Indian Antiquary Vol 17

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 88

78
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1888.
and said, “Come along, young man, since it has This partially restored his strength, and he been your lot to be the first to enter these walked on till he came upon an old potter gates this morning we must take you to the digging for clay near a clay-pit. queen and see what follows." And so they "Shall I help you in digging clay, sir?" gave him a horse to ride and escorted him said the lad to the potter. "I am in search of with great haste towards the queen's palace. some employment and would do anything for
Now the reason of this mysterious beha- you if you would only give me some bread to viour on the part of the guards was that the eat." king of the country had recently died without The potter had pity on him and said: "Yes, an heir, and the court astrologers had pre- if you are really willing to work you may dig dicted that the heir to the throne would be clay for me while I work at the wheel, and in the first to enter the gates of the city the day the evening I shall give you a good dinner in after the king's death, and that the sacred return." court elephant would of its own accord throw So the prinee at once set about his task and a garland of flowers round his neck. The worked away with such a will that before queen had therefore posted the guards at the evening the potter took a liking to him, and gates of the city that morning with orders to taking him home treated him to a hearty dinner. bring to her the first man that entered them. By degrees the young prince learned the
When the guards dismounted at the palace art of making pots, and he so improved apon with the handsome young prince in their charge, the old potter's method that in a short time he the queen ordered all the nobles of the court was able to turn out the finest and most artisto assemble in the court-yard. Sbe then gave tically designed pots ever seen, till at last' the orders for the sacred elephant to be brought old potter became famous for the beautiful round and put a garland of flowers on its trunk workmanship of his wares and grew quite saying, "Throw this round the neck of him rich in a short time. who is destined by Iśvara to occupy my husband's Now the potter had no children, so he and vacant throne." The elephant looked around his wife adopted the good prince as their son, for some time and then made towards the place and treated him with the greatest kindness where the young prince was standing and and affection. dexterously threw the garland round his After remaining with them for some time, neck. At this there arose a loud shout of joy the young prince one day asked the potter's from the assembled multitude, and the newly and his wife's permission to go on a journey, elected king was taken into the palace and saying that though they loved him as their installed on the throne by the chief gurú of own son and made him want for nothing, he the court. Next day there were great rejoicings felt very anxious about his brother, and was throughout the kingdom, and the young prince therefore determined to find out what had bewas proclaimed king with great pomp. The come of him since they parted. poor lad, however, was not happy at this sudden The old people felt grieved at the idea of change in his fortunes, for he thought of his parting with him, but seeing that he was brother whom he had left half-dead from want determined, gave him their permission with of food in the forest, and who, he feared, had the greatest reluctance, and once more the perhaps died of starvation. He nevertheless young prince set off in search of his brother. despatched messengers in search of him and for several years he wandered about from waited anxiously for their return.
one country to another without finding any Meanwhile the younger brother, after trace of his lost brother, till at last one evening waiting for a few hours for his brother, put he sat down weary and dejected on the doorall his strength together and went in search step of a poor old woman's cottage, and being of food and water. He wandered about for very hungry, looked wistfully at some wheaten some time till chance led his footsteps towards bread she was baking. The poor woman, when a small stream, and there he refreshed himself she saw the weary traveller, took pity on him with its delicious fresh water and the wild and invited him to enter the cottage and par. fruit that he found growing on its banks. take of some bread.