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FEBRUARY, 1894.] THE DEVIL WORSHIP OF THE TULUVAS.
On this Buddyanta said:"Who has created a custom for you ?"
Then Channayya held Buddyanta by the head and broke his neck. He held him by the back, and broke the back-bone. Then he hurled him to the ground, so that he fell with his face upwards. His throat and his breast with his silver-hilted dagger he stabbed full three times. Buddyanta vomitted all his food; his bowels were loosened, and his soul fled from his body to Kailasa! The two brothers then took the corpse by the hands and feet, bore it to the channel they had dug, and there they placed it. They then put a harrowful of earth on its head, and said to the corpse: "Do you imagine this to be a red turban."
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Next they put a harrowful of earth on its breast, and said:"Consider this to be a blanket of the colour of pigeons."
A third time they put the same quantity of earth on its middle, and said:"Take this to be a shawl of the best manufacture."
And for the last time they put a harrowful of earth on its feet, and said: "This last do you consider to be slippers."
They then smoothened the earth, just as they would do the banks of the suggi fields. The harrow they decorated, and made it look somewhat like Buddyanta, and placed it on his seat, and said:"Sit down here and scare away birds!"
"Now, my elder brother, on our way home, let us go to Buddyanta's house," said Channayya,
"To Buddyanta's widow let us mention a fact, apparently true, though not really so," said the elder brother.
They then proceeded towards Buddyanta's house, and stood at the gate and called out to his widow. She came out answering the call, and enquired who it was that had called her.
"We are the persons that called you," answered the two brothers.
She asked them to come in and sit down. They sat down on a swinging cot.
"You, Sirs, who never visited our house till this, what is your object in coming here?" asked the woman.
"Our lord, your husband, is very thirsty, his body is full of sweat, and his throat is dry; therefore he has ordered that, with milk in a cup, water in a goblet, and betel-leaves in a metal plate, you should go there, accompanied by a maid-servant," replied the brothers. "Wherever you went, there he would sprinkle water mixed with cow-dung, and wherever he went, there you would do the same."
"Who has effected this union between you, who have been so widely separated ?" asked the woman.
"All the great men of the upper and lower countries joined and united us together," replied the brothers.
"If you have become friends, I shall still have the fortune of enjoying married life," said the woman.
She further said:"You, my children, who never came here till this, and have so strangely visited our house, take your food here."
"Till yesterday we have lived upon your food and salt, and henceforwards, too, we are only to depend upon you," replied the brothers.
She then asked them to at least chew betel-leaves, and offered them the leaves in & metal plate. They took up some leaves in their hands and said:-"We will go."
Meanwhile, accompanied by the maid-servant, who took with her milk in a cup, water in a goblet, and betel-leaves in a plate, the widow proceeded by the sides of the bank named
