SRI RAMA, 107 



the Princess to elope with him, and he carried her off to Pulau 

 Kachapuri. 



Sri Rama, in the midst of the forest on a pitch-dark night, 

 suddenly came to a sense of the absurdity of the enterprise he 

 and his men had embarked on, and ordered a return to the 

 town, which they reached a little before day-break. The 

 gate of the fort lay wide open ; rushing on he found the out- 

 er and inner doors of the palace open, and passing through 

 them he found his private apartments similarly unprotected 

 and his consort's bed empty. One terrified old woman was 

 found who was able to relate circumstantially what had hap- 

 pened in his absence. On learning the truth, the King went 

 out into the great hall and uttered three terrible screams, 

 Tujoh negri padam palita 

 TvjoJt simpang galanggang retak 

 Gugor mumbang tujoh biji 

 Orarig mengandong tiga bulan hubis gugur.* 

 On the advice of his Chiefs, he again sent for his elder 

 brother, Pcaja Laksamana, to ask for his counsel and assistance, 

 and after consultation with him, in spite of the entreaties of 

 the people, it was decided that the two brothers should set 

 off to recover the missing Princess, leaving the Tumonggong 

 in charge of the kingdom. For three months and ten days 

 they travelled through forests aud across plains, until they 

 reached an enormous iualeng tree, the branches of which 

 leached the clouds and the stem of which it took them seven 

 days and nights to skirt. Thence, striking off" eastward, they 

 came to an immense plain on the shores of the ocean, and, 

 still travelling on, they arrived at last at the foot of Mount 

 Inggil-ber-inggil. Some days were spent in a vain search 

 for a way to ascend the precipitous sides of the mountain, 

 and one day Sri Eama was astonished at hearing extraordi- 

 nary cries and noises which seemed to come from wild animals. 

 Kaja Laksamana explained that these proceeded from the 



c? By the noise, the lamps in seven countries were extinguished ; 

 the earth at seven cockpits cracked in fissures; seven half-formed 

 cocoa-nuts fell to the ground ; and all the wonien who were three 

 months gone with child miscarried. 



