508 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



and after that Allakappa got along famously with the big beasts. 

 (161-4) 



At this time Parantapa was king at Kosambi. One day the king 

 and the queen were sitting out in the open air sunning themselves. 

 The queen, who was great with child, was wearing the king's scarlet 

 blanket ; and as they chatted together the queen removed the king's 

 signet ring from his finger and slipped it on her own. Just then a 

 monster vulture, mistaking the queen for a piece of meat, swooped 

 down, caught up the queen in his talons, carried her off to the forest, 

 and deposited her in the fork of a banyan tree. The following morn- 

 ing she gave birth to a son, whom she called Udena. (164-5) 



Now the banyan tree was not far from the hermitage of Allakappa. 

 The latter, discovering mother and child, escorted them to the hermit- 

 age and cared for them tenderly. After a time, the mother, fearing 

 that if the hermit went away she and her child would be left alone in 

 the forest to die, tempted the hermit to break his vow of chastity. 

 The latter yielded to the temptation, and thereafter the two lived 

 together as man and wife. (165-6) 



One day Allakappa read it in the stars that the king of Kosambi 

 was dead. He told the queen, and the latter burst into tears. Then 

 said the hermit, " Why do you weep 1 " " Because he was my hus- 

 band." " Weep not ; death is certain for all." " I know, sir." " But 

 why do you continue to weep 1 ?" "Because of my son; if he could 

 only be there, he would be crowned king." "Cease weeping; I will 

 arrange all that." Thereupon the hermit gave the boy the lute to 

 charm elephants with and taught him the proper spells. The her- 

 mit then said to the mother, "Give your son the necessary instruc- 

 tions, that he may go hence and become king." The mother told the 

 boy that he was the son of Parantapa, king of Kosambi ; that a monster 

 bird had carried her off just before he was born ; that he was to go 

 forth and claim his kingdom ; and that in case the ministers refused to 

 believe him, he was to show them his father's scarlet mantle and signet 

 ring. Then the prince bade farewell to his father and mother, mounted 

 the back of the oldest elephant of the herd, and whispered in his ear, 

 " My lord, I am the son of Parantapa, king of Kosambi ; obtain for me 

 the kingdom of my father." The elephant trumpeted, saying, " Let all 

 the hosts of the elephants assemble ; " and immediately all the hosts of 

 the elephants assembled. Then the elephant trumpeted again, saying, 

 " Let the old elephants retire, and the young elephants withdraw ; " 

 and immediately the old elephants retired, and the young elephants 

 withdrew. So Udena set out with a prodigious host of warrior ele- 

 phants, and going to the gates of Kosambi, cried out with a loud voice, 



