Page:Santal Folk Tales.djvu/33

"Very well, we will enquire into it." So he commanded some of his servants to examine the body, and on doing so they found that the claws had been extracted and the tongue cut out, They reported the condition of the body to the king, who ordered the Dome to state the weapon with which he killed him. The Dome replied, "I hit him with a club on the head." On the head being examined no mark whatever was seen, so in order to arrive at the truth the king ordered all the inhabitants of the village to be brought together to the palace. He then enquired of them as to who killed the demon.

The old woman, in whose house Kara and Guja had passed the night, stepped forward and said, " Oh sir king, two strangers came to my house yesterday evening, and during the night they slew the demon." The king said, "Where are those two men?" The old woman replied, "There they are, the two walking to-gether." So the king sent and brought them back, and ques-tioned them as to the slaying of the demon. They pointed out the arrow -marks on the body, and produced his claws and tongue from their bag. This evidence convinced the king that they, and not the Dome, had slain the demon. Kara and Guja were received with great favour by the king, and received the pro-mised reward.

The king sentenced the Dome to be beaten and driven from the village. After receiving his stripes, the Dome .returned home, and gathered the shreds of his property together. He also went in search of his Dome wife and children, but they mocked him saying, " You went to marry the king's daughter why do you come again seeking us."

Thus Kara and Guja gained a kingdom.