196 



THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



O'er his fierce and dreadful visage. 

 Shrieked the Bindos young and callow, 

 Gave a cry of lamentation ; 

 Rose our Lingo ; saw the Monster ; 

 Drew an arrow from his quiver, 

 Shot it swift into his stomach, 

 Sharp and cutting in the stomach, 

 Then another and another ; 

 Cleft him into seven pieces ; 

 Wriggled all the seven pieces, 

 Wriggled backwards to the water. 

 But our Lingo, swift advancing, 

 Seized the head-piece in his arms, 

 Knocked the brains out on a boulder, 

 Laid it down beside the Bindos, 

 Callow wailing little Bindos. 

 On it laid him, like a pillow, 

 And began again to slumber. 



Soon returned the parent Bindos 

 From their hunting in the forest ; 

 Bringing brains and eyes of camels, 

 And of elephants prodigious, 

 For their little callow Bindos 

 Wailing sadly by the sea- shore. 

 But the Bindos young and callow 

 Brains of camels would not swallow ; 

 Said " A pretty set of parents 

 You are truly ! thus to leave us 

 Sadly wailing by the sea-shore 

 To be eaten by the serpent 

 Bhawarnag the dreadful serpent 

 Came he up from the Black Water, 

 Came to eat us little Bindos, 

 When this very valiant Lingo 

 Shot an arrow in his stomach, 

 Cut him into seven pieces 

 Give to Lingo brains of camels, 

 Eyes of elephants prodigious." 

 Then the fond paternal Bindo 

 Saw the head -piece of the serpent 

 Under Lingo's head a pillow. 

 And he said, "0 valiant Lingo, 

 Ask whatever you may wish for." 

 Then he asked the little Bindos 

 For an offering to the Great God. 



And the fond paternal Bindo, 

 Much disgusted, first refusing, 

 Soon consented ; said he'd go too 

 With the fond maternal Bindo 

 Take them all upon his shoulders, 

 And fly straight to Dewalgiri. 

 Then he spread his mighty pinions, 

 Took his Bindos up on one side 

 And our Lingo on the other. 

 Thus they soared away together 

 From the shores of the Black Water. 

 And the fond maternal Bindo, 

 O'er them hovering, spread an awning 

 With her broad and mighty pinions 

 O'er her offspring and our Lingo. 



By the forests and the mountains 

 Six months' journey was it thither 

 To the mountain Dewalgiri. 

 Half the day was scarcely over 

 Ere this convoy from the sea-shore 

 Lighted safe on Dewalgiri ; 

 Touched the knocker on the gateway 

 Of the Great God Mahadeva. 

 And the messenger Narayan 

 Answering, went and told his master 

 " Lo this very valiant Lingo ! 

 Here he is with all the Bindos, 

 The Black Bindos from the sea-shore." 



Then the Great God, much disgusted, 

 Driven quite into a corner, 

 Took our Lingo to the cavern, 

 Sent Basmasur to his kennel, 

 Held his nose, and moved away the 

 Mighty stone of sixteen cubits ; 

 Called those Sixteen Scores of Gonds 



out, 

 Made them over to their Lingo. 



And they said, "O Father Lingo ! 

 What a bad time we've had of it, 

 Not a thing to fill our bellies 

 In this horrid gloomy dungeon." 

 But our Lingo gave them dinner, 

 Gave them rice and flour of millet, 

 And they went off to the river, 

 Had a drink, and cooked and eat it. 



