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kadatta, it fell down and rolled at his feet again and again. And as it was rolling, the prince saw a string tied round its neck and at once untied it, thinking that it gave the bird pain. The peacock, the moment that the thread was loosed from its neck, became before his eyes his minister Bhímaparákrama. Then Mrigánkadatta embraced the affectionate minister, who bowed before him, and in his astonishment said to him, " Tell me, friend, what is the meaning of this ?" Then Bhímaparákrama said to him in his delight, " Listen, prince, I will tell you my story from the beginning."
The adventure of Bhimaparákrama after his separation from the prince.:— When I was separated from you by the curse of the Nága, I wandered about in the wood until I reached a śálmali tree.*[1] And I saw an image representing Ganeśa carved in the tree, which I worshipped, and then I sat down at the foot of the tree being tired, and I said to myself, " All this mischief has been brought about by me, by telling my master that time the incident of the Vetála which took place at night. So I will abandon here this my sinful body." In this frame of mind I remained there, fasting, in front of the god. And after some days an old traveller came that way, and sat in the shade of that tree. And the good man, seeing me, questioned me with much persistence, saying, " Why do you remain in this solitary place, my son, with such a downcast face?" Then I told him my story, exactly as it took place, and the old traveller kindly said to me, to encourage me; " Why, being a man, are you killing yourself like a woman? Moreover, even women do not lose their courage in calamity; hear the following tale in proof of it."
Story of Kamalákara and Hansávalí.:— In the city of Kośala there was a king, named Vimalákara, and he had a son named Kamalákara, who was made by the Creator admirable in respect of the qualities of courage, beauty and generosity, as if to out-do Skanda, Kandarpa, and the wishing-tree of heaven. Then one day a bard, whom he had known before, came and recited a certain stanza in the presence of that prince, who deserved to be praised by bards in all the regions of the world. " Where can the row of swans †[2] obtain satisfaction, until it reaches the lotus-bed, ‡[3] round which sings a host of many noisy birds §[4] delighted at obtaining the lotus- flower ||[5] ?" When the bard, named Mauorathasiddhi, had frequently recited this stanza, prince Kamalákara questioned him, and he said to him: " Prince, as I was roaming about, I
