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SEPTEMBER, 1884.]
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
267
thus allowed to ride free through my streets ? Of the innumerable servants who eat our salt was there not one to cut down that impertinent head?” roared the minister. The Pradhani replied, "My king, my lord, excuse me first for the humble words that I am going to speak before your honour. We have taken up a kingdom to which we have no right. If the prince had demanded the throne two years ago, we ought rightfully to have returned it to him. He never asked, and we did not restore it. He nerer troubles us with demands, but lives like a poor subject of the crown in his own quarters. Such being the case, why should we kill him ? Why should we murder the only son of our old and much-respected king Sivachâr? What I beg to suggest to your honour is, that we should no more trouble ourselves about his poor head." The Pradhânî, as he discovered that these words were not to the taste of Khara- vadana, stopped at once without proceeding further, though he had much to say upon that subject. “Vile wretch! Dare you preach morals to your superiors. You shall see the result of this, before the morning dawns," bawled out the minister. The Pradhani saw that all his excellent advice was like blowing a conch in a deaf man's ears. He feared for his own life, and so at once begged a thousand par- dons, and promised to bring the head of the prince within a week. And as Kharavadana wanted only that, he spared the Pradhani. They then talked on different subjects, and prepared to start.
The prince inside, behind the Gaņēšavigraha, was now almost stifled to death. The short breaths that he inhaled and exhaled were themselves enough to kill him. Add to that the horrible words that fell on his ears. For all that he continued to hide himself. Kharavadana and the Pradhani finished their conversation and got into the carriage. Sundara called courage to his assistance, “Saukara has saved me till now; he may so save me through out." So thinking with himself, he boldly came out of the temple without making the least noise and sat behind the carriage, and, as it rolled on, thought again with himself: "I will follow these, come what may, and find out what more plans they devise against my life.”
The carriage drove on to the opposite end of the town. It passed the west gate and entered
a big park outside the town. The undaunted prince followed. In the middle of the park a fine tank was discovered. The banks looked like day, being lighted up profusely. In the midst of the tank a small island with a gaudy mansion was seen. Pillars of gold, sofas of silver and doors of diamonds made it the very Iruraloka itself. A broad road with avenues of sweet smelling flowering trees connected the island with the bank. It was at that road that the carriage stopped. The prince, before that was reached, had got down and hid himself under the shade of a tree, to see unobserved all that passed in the mansion which he had every reason to believe was the destination of the minister. Kharavadana descended from the bándi and sent the Pradhânî home. What most astonished the prince was the absence of male servants in that garden. At the entrance of the road twenty young females of the most exquisite beauty waited and conducted Kharavadana through the sweet bower to the mansion. When it was reached, the minister sat down on a most richly furnished gold couch, and ordered the females there to bring the quoen. Ten females arranged themselves on each side of an ivory palanquin, and started, apparently, to bring the queen in it. “These females themselves resemble Rambha Urvasi, &c. A woman who has the beauty to be borne on the heads of chese females must, of course, be of the most unimaginable beauty in this world. Let me see her." Thus thinking, the prince, Sundara, anxiously waited the return of the palanquin. In a few minutes it came. A female of the most charming beauty jumped briskly out of it. The minister came running to give his helping hand to her. Horror of horrors, what sees the prince! It was his own wife, the very girl that the minister had married to him a few years before, that got down from the palanquin. "Are my eyes deceived P Do they perform their functions aright? Let me look once more." So again and again wiping his eyes to clear them a little, the prince saw distinctly. It was his very wife herself.
Oh, I most foolishly accused that grey-headed guardian for a wicked fool, because he would not allow me liberty with my wife. I now see what he saw a long time ago. Perhaps if I had slept by her side I should have thus been brought in here by some secret way that these
