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30
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1894.
The next day they went out to play:
"O, you children of Buddyanta! We will also play with you. We will also stake cashew-nuts," said they.
So they played, but upon the agreement that there were to be no squares for the play, and were completely beaten by Buddyanta's children.
Then the younger of them said to his brother: - "Give me my turn now. I shall proceed with the play."
So he took his turn and began to play, and he completely defeated Buddyanta's children. They then demanded that the play should be renewed with the squares.
The victorious party said : -"You yourselves had ruled that there were to be no squares for the play. Now we will not agree to that," and they walked straight home.
Buddyanta's children went home and informed their father of this, and he came and took the cashow-nuts by force from the hands of the victorious children.
"We are young and you take the puts from us by force. Keep them well, and when we are grown up, we shall get them from you," said the children.
Buddyanta took the nuts home, and tying them in a cloth, hung them up in the smoke.
u We must go to see the BallA]. In his face sits (the goddess) Lakshmi (good luck), whereas in our faces sits Kali (bad luck), We must get rid of Kali and try to gain over Lakshmi."
So spake the children to cach other, and one of them advised the other to ask the opinion of Sâyina Baidya. Sayina Baidya went to the Ballal, who was sitting in his hall with great enjoyment. On his head was a hat of areca-nut shell ornamented with peacock's plumes. His body was decorated with garlands of jasmine flowers, and of the flowers called k&taki. To the Balla! thus seated, Buddyanta made a lowly obeisance.
The Ballal said : -"Come, Sayina, take a seat. What is your object in coming here?"
Sayina Baidya replied: -“(The goddess) Kali, who sits in the faces of the children, . whom you have nourished, should be driven away, and the Goddess of Wealth invited to sit there instead."
To this Balla! answered:-"Have the ceremony performed according to the custom of our caste. Fell plantain trees. Hang up festoons of cocoanat leaves. Set up foar posts of plantain trees. Ceil the inner roof. Carpet the ground. Rain coral on the heads of the boys. Wave lamps before their faces in a plate filled with rubies. Perform the ceremony just in the same way as the Ballál king would have done."
On hearing this, Sayina Baidya returned home, and inquired who had been serving his household as a barber from the time of his ancestors. He was told that it was one Isara Kambi, the son of a barber, and that he was at that time living on the land of one Kande Bollari Svåmin in a place called Karmi Sale in the City of Ijjya on the Ghats.
He then desired to write him a letter on palm leaves and send for him ; and enquired who had been writing such letters from the time of his ancestors. He was told that the writer was a clerk damed Narayana Rangoji. Rangôji was then sent for, and came, and asked Sayina Baidya why he had been sent for.
Sayina Baidya then sent a servant to a place named Uddanda Bottu, and caused some raw leaves of a young palm-tree to be brought, and to be exposed to the morning sun. In the evening he caused the leaves to be taken out of the sun, and had them tied up in bundles. He had the middle parts only of the leaves preserved; their ends he had cut off. The clerk held
i
e., in the chimney.
