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SerTEMBER, 1875.)
THE TWO BROTHERS: A MANIPURI STORY.
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thinking that the princess might perhaps choose him for her husband. On the appointed day kings' sons came together from every side, and the merchant put on his gold and silver ornaments; and Basanta went with him, taking a mat to sit upon, and they each sat down in their appointed place. Then the princess, with a garland of dowers in her hand, came and stood in the midst of the assembly, and each of the kings' sons hoped that she might choose him. Basanta was sitting on a dirty cloth behind the merchant, and as the princess came near, the merchant hoped she might choose him ; but she passed him by, and put the garland on Basanta's neck, saying she chose him for her husband When the kings' sons saw it, they all laughed at the princess's father because she had rejected them and chosen a common slave; and he was so ashamed that he celebrated the marriage at once, and gave his daughter what she had to receive, and sent her off with her husband. Thu merchant told Basanta to bring the mat he was sitting on, and they all three went away to the boat. Now the merchant had privately determined to kill Easanta and marry the king's daughter, so he ordered his servants to push out into the middle of the river, where the stream was running very strong; and when they had reached a very wide river, where the car- rent was most impetuous, the merchant gave Basanta & lotá and told him to draw some water, and as he was stooping over the side of the boat he pushed him into the water. But the princess saw it, and though she was weeping much she threw her husband a pillow, which he caught, and it supported him.
The merchant told Basanta's wife that he intended to keep her to wait on him, but she was much distressed and told him not to touch her for three years, and after that she would live with him. The merchant entreated her much, and attempted to seize her, but she prayed that he might be smitten with leprosy and die if he did so; and he desisted, thinking that at any rate every one would believe that she was his wife, and that her husband was dead and would never return: so he took her to his own house. Meanwhile Basanta, svpported on the pillow and struggling with the waves, had swum to shore, and was drying himself in the sun. Near the place where he landed lived an old couple of dhobis, and the
wife came down to the ghay and saw Basanta lying there. She called to him, but he gave no answer, so she went and told her husband taat a man was dying at the glat, and they both went and lifted him up, and took him to their own house, where they lighted a fire and set him near it.
Now they had been for a long time much distressed because they had no ron, and they wished to adopt Basanta, so they persuaded him to remain in their house.
In the meantime Basanta's wife, from excess of grief, gave up eating and sleeping, and became much emaciated, and the merchant again asked her to be his wife. bnt she refused and told him not to touch her for three years or he would be reduced to ashes; he thought no one else could marry her, so when he reached home he made her live in a separate house, and put a guard over her, and kept her with great care. And all this time the washerman and his wife treated Basanta very kindly. Now Turi was king of the country where they lived, and the merchant requested him to order each village in turn to supply men to guard his wife; and when it came to the turn of the hobis' village to supply a man from every two houses the headman ordered the washerman to go. But Basanta, when he heard of it, offered to go in his place, and he and the other watchman went and sat in the house where Basanta's wife was, and talked together, and the other man asked Basanta to tell him a tale. Now Basanta had recognized his wife, but he was doubtfal whether she remembered him: so he began to tell all his adventures, and when his wife, who was lying on the bed, heard him tell how he had swam to shore supported by a pillow which his wife had thrown him, she knew he was her husband, and she said she had prayed much to God, and he had promised to restore him to her; and she told him to relato his story next day in the presence of the king. When the morning came she told the merchant that she wished to go before the king, to hear a story which the man who was on guard had to tell, and she promised to marry the merchant as soon as she had heard it. He was delighted with her promise, and went to the king to ask him to give notice that a story would be told; the king did so, and every one assembled to hear the story, sitting in his appointed
