THE LAY OF SAINT LINGO. 



193 



III. THE EESUEEECTION OF LINGO, AND DELIVEEY OF 



THE GONDS. 



In the Court of great Bhagwantal 



Sat the Deities assembled ; 



Sat they in the Upper World, 



Wondering where, in earthly regions, 



Lay the body of their Lingo : 



Wondered much, but nothing knew 

 they 



In what region it had fallen. 



Then Bhagwantal took a basin, 



Washed a little of his body, 



Washed a little of the dirt off: 



Took and made of it an image ; 



Breathed the breath of life into it ; 



Made KagSsur, Lord of Ravens. 



Amrit * sprinkled he upon it. 



From his hand released it, saying 



" Search the forests, search the moun- 

 tains, 



Search the valleys, search the rivers, 

 For the body of my Lingo." 



Then Kagesur, Lord of Eavens, 

 He the very black and cunning, 



Swiftly sped him on his errand ; 

 Searched he first the Upper Eegions, 

 Thence descended to the Lower ; 

 Searched their hills and glens and 



forests, 

 Till he reached the Iron Valley, 

 In the Eed Hills Lahugada. 

 Peered among the forest thickets, 

 Saw the twigs that covered Lingo, 

 Looked below them, found our Lingo, 

 Looking horrid, with his eyes out, 

 Split his skull, and pierced his liver. 

 Hied him back to great Bhagwantal, 

 Told the doleful tale of Lingo. 



Then the God said, " Ha ! I see it, 

 By his birth-place has he fallen, 

 By the flowering tree Pahindi." 

 Then he sent for Karto Subal, 

 Gave a flask of heavenly Amrit 

 (Bade him well to shake the bottle), 

 For external application 

 To the skull and neck and liver 

 Of the gouged and butchered Lingo ; 

 And despatched him with Kagesur 

 To the valley Kachikopa, 

 To the Eed Hills Lahugada. 

 Flew the Eaven straight before 



him'; 

 Eeached the place ; then Karto Subal 

 Took the flask of heavenly Amrit, 

 Poured it o'er his wounds and bruises, 

 Stitching up the chiefest openings 

 In his head and his abdomen. 

 Soon his eyes began to open,f 

 And he saw the Lord of Eavens ; 

 Thought he'd slept a little soundly ; 

 Asked them, " Had they seen his 



Brothers ? " 

 And was. very much astounded 

 When they told him how they found 



him 

 Gouged and butchered by his Brothers. 

 Then he thought perhaps t'were better 

 Now to leave this lot of Brothers, 

 And their seven nice young women ; 

 And go seek those other Sixteen, 

 Sixteen thr&shing-floors of Koitor. 



So the Strong God and the Eaven 

 Hied them back and told Bhagwantal 

 Of their surgery successful. 



* The water of immortality. 



f It is not related how these organs were restored to him. 



