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was delighted. Indeed, this wicked abbot was in such & state of expectation that the sun seemed to him slow in setting. However, it did set at last. Then the ascetic said to his pupils : 'Hear: to-day you must lock the doors of the monastery and remain outside; even if you hear loud cries, you must not enter until the sun rises; you must not by any means show yourselves my enemies by thus interfering with the success of my spells.' Then the ascetic shut the doors of the monastery, and himself remained inside. Then the ascetic proceeded to say: Women, the fruit of your good luck has to-day reached its climax, in that you have obtained as husband myself, a god that dwells in heaven; so you must not humiliate me.' When he had said this, he used his two hands to open the box. But the moment he opened it that wicked ascetic was seized by the two female apes, wild with hunger. The two apes reduced him to such a state that, «« Having his limbs torn with sharp claws, his ears split, and his
cheeks scratched, And his nose taken off by the female apes, with their teeth, in
despair he exclaimed, * Run here, run here, my pupils; I am being devoured by Rákshasis.'
Thus lamenting continually, he fell suddenly on the ground. Though his pupils heard his piteous cries for aid, they did not come to help him, for they had been specially for bidden by him ; 80, by the appointment of destiny, he died, and became a very terrible Rákshasa. By his knowledge he knew all about his death in his previous state of existence, and he became a very ill-conducted being. He knew that King Subhíma had carried off his wives, and that by the instrumentality of that king his own bad death had been brought about, so he became very angry with King Subhíma. So that ascetic, who had now become a Rákshasa, and remembered his former birth, killed the king, and exterminated all the inhabitants of the city, except us two girls."
* In Kaden's Unter den Olivenbäumen,' p. 75, a similar incident will be found. A girl is taken out of a sack, and a big dog put in. When the sack was opened the big dog sprang out,' und zerriss sie alle beide.'
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