THE HISTORY OF MANIKKA-VACAGAK. 97 



treasure that had been entrusted to the prime minister for the 

 purchase ! The dehghted king gives dresses of honour to 

 (^iva and the other disguised gods, but these tliey receive 

 with manifest contempt, which greatly astonishes and 

 irritates the king. This is explained away however as the 

 result of their foreign customs. The horses are delivered up 

 to the king's grooms, the gods depart, the king and his 

 minister go to their respective palaces, and darkness come 

 down over the land. But the tranquillity is short-lived ; for 

 before the dawn the Avhole city is roused by frightful bowl- 

 ings, which proceed from the royal mews. The newly-arrived 

 horses have resumed their old foi-ms, and are making night 

 hideous with their bowlings. They even fall upon the real 

 horses and devour them ; and after a tremendous fight and 

 unspeakable confusion make their escape to their native 

 jungles. The king now perceiving that he has been 

 deceived, sends for the prime minister, and furiously up- 

 braids, him Avith the trick, and demands restitution of the 

 treasure. Till this has been restored Manikka-Va^-agar is 

 handed over to the tormentors, who take him down to the 

 river now dry, and there expose him under the fierce noon- 

 tide sun on the burning sand of the Vaigai with a huge 

 stone on his back. Again he utters pathetic prayers, and 

 appeals to his Master who has deluded both him and the 

 king. This brings us to the fourth canto, wherein the sage 

 is finally vindicated. Of course it is known that the mighty 

 (^ivan carries in the midst of his bushy locks the river 

 Ganges ; so to that river-goddess he gives command that 

 she shall rush down, filling the euapty channel of the Vaigai, 

 and inundating the city of Madura, the scene of the saint's 

 sufferings. " Like a herd of fierce elephants rushing from 

 the mountains," the waters of the Ganges come down and 

 cause the river to overflow its banks, threatening to drown 

 the city. The astonished and bewildered kiug and his 

 courtiers are now sensible of fheir mistake, and the sage is 

 once more restored to the royal favour, and entrusted with 

 the task of directing the measm'es whereby the city is to be 

 saved from destruction. Under his direction orders are given 

 to the inhabitants to build a dam for their protection ; and 

 to each one is assigned the extent of wall for wdiich he is 

 responsible. Now in the city was a poor woman, whose 

 name was (^em-mana-(^elvi ('• the true-hearted happy one "), a 

 wadow, who earned a scanty livelihood by selling rice-cakes. 

 The order is given her to construct her share of the dam, 



