250 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [May, 1908. 
ordered his servants, Kotoal and Jalhad, to slay her and bring her 
blood to him, so that he might bathe himse lf with it. 
Jalhad took her intoa forest and said: “ Queen-mother, I have 
been brought up by you, so it would be an act of ingratitude on 
my part if I were to kill you. Moreover, kings are fickle-minded 
ing by their own judgment as to whether the advice is good or bad. 
I know not whether our _ will not some day ask me to bring 
e So you may go to your father’s ae I shall 
take the blood of dogs and cats to satisfy the king.” The Jalhad 
aving said this went away. 
The approach of night brought terror to Bhushna, who, being 
much afraid, etic shelter under a banian tree. After some hours 
there came huge python to devour Bhushna, but it was 
turned into tics by her breath. There lived a pair of Begma and 
agmi s on that tree. Their young ones asked the mother- 
bird, “ Mother, when will my eyes be opened ?’’ Its mother said, 
“ When the lady, who is now under this tree, will anoint your eyes 
with the blood of her little finger, then your eye-lids will be opened. 
But this lady is in great distress ; you should also do some good to 
her.” Bhushna heard this and climbed up the tree and anointed 
with her blood the young one’s eye-lids, which thereupon became 
opened instantly. After this, the bird carried Bhushna on its 
back to Lakshmee-Kantar (the wilderness of Lakshmee). “heap 
they reached = place, the — bid adieu to her and went aw 
There a large lake in this wilderness with the iaiahas. of 
which Wasigsnnt) the father of hacks na and husband of Lakshmee, 
ed to bat 
8 e. So the maid-servants of Narayana came there to 
fetch water. Bkuahua” asked eat “Who will bathe with the 
water you are taking?” The eplied, ‘“ Narayana.’ 
Bhushna then clever] a4 ae ring into a jar withont the 
knowledge of the maid-servants. When Narayana was bathing, 
he found a precious ring in the water and asked the maid-servants 
found that his daughter Bhushna was weeping there. He under- 
stood everything and instructed her to ery loudly, uttering the 
names of her father and mother. He came back and finished his 
bath. While going to his breakfast he heard the erying, and asked 
Lakshmee who was crying. Lakshmee knew that her ———— 
was crying, but suppressing the fact she said, ‘“ Somebody in 
” But Narayana said: ‘‘ Perhaps ths mourner 
might be a near relation of ours, as your and my names are being 
uttered. Perhaps my beloved daughter Bhushna is in distress.’ 
Hearing this Lakshmee said : “When a man becomes old, he be- 
comes mad, and such is the case with you ; otherwise you could not 
oO 
more notice of the cry.” Narayana said that he could not eat un- 

