Indian Antiquary Vol 17

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

Page 90

80
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1888.
king amidst the great merriment of the cour interest to the day on which this Râjâ was tiers, while our young hero, who had been inexpected to arrive. court all the while watching the proceedings, The day came round at last, and the young could not help bursting out into a loud laugh. prince's heart leapt within him for joy when
At this the king ordered him to be brought be recognized in the royal visitor his longbefore him and asked him what it was that lost brother. The two brothers greeted each had made him laugh so loud.
other very affectionately and told each other of Then the young man related to the Râjâ ali all that had happened since they had parted, about his adventures with the ogre in such a and so much was the elder affected with the plain straightforward way that the king was narration of his younger brother's sufferings quite convinced of the truth of his narration, that he fell upon his neck and the two big men His Majesty, however, ordered him to produce wept like little children. the weapon he had used in the encounter, and! This unexpected meeting of the brothers the prince at once drew out his sharp bright lent greater hilarity to the joyful proceedings, knife and flashed it before the eyes of the and the two spent several happy days in each assembled multitude.
other's company. The cart-men, as might be supposed, made a When the wedding festivities were over show of disbelieving the youth's story, and they resolved to go and pay a visit to their loudly protested against being robbed of their old father. So they got ready a large army and just reward by a stripling like him. Upon marched with it towards their native country. this the prince begged of the king to ask the After several days' weary marching they cartmen what had become of the ogre's tongue reached the place and pitched their camp on and tail.
the outskirts of their father's capital. The “Oh, perhaps he never had any !" cried the old man, being duly informed of this, trembled men simultaneously, "for when we killed him to think that some foreign Rajas, more power. we found him without them."
ful than himself, had come to deprive him of " Then wait till I show them to you," cried his throne. It was then that he thought of his the prince, and opening a bundle and taking sons, and regretted very much that they were out the tongue and the tail, he placed them not living to help him in his old age, having before the king as a convincing proof that it been condemned to an early death owing to the was he who had killed the ogre.
evil influence exercised upon him by his wife, The king at once ordered the cart-men to be who, be it mentioned, had long revealed herself ignominiously driven away, and embracing the to him in her true colours. So he thought it young prince, hailed him as the deliverer of best to conciliate the invaders and make peace his country. He then, as promised in the with them on easy terms, and accordingly sent proclamation, transferred the sovereignty his prime minister to them with rich presents of half his kingdom to him and made pre- and offers of more, if they would let him remain parations for his marriage.
in undisturbed possession of his kingdom. The astrologers having fixed upon the day The two Rajas in their turn sent back word on which to celebrate the auspicious event there that they had not come to his country with any were great rejoicings in the city and the old hostile intent, but only meant to pay him a king sent out numerous invitations to all the friendly visit. So the old king went out himself neighbouring Rájás to join in the festivities. to meet them and implored them with clasped Among those who accepted them was one hands to have mercy on him in his old age and young Râjâ who was said to have been elected not to shed the blood of his innocent subjects since to the throne by a court elephant and who was his two brave sons lived no longer to protect them. held in high esteem by his subjects. So our At this both the brothers fell at their father's hero was naturally very eager to see him, for feet and begged him to receive back to his he thought that if ever the chakva's words heart his long-lost sons, telling him how the had come true it must have been his brother good executioner had sured their eye-sight who had been made king in this singular and how they had come to be in the state in fashion. So he looked forward with great which he found them.