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Nov. 1, 1872.]
MANGA RAJA'S ABHIDANA.
345
his appearance, and seeing that the barber's son was was overwhelmed with joy, and obtained the release dressed like him, they believed his story, and let him of his friend, and went away with his wife to his into the house. In the middle of the night, when own country. everybody had gone to bed, and his wife was fast
THE EIGHTH STORY. asleep, he took all her ornaments and jewellery and
The Merchant and the Demon. cut off her nose and went away.
In the country of Bhoj Raja there lived a merThe next inorning he made some noses of gold
chant named Kinu Shaha. Now Bhoj Raja and the and went from place to place to sell them till at last
merchant were great friends, and when the latter he reached the gentleman's house, and said, "I know
was going away to carry on his trade, he asked Bhoj a charm by which I can fix on a new node; I put
Raja to take care of his house in his absence. on a golden nose which will unite with the old
Sometime after he had gone & demon assumed his one, all persons who have sub noses can obtain
shape and came into the presence of the raja and good ones instead." So the woman whose nose had
Raid, "I have neither son nor daughter, what then is been cut off came and bought a nose, and the bar
the use of my trading any more?" With these words ber's son fixed on the one which he had cut off
he went to the merchant's house and lived with his the night before. Now the wives of the gentleman's
wife, and in the course of time three or four children seven sons all had snub noses and were very anxious
were born. After twelve years the merchant reto get good ones, so they cut them off and bought
turned from his trading, but when he went to his gold noses, but the woman whose nose had been
house the demon refused to admit him saying that first cut off, had obtained a real nose, and it remain
he was the true merchant. At this the merchant ed fixed firmly, while the noses of the other women
went and complained to Bhoj Raja : the râja sumwhich were only made of gold dropped off as soon
moned both parties before him, but as they were as they were touched by water. After this happen
both exactly alike he could not decide which was the ed & rumour arose that a rogue had come into the
true merchant. In this state of doubt he determined country and many petitions on the subject were pre
to go to another råja and tell him the whole story sented at the king's palace and he was exceedingly
and let him decide the matter. Now while the true troubled at it.
Kinu Shaha was going crying along the road he There was a sorcerer living near the palace, who
Baw some shepherds who had climbed up on a mound by his calculations discovered the whole history of
of earth and were playing at a game, some of them the rogue, and the barber's son saw that if the
pretending to be kings, others ministers, and others sorcerer was not put out of the way, there was every
attendants. When the shepherds heard his cries probability of some misfortune befalling him, 60
they called him and enquired how he came in such be thought over the matter, and one night went to
i & plight and after he had told them all that had bethe sorcerer's house, and called out, "Bhattacharjya fallen him, the shepherd who was acting the part of Thakur, Bhattacharjya Thakur." Now the Brahman
a king and was throned on the mound of earth, saidwas an old man and did not wish to get up, so the "If your r&ja will bring both parties before me and barber's son said, "The king has sent you a very allow me to give a decision I am sure I can give a urgent lotter, stretch out your hand and take it." very good one." When Kinu Shaha heard this he The Brahman stretched his hand out through the went back to Bhoj Raja and told him what the door, and the barber's bon, immediately cut it off, shepherd king had said, and Bhoj Raja ordered his and went away with it, and as he knew that the attendants to take both parties before him. He heard Borcerer could practice no more magical arts now what each party had to say and then took a long that his hand was cut off, he gained increased confi- reed and bored it through and placed it upright in dence and began to cheat the people on every side in the ground and said, “Whichever of you can pass & terrible way.
through the hollow of this reed, is the true Kinu At last the king being unable to hit on any other Shaha." plan proclaimed through the city by beat of drum The real Kinu Shaha knowing that he was a man that if the man who was doing all this roguery and could not by any means pass through the hollow would come forward, he would give him his daugh- of the reed, began to cry, but the false Kinu Shaha, ter in marriage. When the barber's son heard of saying that he could easily do it, was in the act of the news he went to the king, and as a proof that passing through the hollow reed, when the shepherd he was the rogue, produced the hand of the Brahman. king, knowing that he was an impostor, stopped both The king was amazed, but nevertheless kept his pro- ends of the reed with mud and killed him and let the mise and gave him his daughter in marriage. He real Kinu Shaha go back to his own house.
MANGA RAJA'S OR KAVI MANGA'S ABHIDÁNA.
BY THE REV. F. KITTEL, MERKARA Last year when searching after certain Canarese " Manga Raja's Nighantu." Having read a few manuscripts in the Raja's Library at Maisur, I hap- pages I felt convinced that the work was of conpened to meet with a Canarese Dictionary entitled siderable value as it explained, whenever possible,
