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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1879.
Beheld the wicked hanter approaching the
spot. With his knife and club in his band (ready
to slay)." Then the Deer-king, seeing the hunter thus armed approaching the place, said to the mother-deer :
This is the hunter, coming here, His face dark and forbidding, his doublet
of skin. He will come and strip off my hide, Cut up my flesh in joints, and depart."
Then the female deer, gradually approaching the hunter, addressed him and said :"Most illustrious hunter ! listen! You may arrange your seat of grass and
prepare First of all to kill me, and skin my hide
from my body. Then go and kill your prisoner-the Deer
king." At this time the huntsman addressed the bind as follows: "Is this Deer-king related to you?” Then the hind answered and said, "He is my husband. I love and revere him with all my heart, and therefore I am deter- mined to share his fate; kill me first, then, hunter! and afterwards do as you list to him!”
Then the huntsman 'reflected and said :
“What a faithful and exemplary wife is this ! seldom indeed is such a one to be found !" Then he addressed the hind and said, "Most respectable one! your conduct is very commendable; I will let your lord go !"
Then there was great joy, and the huntsman said: "Seldom have I seen such faithiulness. Go, then! Oh, Deer-king! And as you owe your life to your mate, Cherish and nourish her as you ought." Then the huntsman loosed the snare, and let the Deer-king go, on which the hind overjoyed, addressed the huntsinan, and said :" Most virtuons and illustrions huntsman ! May all your friends and relations, As you have caused me to rejoice, Seeing my husband escape, likewise so rejoice.
Then Buddha said, “This Deer-king was myself, and the hind was Yasodhara, who, on my account, experienced much sorrow, 80 much indeed, that for six years she carried Rahula in her womb, till at last hearing that I was about to return and assume the dignity of a universal monarch (whereas my kingdom is of a spiritual character), overcome with joy she brought forth her son, Rahdla, and clothed and adorned him as became the child of a queen."
MISCELLANEA. THE IDOLS OF BAMIAN.
ascended the pass. It was not one continuous Lieut.-General E. Kaye, C.B., read a paper to the pass, but a succession of several short but steep Royal Geographical Society, on 24th Feb. last, on escents and descents, the general features of the "The Mountain Passes leading to the valley of summit of the Paghman Chain being that of a Bå miên," from which we make the following broken, rugged table-land, riven by several deep extracts :
chasms, and the breadth of the plateau from 4 to "In direction W.N.W. from the city of Kabul, 5 miles. We encamped on the height at an elevaand distant from it about one degree and twenty tion of 11,400 feet; the Koh-i-B&b mountain minutes of longitude, in a straight line, bat some (18,000 feet) being visible, the centre peak bearing 112 miles by the mountain road connecting the W.N.W. from our camp. ... Not a tree or a bush two places, lies the valley of Bamian. Nearly forty was visible to break the desolate monotony of the years ago I traversed this route, with troops ... scene. In the distance ahead, a little west of and now, aided by such imperfect notes as I made north, the lofty range, in which are the passes of at the time, I will endeavour to describe the Kala, Hajikak, and Irak, bounds the view. country between the capital of the Amir and the "Clearing the Unah, we passed over four spurs idols of Bamiân..."
branching from the mountain on our left, and "It was on the 19th Sept. that we reached the emorged into the valley of the river Helmund at Unah pass. Winter had commenced though the Gardan-i-Diwar. This river rising some 20 miles crops had not yet been cut. At this point the to the north-east, here divides the Hindu Kush elevation above sea level was estimated at nearly and Paghman ranges..." 10,000 feet. The valley now terminated, and we Fording the river we "entered the glen of the
From The Oriental, Nov. 6, 1875.
