A TALE BY THE WAYSIDE. 241 



down to the river to catch fish, left her children 

 in the charge of Sir Peace of the Forest. On her 

 return she found them dead, trodden to death ; and 

 Sir Peace of the Forest admitted having done the 

 deed. Thy slave would hear the order/ 



" Nabi Sleman turned to the accused and said, 

 'Tell thy story/ 



" Sir Peace of the Forest made the obeisance and 

 said, ' Pardon, O King ! What the Otter has said 

 is true. But soon after thy slave had been left in 

 charge of the children, Blato' the Woodpecker sounded 

 the war alarm. And thy slave, as in duty bound, 

 also sounded the alarm, and, in doing so, unwittingly 

 trod on and killed the Otter's children. Thy slave 

 only did his duty. The fault is with the Woodpecker 

 for sounding the alarm/ 



"'Let no one be judged in his absence/ said Nabi 

 Sleman. c Send for the Woodpecker/ 



" The Woodpecker came flying through the air [Ali 

 imitated with his hand the undulatory flight of the 

 woodpecker tribe], rising and falling in lines, like the 

 curves of a kris or a wave of the sea, and entered 

 the presence and made the obeisance. 



" Nabi Sleman said, c Sir Peace of the Forest has 

 killed the Otter's children, and ascribes the fault to 

 thee, saying that the war alarm was sounded by thee. 

 What is the reply to this charge ? ' 



" Pardon, O King/ said the Woodpecker. ' It is 

 true that thy slave sounded the war alarm. But thy 

 slave saw Penyu, the River-turtle, leave the river. He 

 was followed by all the river-turtles, and they all 

 wore their coats of armour. As they ascended the 



Q 



