THE CONQUEST OF LANKA 127
precious days and weeks slipping away from him, while, as far as he could see, no preparations whatever were being made. This, it must be said, was not literally true; for Hanuman, the monkey general and councillor, had already remonstrated with his sovereign regarding this unseemly delay, and had been despatched by Sugriva to collect an army. So when Lakshmana at last went, with manly directness, to protest against perfidy and want of faith, their ally was able to point to the gatherings of hundreds of thousands whom he could see about him, and to assure him that in many other parts of the forests formidable monkeys and bears would be found stationed, each with another army in his keeping, waiting to receive their marching orders.
The first point was to find out the whereabouts of Sita, and for this purpose Sugriva divided the hosts of monkeys, ordering some to search in the north-east, others in the north-west, and still others again in the distant south. His own reliance, however, was placed mainly on the prowess and energy of the great Hanuman, who was going with the southern army; and when he said so to Rama, the King gave this emissary a ring engraved with his own name, to be a token to Sita, should he find her, of whence he came.
But many weeks of unavailing search went by before Hanuman, Son of the Winds, swelling
