1s HIKAYAT SERI RAMA, 
of his heart was to be permitted, just for once, to eat a meal 
with his father off the same leaf and to sleep for once in his 
arms. This demand Séri Rama at once agreed to, promising 
further to acknowledge the monkey as his son and to take him 
back to his kingdom if he succeeded in releasing his mother by 
fair and open means without descending to the fraud practised 
by Maharaja Duwana. The monkey was accordingly admitted 
to a share of Séri Rama’s dinner ana bed and his monkeyish 
misbehaviour is described. The King having kept his part of 
the bargain, called for the performance of his son’s under- 
taking. The latter alleged a difficulty in finding a place to take 
off from in making a leap over to Kachapuri. Séri Rama 
suggested the large tualang tree which it had taken him seven 
days to walk round and the branches of which reached to the 
clouds. The monkey declared that it would not bear him, 
but at his father’s request he tried and, as he foretold, the tree 
sank beneath him and came down with a crash. Séri Rama 
next suggested a plain called Kérsek, but three attempts on the 
part of the monkey only resulted in such a disturbance of the 
surface of the plain that showers of sand obscured the sun and 
the plain itself became a lake. The next place tried was 
Mount Inggil-béringgil. On the summit of this mountain the 
monkey found a walled fort guarded by a young Jin, who told 
him that this was the residence of a Jin with seven heads, who 
was living therein voluntary seclusion. The monkey obtained 
an interview with the latter, and explained the object of his 
visit to the mountain. He went on to the peak, but it shook so 
violently that huge rocks went rolling down and the Jin with 
seven heads called him back and he had to give up the attempt. 
But in his excitement he gave the mountain a blow with one 
hand and a great portion of it was detached and fell near the 
mouth of the Malacca river!* He and the Jin with seven 
heads then entered into a compact of mutual friendship and 
* Many notable rocks in India are supposed to be boulders which 
the monkey-hosts of Hanuman dropped while carrying them from the 
Himalayas to build a bridge from the mainland to Lanka. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
