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AUGUST, 1887.)
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
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bis feet pained him, ate what he could procure in the shape of roots and fruits, slept when he felt himself drowsy, and put no value on his life. Thus he journeyed through forests, mountains, deserts, and wilds for over a month till he reached a large city, which, on enquiry, he found to be Dharapura, the capital of the Emperor or kachakrûdhipati, to whom all the fifty-six kings of the world did homage.
Now the Emperor of Dharapura had no son, but an only daughter, who was considered to be the most beautiful princess in the world. Her name was Chandramukhi.' She was only nine years of age, and was prosecuting her studies in the Prince's College of Dharapura. This Rajakumar, or Royal College, was an institu tion specially adapted to the education of the members of the royal family, and during the school hours a body-guard always waited outside it and also accompanied the princess and her fellow-students to and fro; the Minister's son, Ramachandra, the Commander-in-chief's son, and several other lads of noble parentage were her school-mates.
It so happened that Krishna Singh had to pass by the street in which the college was situated, and as one of the royal guard was a Singh by caste he recognised him as a caste-fellow; and pitying the forlorn condi. tion of such a beautiful and tender boy he called him to his side, and asked him who he was. Kộishņa Singh, pretending to be an idiot, replied that he knew nothing about himself, that he had been wandering ever since he could remember, and that he had no relatives. At that moment Princess Chandramukhi happened to come outside the college for a cup of water, and was struck with the beauty and majesty of Krishna Singh, worn
• The lord of one discus- title which emperors in India always took from their privilege of wielding a disous (chakra), which privilege the minor kinga had not.
• The fifty-six kings of the world, according to the ideas current in South India, are the kings of 1. Anga.
14. Kamboja 2. Aruna.
15. Kidkra. 3. Avanti.
16. Kuruku. 4. Åndira
17. Kudaka. 5. Ilåda (Låta). 18. Kuntala. 6. Ottiya.
19. Kuru. 7. Karusa.
20. Kulinda. 8. Kalinga.
21. Kurchchara. 9. Kannada
22. Kékaya. 10. Kannads.
23. Kérale. 11. Kisa
24. Kongana. 12. Kisumira (Kashmir). 25. Kolla. 13. Kandhára.
26. Kösala.
out and disfigured though he was after his wanderings. She asked him his name and parentage. He replied to the first question, and as to the second he said he knew nothing about himself, except that he was an orphan. She then asked him whether he would like to serve under her. On his replying in the affirmative she appointed him as her Takluttakki or Satchel-bearer, and told him that his duty was ever to be by her side and to carry her satchel behind her, both when she went to the school and when she returned home. She promised in return to feed him and bring him up as well as herself. What more could Krishna Singh want ? He gladly consented, and accepting her offer with thanks followed her to her class, and ever afterwards attended upon her.
The princess obtained her father's consent, too, for Krishna Singh's employmen satchel-bearer, and true to her word she brought him up very tenderly. He had his meals side by side with her, and, excepting that he was her satchel-bearer, there was no difference made between them. The general opinion among the people was that the emperor allowed such familiarity between his daughter and Krishna Singh, because he wished to marry them to each other when they were old enough; but, as they were also of opinion that he was a very stupid boy they could not reconcile themselves to the idea of the marriage. For it should be said that Krishna Singh had, ever since he had entered the service of the princess, pretended that he Was & fool, and when one of the princess's school-mates had asked him if he could write he had replied he could, -but about as well as he could fly in the air! This too was not the
27. Saka. 28. Savvira. 29. Salava. 80. Singala. 81. Sindhu. 32. Sina. 33. Sürasēns. 34. Sóla. 35. Sonaks. 36. Dirkvida. 87. Tuluva. 88. Tengana. 89. Nidada. 40. Népala. 41. Pappara. The moon-faced.
42. Pallave. 43. Pichala. 44. Pandiya. 45. Pulinda 46. Poda. 47. Maghada. 48. Machcha. 49. Marita. 50. Malaiyáls. 51. MÁlava. 52. Yavana. 53. Yuganda 54. Vanga. 55. Veógala. 56. Vidarbha
