Major Tod, on an Inscription at Madhiwarghar. 221 



south ; but upon coming to action with a prince there, he was defeated, 

 and eventually made prisoner. He is stated to have lost the battle by a 

 stratagem of his opponent, who strewed the ground witii crow feet* made 

 of iron. 



MuNjA, defeated, and a fugitive, took refuge in the house of a cowherd, 

 whose dame was cursing her fate at the milk having curdled ; and he an- 

 nounced himself by his misfortunes. " Silence your grief, woman, I was 

 yesterday Raja Munja, Lord of 70,000 men ; now compelled to ask assist- 

 ance of one like you, and these milk-fed clowns," (meaning her husband and 

 sons). But this indiscretion cost him his liberty. They seized the enemy 

 of their prince, and conveyed him to prison ; and captivity for life was the 

 sentence pronounced on the ex-prince of Dhdrdnagari. Shut up in a tower, 

 one female slave was all the courtly train he had. 



Bhoja was grateful enough to attempt his liberation : and contrived to 

 have communicated to him his intentions, by a mine conducted to the foot 

 of the tower. The female attendant saw his joy ; and the affection he had 

 for her made him impart to her the secret, and entreat her to be the partner 

 of his flight. She promised. — The moment arrived. — The earth opened to 

 his liberation at his feet below, but at the same moment his foes appeared, 

 led by the female of whom he so imprudently made a confidante. These 

 pulled iiim by the hair above, those below by the feet ; and in this struggle, 

 the unfortunate Munja desired he might be left to his fate and captivity. 

 This generous effort of Raja Bhoja increased the miseries of Munja. His 

 enemy refined on cruelty, made him go the rounds of the city, and obtain 

 his scanty pittance of food by begging from door to door. One day, having 

 made his daily perambulation without obtaining even the humblest dole, he 

 stood at the door of a baker's house, who recognized the fallen monarch, and 

 wept at the sight. He commanded his wife to give him one of the cakes 

 frying in butter, but the prudent wife broke it in two, and gave him but 

 half. The famished prince greedily eyed the scanty gift, and, as it con- 

 tinued dripping, he thus apostrophized it : " Do you even shed tears at 

 being thus broken by a woman's hand ; so did it fare with Rama ; so did it 

 with Bhartrihari ; and so with Raja Munja." 



* See note K. 



2 G 2 



