SRI RAMA. 101 



carry out this decree. The Princess wept and declared that, 

 though banished,, he was and should be, her son for all time. 

 " She looked up and the tears gathered in her eyes, so that 

 when she bowed her head they dropped in a shower, like the 

 fruit of the bomban falling from ripeness, like grains of maize 

 pouring on the drying floor, like the beads of a necklace when 

 the string has snapped, like drizzling rain at morn. Such were 

 the tears of the Princess weeping for her son." * The Tumong- 

 gong and Laksamana, after a search, found the monkey up in 

 a duku tree and told him of the King's orders. He rather liked 

 the idea of getting away into the open forest, and set off with 

 the Tumonggong willingly. After the usual "seven days" 

 journey, they reached a spot where man had never trodden 

 before, " where no horse-fly or gad-fly, even, had ever been." 

 There they camped for a night, and on the following morning 

 the Tumonggong took his leave and returned, bearing dutiful 

 messages to Sri Rama and the Princess from the little monkey 

 now left alone in the forest. 



Kra KechilImam Tergangga, abandoned to his own devices, 

 soon got tired of the little hut which the Tumonggong and his 

 men had built for him, and he resolved to travel. Swinging 

 himself from branch to branch, he made his way through the 

 forest ; fruit and flowers and tender shoots supplied him with 

 food, and for three months and ten days he pursued his journey, 

 travelling by day and resting at night. At last he reached the 

 sea and skirted the coast until he came to a walled and fortified 

 town, which was evidently the capital of some great Raja. He 

 made his way to the palace, but no one was to be seen, and 

 walking into the hall of audience, he seated himself on the 

 throne (ber-sila punggong, ber-juntei kaki sa-belah) "with one 

 leg tucked under him and the other hanging down." Soon he 

 became aware that a party of female attendants were watching 

 him and he performed all kinds of antics. They rushed off 

 and told the head-nurse and she proceeded to awaken the Raja, 



* Antara iya hata demilcian itu tuan putri serta menengadali ka 

 langit serta ber-g enang -genang ayer inata-nia, tundok ka bumi ber- 

 chuclnir-an sepcrti buali bomban masalc luroh, saperti jagong jatoli 

 ka bidet, bagei manih putus pengarang, bagei liari rlntik pagi, ayer 

 mata tuan putri tundok menangis alcan anak-nia. 



