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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1875
THE TWO BROTHERS: A MANIPURI STORY.
BY G. H. DAMANT, B.A., B.C.S. In a certain country there lived a king named for the king, and they were married, and he Hemanga Sen; his queen was called Anangå brought her to the palace. After she had been Manjuri. He had a very large and beautiful there some days she began to think that there palace. One day the queen took a stool into was no use in her remaining with the king, the courtyard and sat down. Now it happened because Turi and Basanta, the children of his that the mate of a sparrow was just dead, leav. first wife, were still alive, and if she had any ing two young ones only hatched nine days, and children they would not ascend the throne, and he, thinking he could not bring them up alone, that she must hit upon some plan to kill them. determined to take another mate: so he searched So she thought over it all day, whether she was and brought one, and built her a nest in the eating, drinking, sleeping, or walking, till at courtyard, and put her into it with the young last she devised a scheme,--to pretend that she ones of his first mate, and then went away to was ill and could only be cured by bathing in look for food. In the meantime the new mate, the blood of Tari and Basanta. So she called remembering that the young ones were not a wise man and said to him aside in a solitary hers, pushed them oli of the nest with her feet, place, "I have called you in because I am ill, and they fell in front of the queen, and their and you must tell the king that I shall soon be bodies split open and they died.
well if I bathe in the blood of Turi and Basanta." Anang Manjuri was very sorry to see this, Saying this she took gold and silver from the and thought to herself, "When their wives die, treasury and gave it him, and from that day men have very little consideration for their
she gave up eating and drinking, and pretendchildren and grandchildren. If I die, my hus- ed to be ill; and when she had not eaten for a band will take another wife, who will treat my month her body was very thin and emaciated, little sons Turi and Basanta just in this way, and and she seemed to be really ill. The king will kill them.” So she wept very much, and ordered the wise man to be called, and sent a took the two young sparrows and showed them slave to fetch him, and when he came the king to the king, and told him how they had perished, told him to examine the queen and see what and asked him not to treat her sons in the same was the matter with her, and to give her medi. way if she died. The king told her she was cine to cure her. So the wise man examined not likely to die, and promised he would never the queen, and came back and told the king that ill-treat her sons; and the young sparrows he sho was very ill, and would certainly die unless threw away.
she was properly treated. The king told him Five years after this the queen's time came, to apply proper medicines, but he said the and she fell ill and died, and the king was remedy could not be obtained, so it was of no much grieved, more especially as his sons were use thinking about it. The king pressed him so young. His distress was so great that for very much to tell it, and promised that he would many days he would not hear of marrying really have it done, whatever it was. So he said, again, but his men and women slaves continu- "You must kill your two sons Turi and Baally urged him to take another wife, saying santa, and make the queen bathe in their blood, there was no prosperity in a kingdom in which and she will be cured." When the queen heard there was no queen, and all his subjects said the wise man say this, she pretended to be very the same thing. At last the king could no ill, and rolled from side to side in her bed calllonger withstand their entreaties, and consent- ing out "I am dying, I am dying." The king ed, and told them to look out for a suitable could not help believing her, and ordered his match for him. During this time his two sons sons to be killed. Now the two boys, with their had become old enough to play at hockey | slaves, were gone out to play at hockey, and and were continually amusing themselves at other slaves were sent to look for them ; the game. The subjects found a suitable wife but they, being tired with play, had gone
• The national game of the Manipurla : it is sometimes played on horseback, and sometimes on foot.
