countless thunderbolts from which in the rainy season piercing flashes gleam. He had the glossy beauty of leaves in a bed of pure blue lotuses. His twisting trunk had the charm of a perfect snake. His presence was that of an elephant of heaven. His two tusks, shapely, smooth, and full, had the color of honey. Around his entire visage rose a charming hum from swarms of bees drawn by the fragrant perfume of the ichor-juice that issued from his temples.
And Victory reflected: "It is impossible for folk like me to come too near. Because, as the proverb puts it:
An elephant will kill you if
He touch; a serpent if he sniff
King's laughter has a deadly sting;
A rascal kills by honoring.
I must by all odds seek impregnable terrain before introducing myself."
After these reflections, he climbed upon a tall and jagged rock-pile before saying: "Is it well with you, lord of the two-tusked breed?" And the elephant-king, hearing this, peered narrowly about, and said: "Who are you, sir?" "I am an envoy," said the rabbit. "In whose service?" asked the elephant, and the envoy answered: "In the service of the blessèd Moon." "State your business," said the elephant-king, and the rabbit stated it thus.
"You are aware, sir, that no injury may be done an envoy in the discharge of his function. For all
