THE LAY OP SAINT LINGO 



155 



Through the forest shade primeval, 

 Till before him rose a mountain, 

 Mountain pointed like a needle. 

 Thither chmbing, on the summit 

 Lingo saw the tree Manditd, 

 Saw beneath it Kirsdditd, 

 Sweetly-floweriag Kirsadit^. 

 There its perfume sweet inhaling 

 Lingered Lingo for a little. 

 Then he climbed the tree Manditd, 

 CUmbed and looked forth o'er the 



forest, 

 To the valley Kaehikopd, 

 To the Red Hills, Lahugada. 

 Saw a little smoke ascending. 

 Saw and very greatly marvelled 

 At this circumstance portentous. 

 Wandered on, and soon discovered 

 In that forest shade primeval, 

 Manhke forms four discovered— 

 Saw the four Gonds that remained 

 Hiding fearful of the Great God. 

 Forest quarry having stricken. 

 Steaks of venison were roasting. 

 Pieces raw at times devouring. 



Seeing Lingo up they started ; 

 Seeing them our Lingo halted ; 

 Long time gazed they at each other. 

 But the brothers inwards pon- 

 dered. 

 Brothers four we are, bethought 



them. 

 Let us take him for a fifth one. 

 Let us take him to our wigwams. 

 Then they brought him to their 



wigwams. 

 To their wigwams in the forest. 

 And set meat before their brother. 

 But he asked them whence the 



meat was, 

 And they answered, " Of a wild 



boar." 

 Then he asked them for its liver; 

 And they sought long for the hver, 

 But no iiver could discover. 

 Then they told him, " Lo, a 



strange thing ! 

 Without liver is this creature 

 We have slain in the forest." 



Lingo laughed at this conception 

 Of a creature without liver. 

 Asked to see it in the forest — 

 Living creature without liver. 

 Then the brothers much con- 

 sidered 

 Where on earth they might dis- 

 cover 

 In the forest or the mountains 

 Living creature without hver. 

 One suggested, " He is little, 

 We are big, and practised reamers 

 Of the forest shades primeval. 

 Let us take him to the mountains 

 Rough and stony, to the thickets 

 Close and thorny; he will fagged 



be. 

 Thirst for water, get so hungry. 

 Glad he wiR be to sit down, and 

 Give up looking for a creature. 

 Living creature, without hver." 

 Then they took their bows and 

 arrows — 

 Bows of bamboo from the moun- 

 tains. 

 Shafts of bulrush from the 



marshes ; 

 And they went by deepest thickets 

 Of that forest shade primeval. 

 Kurs the Antelope — ^they saw it. 

 Killed it, found it had a liver. 

 Mawk the sambar — ^found and 



slew it. 

 Found it also had a hver. 

 Malol the Hare — ^they saw and 



killed it, 

 In it too they found a hver — 

 AU the creatures had a liver. 

 Tired and weary were the Brothers ; 

 Lingo only was not wearied. 

 Thirsty very were the Brothers ; 

 Clambered up upon a hiU-top 

 Seeking water, but they found 



none. 

 Clambered down again, and wan- 

 dered 

 Through a close and thorny jungle. 

 Where a man could scarcely enter. - 

 There they found a spring of water. 



