206 



THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



If you wish it I will tell you. 

 Our great M;iluideva caught them, 

 And has shut them up securely 

 In a cave Avithin the bowels 

 Of his mountain Dewalgiri, 

 "With a stone of sixteen cubits, 

 And his bulldog fierce Basmasur. 

 Serve them right too, I consider. 

 Filthy, casteless, stinking 



wretches ! " 

 And the Hermit to his grotto 

 Back returned, and deeply pon- 

 dered 

 On the days that are forgotten, 

 On the unremembered ages. 

 But our Lingo wandered on- 

 wards, 

 Fasting, praying, doing penance ; 

 Laid him on a bed of prickles, 

 Thorns long and sharp and pierc- 

 ing ; 

 Fasting lay he devotee-like, 

 Hand not lifting, foot not lifting, 

 Eye not opening, nothing seeing. 

 Twelve months long thus lay and 



fasted. 

 Till his flesh was dry and withered, 

 And the bones began to show 

 through. 

 Then the Great God Mahadeva 

 Felt his seat begin to tremble, 

 Felt his golden stool all shaking 

 From the penance of our Lingo. 

 Felt, and wondered Avho on earth 

 This devotee was that was fasting 

 Till his golden stool was shaking. 

 Stepped he down from Dewalgiri, 

 Came and saw that bed of prickles 

 "Where our Lingo lay unmoving. 

 Asked him what his little game 



was, 

 "Why liis golden .stool was shaking? 

 Answered Lingo, " Miglity Kuler ! 

 Nothing less will stop that shaking 

 Than my Sixteen Scores of Koitor 

 Rendered up all safe and hurtless 



From your cave in Dewalgiri." 

 Then the Great God, much dis- 

 gusted. 

 Offered all he had to Lingo, 

 Offered kingdom, name, andriches. 

 Offered anything he wished for, 

 " Only leave your stinking Koitor 

 "Well shut up in Dewalgiri." 

 But our Lingo all refusing 

 "Would have nothing but his 



Koitor ; 

 Gave a turn to run the thorns a 

 Little deeper in his midriff. 

 AVinced the Great God, " Very 



well then, 

 Take your Gdnds — but first a 



favour. 

 By the shore of the Black "VVater 

 Lives a bird they call Black Bindo; 

 Much I wish to see his young ones, 

 Little Bindos from the sea-shore ; 

 For an offering bring these Bindos, 

 Then your Gdnds take from my 

 mountain." 

 Then our Lingo rose and wan- 

 dered, 

 "Wandered onwards through the 



forest, 

 Till he reached the sounding sea- 

 shore. 

 Reached the brink of the Black 



"Water, 

 Found the Bindo birds were ab- 

 sent 

 From their nest upon the sea- 

 shore, 

 Absent hunting in the forest, 

 Hunting elephants prodigious, 

 "Which they killed and took their 



brains out. 

 Cracked their skulls, and brought 



their brains to 

 Feed their callow little Bindos, 

 Wailing sadly by the sea-shore. 

 Seven times a fearful .«erpent, 

 Bliawarnag the horrid serpent, 



