Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/106

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Satrughna Bhattacharya now issued from his covert, and suddenly appeared before them. No sooner did the robber recognise the Herculean Bhattacharya, than he ran for his life, and ascended on the top of a big Simul tree. The wayfarer had lost his sense, and Satrughna applied himself first to revive the man by sprinkling water on his face and head. He then went to the tree, where the robber had taken shelter, but could not ascend it, as he was a plump man himself, and the tree was thorny. He lay waiting below the tree for the robber, whom he asked to come down. But the robber dared not do his bidding. When Satrughna saw, that Ghosh would not descend from the tree, he thus addressed him:—'Come down, Ghosh, swear by my feet, that you will not commit robbery any more, and I will forgive you this time.' Ghosh replied from the top of the tree:—'If you swear by your holy thread, that you will not molest me if I come down, I may do your bidding.' Bhattacharya smiled and rejoined:—'Will you believe me, if I say that I swear by my holy thread?' Ghosh answered:—'You are prepared to believe me, if I swear by your feet; and is it possible, that I shall not believe you, when you, a Brahman, will swear by your holy thread?' At this Satrughna swore by his holy thread that he would not molest the robber; whereupon the latter came down from the tree, and swore by the Brahman's feet, that he would never more engage himself in