﻿4I<9 ON* THE RELIGION AND MANNERS 



l^iants under a * Bogaha tree, M'hich sheltered 

 them all. There was at that time in Cei)lon, a 

 female devil, who had three hreas!s, and who knew 

 when one of those fell it would be the sign of a 

 powerful stranger having arrived in the Island, who 

 would marry her. This breast fell, she immediately 

 disguised herself, as a bitch, and .went in quest of 

 the stranger. Having found him, she smelt his feet, 

 and retired. Vige judged, from seeing the bitch, 

 that there must be inhabitants at no great distance. 

 He sent his giants to reconnoitre; these, misled by 

 the bitch, M'hom they follo\red, found themselves 

 suddenly on the borders of a lake,, into M-hich they 

 were all plunged. Vige having waited tlieir return 

 in vain for a long time, suspected they had met with 

 a misfortune, and marched forward in expectation of 

 hearing of them. He arrived also on the borders of 

 the lake, where he found a beautiful woman, called 

 KuvENi. This was the same devil he had seen dis- 

 guised as a bitch. He suspecting that she had hid 

 his giants, Mithout hesitating, seized her by the 

 hair, and threatened her with the most dreadful ven- 

 geance if she did not deliver them up to him. She 

 consented on condition that Vige would marry her. 

 He not having a woman at the time with him, and 

 she being beautiful, agreed, and took the oath ac- 

 cordingly. i\t this instant the giants sprung out 

 of the watery in the sauic state as they had entered 

 them — KuvExi then informed him that all the de- 

 vils of the Island inhabited two villages near the 

 lake, and that she would enable him to destroy them 

 all, if he pleased. — Vige imnlediately accepted the 

 proposal. KuvEXi changed herself into a mare ; 

 V^iGE mounted her and darted blows on every side 

 wherever she brought him. This he did Avith so 

 much success, that in a it\K hours he killed all the 

 devils in the Island, except one. This one is still in 

 Ceylon, and does a great deal of mischief. It is, 

 probably, the one that a well known traveller, 



(Knox) 

 * Bogaha is a ficus, but not the banian tree. 



