Page:Santal Folk Tales.djvu/82

I should not, yet I am a son of yours. Do tell me. If you die, I shall die also; We will depart this life together. I cannot return home." The raja then thought within himself, I will tell him, and let him go. If I do not do so, Lelha may die along with me. Then addressing Lelha, he said, "It is nothing child, only I see no flowers in my garden, and therefore I am sulking. Although your four brothers watched three nights, still I see no flowers." Lelha then said, "If my brothers watched three nights, see me watch one." The raja replied, "Very good my son, let us leave this apartment."

The raja went to, bathe, and Lelha going to the shopkeeper bought several kinds of grain, which he carried home and gave to his mother, saying, "Roast a seer of each, and cook some rice for me. have succeeded in persuading my father to rise. He has bathed and dined, and is refreshed. He was sulking because he can see no flowers in his garden. It was with great difficulty that I prevailed upon him to get up." His mother said, "What does my Lord want with roasted grain ?" Lelha replied, "Let me do with it as I chose, you prepare it. I will take it with me at night when I go to watch in the flower garden." His mother said, "Have you forgotten your brothers' threats to beat you ?" Lelha replied, "My bro-thers may beat me, but no other person. What help is there for it ?"

At nightfall, Lelha, having supped, tied up in the four corners of his plaid four kinds of roasted grain, and entering the garden climbed up on a raised platform, and began his vigil.

After a short time he untied one of his parcels of roasted grain, and began leisurely to eat it, one grain at a time. Just as he had consumed the last one, an Indarpuri Sadom descended from the East H.nd alighted in the garden to browse upon the flowers. Lelha seeing it, crept noiselessly up, and laid hold of it.