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Report 071 the Mackenzie Manuscripts. 



[April 



ed ; had the qualities of the horses examined ; and, finding them to be 

 superior, appointed their location. While at the same time he released 

 his minister from durance vile, who went lo his house, and sang the 

 praises of Siva. During the night by the power of Chocapa (the form 

 of ISiva at Madura) the horses re-assumed their natural forms as jac- 

 kals ; and greatly disturbed the whole town. The king, doubly incensed, 

 and greatly disappointed, commanded the seizure of Ma?iica-vasacar, 

 and his being put to a certain species of torture in the dry bed 

 of the Faijai live V. This torture consisted in his being stretched 

 out on the sand with a heavy black stone on his body, to keep him 

 down; sulfering from the burning sun, and scorching sand, by 

 day, and cold by night ; until the 40 crores should be re-imbursed. 

 Manica-vasacar endured with fortitude, invoking the aid of ASVi'a. 



5. The Cooly-section. The god knowing the sufferings of his vota- 

 ry directed Ganya Bhavani, to go down to earth, and relieve his distress. 

 Accordingly Ganga Bhavani came down ; and, filling the channel of 

 the Fa/o-a«, caused an inundation extending even to the walls of the 

 fane. The king directed the customary oilerings to be paid to Ganga ; 

 but, on throwing these into the water, the inundation swelled still high- 

 er, threatening destruction to the whole town. The king was at a loss 

 as to what want of equity, on his part, was the cause j but directed re- 

 pairs of the damages, and of the banks of the river. Every person in the 

 town had an allotted portion of work to do. A poor widow w^ho had no 

 son, and lived by making and selling balls of rice-flour, represented, to 

 the god in the fane, her inability to do her own portion of work. Soon 

 after the god himself came with the appearance, and usual implements 

 of a cooly, crying out for work ; and was engaged by the widow as her 

 cooly. On his enquiring about wages, she replied that she could only 

 pay in the commodity by the making and selling of which she gained her 

 subsistence. He took a portion in advance ; and on being shewn by the 

 widow her share of w^ork, threw carelessly half a large hoe-full of earth 

 into his basket : and then, dancing about as he proceeded, the widow 

 suspected a bad bargain ; but he told her to go home, and he would 

 finish the work. Instead of doing so he laid down to repose under a 

 tree. The king, coming to inspect the progress of the repairs, found 

 the widow's portion neglected, and was pointed to her cooly asleep un- 

 der a tree. Arousing the sleeper, the king prepared to give him a blow 

 with a rattan : seeing which the god protected his left side, and receiv- 

 ed the blow on the right ; a blow which was felt by the whole creation. 

 Manica-vasacar startled at receiving a blow on the side, enquired into 

 the circumstance, and discovered it to be an amusement of Siva^ who had 



