ? Pray inform me, what are your respective callings or professions, the tribes to which each belong, your countries and your religions, and your reasons for thus bewailing ?” These sympathising words, delivered also in a tone of voice peculiar for its sweetness, caused the Bahooroopees to start up and listen attentively whence the voice proceeded, but they could not discover it ; at last, after much trouble and some little delay, they saw the parrot perched up aloft on one of the furthermost branches of the tree under which they were all assembled. The chief of the company was delighted that

15 such enquiries were made regarding them, and at the same time was astonished that a parrot should display so much sense and sympathy. There was something very extraordi- nary about that, he thought. In the belief that a parrot, which could show such wonderful wisdom, might also devise some means for the amelioration of their condition, he besought it to take pity on their miserable state, and asked it to come down from the tree, assuring it that no harm should be done it. Seeing the kind and grateful manner in which the invitation was tendered, the parrot flew down from the tree, and joined the wanderers below. These people, one after the other, drew near it by turns, and prostrated themselves before it. The chief, at the end of this obeisance, said, “ Oh sage parrot ! do us the favor to listen attentively to our unfortunate tale. We are of the tribe of Bahooroopee ; we arrived at this city about a month ago, with the view of following our calling, which is that of strolling players, and by such means to earn an honest livelihood ; but I regret exceedingly to state that the king will not permit our doing so, nor will he condescend to witness our performance, which has proved a sore disap- pointment to us, and we are now at a great loss what plan to adopt to obtain a subsistence. We have been compelled by sheer necessity to part with all we possessed when we first set foot in this city, even with the ornaments which formed a part of our appendage, for the purpose of obtain- ing food, so that we have nothing left now, and are therefore quite destitute.” The parrot, after a patient hearing of this sad case, asked the chief if any of them were masters of any particular art, by exhibiting which the king might be induced to sympathise with them. He replied that if the king would only tolerate their presence, and allow them a fair opportunity of winning his patronage, he would under- take to secure it ere long. The parrot then desired to be informed of the arts with which the Bahooroopees were familiar, and they did so. But, much to their surprise, none of them seemed to please the parrot, still less did they

16 meet with his approval. He promised to instruct the Ba- hooroopees in such arts as would be of use to them in their mode of life, and said that by their means they would be enabled to secure a good living. The chief of the Bahoo- roopees became quite overjoyed at this, and returned thanks to Heaven and to their winged benefactor for the promised acquisition, with much sincerity and truth. It was now late, the sun had performed his course, and the earth was being gradually enshrouded in the dusky folds of night. It was supper-time, and they partook of their evening meal in company with the parrot, after which the chief of the Ba- hooroopees entreated the parrot to reveal to them all he had promised; but the parrot said that the night was far ad- vanced, and that, besides, the place they then were in was not suitable for the purpose, he therefore asked them to accompany him to a fitter locality. The chief, accordingly, prepared to set out with the parrot, selecting two nimble and intelligent youths from his gang to be their companions. Having arrived at a certain spot, favorable for imparting the art, the parrot taught them the method of transmigra- tion. He also taught them other things, to be effected by the use of charms; and when they had sufficiently mastered the whole, they renewed their thanks to the parrot for the trouble he had been at, and for the invaluable boon he had bestowed on them and their class. They then returned to the place where they had left the remainder of their gang. Early next day, after going through the ceremonies peculiar to them, they sat down to their breakfast with joyous hearts, and sent one of their number to the court to see if the king appeared in public that morning. The messenger returned with the news that the king was holding his court, sur- rounded by his nobles and courtiers. The chief of the Bahooropees instantly changed himself, by means of the charm given to him by the parrot the previous day, into a brave and monstrous warrior, with a complete suit of armour, sword in hand, with a shield, and bow slung across him, and a quiver full of arrows. One of the youths became,

17 by a like process, a young lady of incomparable beauty, splendidly attired, with costly jewels vieing in brilliancy with the sun and her own charms. Another assumed the form of a horse of exact symmetry and rare perfections, richly caparisoned, with a saddle-cloth and bits of pure gold, fit for the use of the highest personage in the land. The chief mounted the horse, and, with the lady in his arms, rode through the air as if by magic, until they arrived opposite to the king's court, where they descended. The king, and all assembled with him, looked on in astonishment at the wonderful feat performed, and the beauty and richness of the persons. The warrior dismounted, and stepping for- ward to the king, addressed him as follows:—"Oh king! I am come on a most particular mission." "Speak!" said the king. The warrior continued,—"There is in heaven a grand war between the divine Angels and the Daityas*; the army of the Angels is already encamped in the field, and have sent for me to assist them in the struggle; my beautiful wife (pointing to her) had determined to accompany me to the battle-field, although I seriously entreated her not to do it, but her obstinacy has been so great, that I was com- pelled to bring her with me. I am, however, resolved, upon better thoughts, not to expose her to the dangers of war, so I bring her to your court for safety during my absence, knowing that you will be kind and treat her well, and set before her examples of religion, and of strict and correct be- haviour. Please, then, have the same consideration for her as you would for a mother or sister, and act by her accord- ingly. I must tell you that my name is Vejydhwaj,† and I am a resident of the city of Auyodhea. I am now about to ascend to heaven, and I beg you will be pleased to take charge of my wife till I return, I hope with victory in my train; but should fate have reserved for me death on the field, then I conjure you to immolate her, in accordance with the usual practice on such occasions." "Ah! Vejydhwaj,"

• Demons or Asœrus. † Flag of victory. D

said the king, "may God deliver you from the hands of the enemy! May He, in his infinite mercy, keep a constant watch over you!" "I beg to acquaint your majesty that my valour is so great, that the Daityas are not equal to contend with me. I am sure of winning the battle, and putting them to flight." Now the king thought that this reply of Vejydhwaj merited reproof, as he deemed it highly impróper in any one, however great, to speak thus confi- dently before him. But being quite taken up with the feigned warrior, he said, "Vejydhwaj, I will take as much care of your wife as I would of my own child; depend on me, and go with confidence on your mission. May success attend you!" Vejydhwaj thanked the king for his kind welcome and still kinder promise, and set off on his journey, whipping his horse as he ascended with great rapidity to the heavens, amidst the wondering gaze of the king and the crowd there assembled. He was soon lost to sight. The king and all about him concluded that he had reached heaven, and they were confirmed in their belief when some little time after they heard the sounds of drums and martial instruments high above their heads. The noise and con- fusion which followed these sounds also told them that the combatants were engaged in furious warfare, and, as if in confirmation of this, they saw blood-stained arrows fall to the earth. They raised their eyes towards the firma- ment, and, while gazing intently upwards, saw the left hand of a man fall, severed from the body, then the right one, and soon after the body itself, dreadfully wounded and mangled. At first they were in doubt as to the identity of the body, and thought it to be that of some obscure soldier, but they were soon able to satisfy themselves on that point, for the head came whizzing through the air, and fell beside the body. The face bore a parting smile, and it was that of the warrior who, a short time before, appeared before them full of life and hope, and who had discoursed with them in all confidence, when leaving his wife under the protection of the king.

19 CHAPTER III. The same subject continued—Tale of the Alligator and the Traveller —The chief of the Bahooroopees disposes of the parrot to a wealthy merchant—A dancing-girl endeavours to extort money from the merchant by a false accusation, which is frustrated by the ingenuity of the parrot—The dancing-girl prevails upon the merchant to make her a present of the parrot—In revenge, she orders her slave to put him to death; but Veytal, the king of the demons, saves his life, and enables him to escape—The parrot flies to the temple of the Goddess Kallika. THE painful intelligence of the death of Vejydhwaj having reached his wife, whilst she was engaged in the queen's apartment, she instantly came to where the mutilated corpse of her husband was laid, and bewailed her misfor- tune in no measured terms, in the following frantic excla- mations:—"Oh! husband of my heart! my best beloved! —you were ever considered as a brave and unconquer- able warrior; your equal was not known; you were always victorious in all your encounters; by your courage and determination you have on more than forty-two different occasions ascended to heaven, to take part in the most dreadful of strifes, and yet were never vanquished. Oh! my heart's best treasure!—you have been my only support, and now that you are no more, where can I look for the means of subsistence? I am swallowed up in an ocean of grief, which is all the deeper in that I was not with you to tend you in your last dying moments. It was in vain that you placed me in charge of a king." The people, greatly affected by the excessive grief manifested by the warrior's wife, mingled their tears and sympathies with hers, which presented a spectacle truly melancholy. While she was thus lamenting the cruel fate which de- prived her of her husband, the king approached her, and, with much tenderness in his manner, said,—"I pray you,

20 fair lady, do not give yourself up thus to grief. This is a misfortune, I am aware, of no ordinary kind, and which you must keenly feel, but recollect that it was beyond all human control: it is appointed for all men to die once. Although I cannot but acknowledge that to be altogether insensible to the loss, the irreparable loss, you have this day sustained would be impossible, nay inexcusable in you, yet permit me to observe there is a wide difference between such callousness and moderation in grief, to which I would fain bring you. To be sensible of God’s afflicting hand under such a dispensation, and to receive it as the punish- ment which we have deserved, is the bounden duty of all, but it would be a species of rebellion against the inscrutable decrees of Heaven to be inconsolable. That you may not, therefore, add sin to your affliction, allow me to withdraw you from this scene. I have a daughter, who, at my desire, will be ever ready to render you all the assistance in her power, and who will treat you in all respects as a sister. I assure you I will afford you every protection, and place you entirely on an equal footing with her, so long as you may think fit to reside in my court.” The widow replied, —“I am extremely thankful to your majesty for your kind and generous offer, and for the sympathy expressed in your speech, but I request that you will be pleased to order im- mediately the necessary preparations for burning me, as I look not to survive this catastrophe, nor do I wish it. I am resolved to sacrifice myself on the pile that will be raised to perform my husband’s last rites, and I entreat you will not, either by argument or other means, attempt to dis- suade me from my fixed and unalterable design.” The king endeavoured to impress upon her the gross absurdity of such conduct, and to show how much it was at variance with the mild precepts of religion and the character of the Divine Being. “Let me advise you,” said he, “to reflect for one moment on the revolting nature of the act you are about to commit; it is repugnant to every feeling of huma- nity and good sense. Return home, and give it your due

21 and unbiassed consideration : let the virtue of your hus- band live and be cherished in your bosom !" Notwith- standing all these powerful arguments, she remained firm to her purpose, and the king at last reluctantly consented that she should be furnished with all that was necessary for the end she contemplated, and with everything requisite for the sad solemnity. He directed that the corpse of the de- ceased warrior should be laid on the pile prepared to receive it ; and every other preparation being made, one of the king's own palanquins was brought out to convey the de- voted victim to the place where the tragic act was to be consummated. The widow having entered the palanquin, accompanied by the king and his whole court and re- tainers, proceeded to the place. Here she alighted and bathed ; then, having adorned her person as if she was going to be wedded, instead of being immolated on the funeral pile of her husband, she embraced the corpse before it was consigned to the flames, with all apparent de- monstrations of affection, and thus addressed the surround- ing multitude :—" God made me what I am, and gave me a husband whom I dearly loved, and on whom I bestowed my undivided affection. Oh husband ! though the trial will be great, I will accompany thee, that even in the next world thou mayest still be mine, and that through eternity we may again be united in the bonds of conjugal felicity !" With these words she placed the remains on the burning pile, and looking around said,—" Pardon me, oh king, and all ye people, this my voluntary act !" She then, without the slightest show of fear, or any of those signs which mark the inward workings of terror or hesitation, but, on the contrary, with a placid look and her counte- nance radiant with smiles, made one bold leap into the burning heap, and was soon enveloped in flames. No groan or sigh met the ear—all was still as death, save the . crackling noise of the fire-wood as it burned. After witnessing this revolting spectacle, the king and his nobles returned to town, wrapped in deep and impene- Q

22 trable thought and moody silence. Even the mass of the people seemed to have been infected with the melancholy the event here related had cast over the spectators ; and all was one continued chorus of pity and commiseration for the unfortunate widow who had thus devoted herself to a fate so painful. Not long after the crowd had dispersed from the scene where the widow had immolated herself despite the en- treaties of her friends, she contrived, by the influence of her art or by some occult means, to extricate herself from her apparently awful position, and to bring to life her de- ceased husband. She then informed him of all that had transpired during his absence. The warrior, now become whole, and complete in his limbs, instantly set out for the court, where he arrived, to the amazement and wonder of all, whilst they were yet engaged in the discussion of the event from witnessing which they had but just returned. Without much ado, and dispensing with all the courtly forms prevailing in those days, the warrior approached the sovereign, and, after the usual interchange of civilities, ad- dressed him to the following effect :—" Oh king! I am extremely happy in being able to inform you that in the battle fought recently in heaven, and in which I assisted the divine Angels with all my judgment and valour, the suc- cess has been all on our side. I have vanquishred the Asœrus. The war was fierce and bloody. The bravest troops of the enemy were either slain or wounded, and the remainder panic-struck with the valour I displayed, and the repeated onslaughts I made on them. Look!" added the warrior, "these are the rewards of my labour (point- ing to his rich attire, and the jewels with which his brow was encircled). I now entreat your majesty will grant me permission to remove my wife from under your protection ; the city of Auyodhea, where I live, being at a great dis- tance, I must return home immediately." At these words, the sudden resuscitation of a man whom they had considered dead, and his being unable to produce his wife, the king felt "

23 great consternation, nor were his minister and courtiers less astounded. He beckoned his minister, who approached him with unsteady steps, and with fear depicted in every linea- ment of his countenance. "What an unexpected danger is this!" exclaimed the king, as soon as he could give vent to the feelings of his heart; "whence comes this man? How did he become re-animated, and what expedient can we adopt?" The minister exhorted his master, as well as he could, to have patience for a while, and promised to devise some means of satisfying the warrior. He said he would speak to the man in private. With this he went towards him, and sought an interview. The minister entered fully into the particulars and circumstances of the events which, he said, they were even then deploring, and called the whole population to prove the accuracy of his statements. The warrior, however, instead of exhibiting symptoms of grief at the untimely fate of his wife, became furious and uncon- trollable. He threatened at once to appeal- to arms. "What!" said he, "am I right in hearing you? Was it ever before known that a woman immolated herself with her husband yet living? Oh no! I cannot believe what you say. I once took you to be a just, prudent, and vir- tuous man, but you appear no longer so. My wife has been basely dealt with, if not forcibly kept from me; and I will wage war to the death till I know more about it, and there remains nothing else for me to do. You know what I am capable of, and I warn you to beware of trifling with such an one as you know me to be!" The king heard the threats made by the warrior, and became pale with fear; and being no longer able to control himself, came up to the warrior and besought him to have pity on him. "Mode- rate your anger, sir," said he; "what my minister says is the truth. But if you are not satisfied with it, and as it is entirely out of my power to produce your wife, who is now reduced to ashes, you may, if you like, accept of my queen, in exchange for her. I will do anything else that I can for you, if you will only mention it. I desire to

24 preserve your friendship, so that you may, if I can achieve it, depart hence in peace." The warrior listened to the king with much attention, and then fell into a violent fit of laughter, which surprised all present. As soon as he had regained his gravity he said, "I pray your majesty to consi- der whether it would be sensible in me to accept of the queen in lieu of my wife. The queen is to me a mother— neither more nor less. I believe your majesty knows, or at least ought to know, that we are taught by divine law to consider our queen, our tutors' wives, our wives' mothers, and the mother who gave us birth, as standing one and all in the same relation to us—that of mother. How, then, can I take the queen to supply the place of my wife?" At this remonstrance the king became pale with shame, and suffered much inwardly for having committed so grave and serious an error. The warrior, observing the sudden effect produced by him, burst into another fit of laughter, and tried to infuse courage into the monarch. He said, "My worthy and renowned sovereign, I beg your majesty will not be surprised if I disclose to you now the deceit I practised on your majesty, and the causes which led me into it. But before I proceed to relate them, your majesty must grant me your full pardon." , "I will on no account refuse you my pardon," roplied the king, "whether justly or not." "Your majesty must know, then," said the individual who had so long palmed himself off as a brave warrior of high rank and renown, and who had made the king and his whole court tremble before him, "Your majesty must know, then, that I am a Bahooroopee, and reached this city about a month ago. I used all the wit I was possessed of, to no purpose, in endeavouring to se- cure your majesty's patronage to the performance of the peculiar plays that are involved in the calling I pursue. Being thus deprived of every means by which to turn an honest pice, and all the avenues being shut against me, I was induced to have recourse to the deception I have practised on your majesty." The king could not possibly

25

bring himself to believe this statement. He said, “Since you are the same person, go and call your wife here instantly, that we may satisfy ourselves, by ocular proof, of the truth of your story.” Whereupon he shouted to his wife, “My dear wife! I pray you do not delay joining me here in the presence of our sovereign and his noble councillors and retainers, as they are very anxious to see you.” No sooner did she hear the voice of her husband than she made her appearance, her beauty, as if purified by fire, appearing still more attractive, which, with the graceful and sylph-like form she possessed, threw the whole court into an ecstacy of delight, so much so that each and all fell passionately in love with her. The king was mightily pleased with this delightful vision. He immediately ordered his treasurer to pay to the owner of so much beauty and attraction as much money as he required, and other pre- sents, such as rich suits of apparel, ornaments, jewels, &c. In addition to all this, he was allowed to perform his plays within the city without let or hindrance, and for as long a time as he might think proper. The ministers, nobles, and all the wealthier portion of the community, awarded him dresses of honor according to their respective rank and ability ; many of the poorer citizens also came forward and contributed their share towards increasing the riches that were showered upon this fortunate Bahooroopee, who was compelled to call in assistance to remove the wealth he had acquired in so short a period from the palace. He soon after retired to his dwelling, and the king's council dissolved. The Bahooroopee was transported with joy at the sudden and unexpected turn his fortune had taken. From being one of the most destitute of the human kind, he was now possessed of wealth and affluence, and could command the friendship even of the great and powerful. On his return to the humble dwelling of former days, he went to the parrot, who had been instrumental in enriching him far beyond his most unbounded wishes, and renewed his thanks and professions of perpetual friendship, after throwing him- E

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self at the feet of the discreet bird. The Bahooroopee com- mended the wisdom of the parrot in all sincerity and gra- titude. He said that it was to the tiny creature that himself and his companions were indebted for the wealth of which they were now possessed; and he entered into a minute detail of all that had happened since he parted from his feathery benefactor, and how he had become master of so great riches.* In short, the Bahooroopee acknowledged to the bird how great and immeasurable was the debt of gratitude under which himself and his compa- nions were laid to him, by the instruction which his com- passion and liberality had prompted him to impart, and swore undying friendship to him. On the following day the little parrot desired the Bahoo- roopee to take him to the market-place, and to sell him to any one who might be desirous to become a purchaser. The price to be demanded was his own weight in gold. The Bahooroopee, at this sudden resolution of the bird, was excessively grieved, and wished to be made acquainted with the cause of the whim which the parrot had taken into his head. He said that as favors and riches had been bestowed upon him through its aid, he had calculated upon being allowed the opportunity of repaying it in some degree, by a life of devotion to it, and by supporting it himself. The Bahooroopee entreated the parrot not to deprive him of that consolation. "I have plenty of money now," said he, "and it would argue ingratitude of the basest kind were I to agree to what you now propose doing. It would be like the story related of an alligator, which a traveller relieved

• As the Sudama brahmin was reduced to the extreme verge of poverty, and the Almighty Being, pleased with his pious life and humble deportment, vouchsafed to present him with a golden city. Bibishun, brother of Ravun, king of Lunka, having in all humility surrendered himself to Rama (who assassinated all Rakshasa), was throned by him in Lunka for all eternity. So the child Dhuroo was succoured by God, and placed in a state of bliss and great splendour in the unchangeable firmament. There are many instances similar to this.

27 from the most severe and painful agonies. I will recount it to you if you will favor me with your attention." He then took his seat near the bird, and commenced the fol- lowing TALE OF THE ALLIGATOR AND THE TRAVELLER. In one of the hottest periods of the year, while the sun was at its height, an alligator, extremely exhausted by the intensity of the heat, was unable to go back to the place whence he had been tempted to rove to a distance on the banks of the river Gunga. He was there observed lying, as if in pain, by a traveller who chanced to be passing that way at the time. Observing the man, the alligator addressed him in these words :—"Oh, my honest friend, you will render me an incalculable service, and one for which you will place me under a deep debt of gratitude, if you will plunge me into the river which you see before you. You will thus save my life, and I shall feel most thankful to you. The Almighty will reward you for your labour." The tra- veller replied, that should he do him this good office, he doubted whether the alligator, when he once found the man in the water with him, would allow him to escape with life. "Do not, my friend, entertain the least fear on that point," said the alligator, "for I swear to you you shall come to no harm." The traveller, placing implicit reliance on the alligator's word, and being at the same time moved with compassion at his sufferings, after wrapping him up in a cloth, raised him from the recumbent posture in which he found him, and took him up on his head. In this way he entered the water, and when he had proceeded a - short distance, the alligator inquired the depth of that part of the river where they then were, and on the reply being given that the water reached only up to the traveller's waist, the alligator said, "Convey me a little further." The deluded man went on as he was desired, without attaching any im- portance to the interrogatory that had been addressed to him, and which might have given rise to suspicions of no

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pleasing nature in those of greater experience in the ways of the world. However, as we said, the unsuspecting travel- ler went on till the water came up to his neck; he then set about releasing the alligator from the folds of the cloth he had wrapped round him. No sooner did the alligator find himself at full liberty and in his own element, than the ungrateful creature, turning briskly round to the man, said, “Now I have you, and shall devour you!” “Ah!” ex- claimed the traveller, “is it thus you repay the essential service I have rendered you? Would you, in return for the life I have saved, take that of your benefactor?” “I do not deny what you say,” replied the alligator, “but know you not that I am an enemy to man? You are an egregious fool for believing in my promises, which I was justified in making under the circumstances, but which are no longer binding when the necessity for them has passed away.” “But wherein have I offended you?” doled forth the miserable and now trembling traveller; “is this the reward for the services I have rendered you? Will no consi- deration induce you to act justly by me? Remember the injustice you are about to commit—to return evil for good. Remember your oaths. Spare me, I entreat you, and God will prosper you.” “Your whining discourse can have no weight with me,” rejoined the ruthless alligator; “prepare yourself to die!” The traveller, with the marks of terror in every line of his face, and his hair erect, falteringly be- sought the alligator in the most pathetic terms to allow him to depart in safety, but all to no purpose. He bitterly repented having turned from his path to succour the ungrate- ful reptile. At this moment, one of those creatures dis- tinguished by their peculiar cunning and sagacity, a fox, approached the river to quench his thirst. Hearing the lamentations of the traveller, he inquired the cause of so much grief. The alligator was the first to reply, and gave the fox his version of the case; but not satisfied with this he asked what the traveller had to say, who told his tale, and felt greatly relieved by the appearance of a third party

29 in the field, if on no other account than the establishment of a temporary truce. The fox, after pondering for awhile, and seeing the ingratitude of the alligator, was resolved to inflict on him some sort of punishment. He said, "How is it possible for me to give my judgment on this dispute, unless you point out the spot where your first meeting took place, and the position of the alligator?" The alligator undertook to show the place, on condition that the fox would promise to make the traveller bring him again into the water immediately he had done so, as he had business of importance to attend to at his own habitation. This was agreed to. The traveller accordingly took up the alligator a second time, and brought him to land, where, instead of entering into a discussion of the case, he, at a sign from the fox, left the alligator to shift for himself, and he and the fox went on their way. Here the Bahooroopee, addressing himself to the parrot, said, "You are now bidding me to act towards you in the same manner as the monstrous alligator treated the travel- ler." The parrot desired him not to think so, and said that the Bahooroopee would, on the contrary, show his gratitude and receive the parrot's thanks, by yielding to his wishes and selling him. The Bahooroopee could not now resist this direct appeal to his heart. He felt he should be dis- pleasing the parrot were he any longer to hold out against his wishes. Accordingly, in obedience to his patron's instruction and importunity, though at the same time he was greatly averse to part with him, with a heavy heart he took up the bird, and proceeded with him to the town of Sendoornuggry, in search of a purchaser. He walked with the bird in his hand, exposed to view, from one street to another, and from shop to shop, for a long time. At last a wealthy merchant named Dushwant, having observed the man and the handsome parrot, beckoned to him, and entered into a negotiation for the purchase. On asking the price, the Bahooroopee told him that he would part with the