190 



THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA, 



that the originals of the two legends may not have 

 differed greatly in character ; and the close and curious 

 parallelism between them could only be brought out 

 by the adoption of the method introduced by the 

 author of " Hiawatha," and now familiar to the public. 

 But the "noble savage " of North America is a very 

 different character from the poor squalid Gond of 

 Central India ; and not even the o-enius of a Lono-fellow 

 or a Fenimore Cooper could throw a halo of sentiment 

 over the latter and his surroundings. I have therefore 

 thought it best to give full play to the grotesque 

 element in the tale, for which, it must be confessed, 

 the Hiawathian style is provokingly well adapted. I 

 should add that the serious student of Gond institutions 

 liad better, perhaps, prefer the original to the version 

 now offered. 



I.— THE CREATION AND TEIBULATIONS OF THE GONDS. 



In the Glens of Seven Moun- 

 tains,* 



Of the Twelve Hills in the Valleys, 



Is the mountain Lingawangad, 



Is the flowering tree Pahindi ; 



In that desert far out-spreading 



Twelve coss round arose no dwell- 

 ing : 



" Caw " saying, there no crow was ; 



"Chee " saying, there no bird was ; 



" Raghum " saying, there no tiger 

 was. 



And the Gods were greatly 

 troubled. 



In their heavenly courts and 

 councils 



Sat no Gods of Gdnds among 

 them. 



Gods of other nations sat there, 



Eighteen threshing-floorsf of Brah- 

 mins, 



Sixteen scores f of Teling^nas ; 



Rut no Gods of Gdnds appeared 

 there 



From the Glens of Seven Moun- 

 tains, 



From the Twelve Hills in the 

 Valleys. 

 Then the Strong God Ktirto 

 Subal,t 



The first-born of Mahddevd, 



Of the Great God Mdh.idevd, 



* The Sdfptira mountains are probably here referred to. 



t Such expressions are used throughout the legend to denote 

 indefinite numbers. 



J Kartik Swami, the son of Si'va (Mahudeva), is thus termed iu 

 the legend. 



