240 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL. 
Upon his return to the royal palace, the good Raja 
Krishnaraia related to his eager wives the whole 
history of his adventures, and showed them the 
wonderful relic which he had stolen from the person 
of the godlike Jogi. They listened and beheld, with 
inconceivable curiosity and delight ; and implored, 
with womanly importunity, that, on so extraordi- 
nary an occasion, their beloved prince and master 
would be pleased to release them from the restric- 
tions of custom, and permit them to make a visit to 
the famous recluse ; or, at least, that he might be 
brought into their presence, so that they might each 
pluck a hair (if any remained) from his body with 
their own hands. Krishnaraia of course raised 
many difficulties in the way of these unconventional 
desires ; but, being hotly driven from objection to 
objection, he at last consented to gratify them ; and 
for the purpose of doing due honour to the Jogi, he 
again ordered out his entire retinue, with all his 
force of horse and foot, to serve as an escort. On 
their arrival at the cavern, which was still surrounded 
by a large concourse of persons, who had not yet 
been able to procure a hair, the chiefs dismounted, 
and prostrating themselves before the Jogi, unfolded 
their mission. Then, receiving no token, they took 
up the motionless penitent in their arms, with great 
reverence, and placed him in a superb new palanquin 
of state, in the same posture as that in which they 
had found him. The Jogi was thus conducted through 
the principal streets of the city, attended by an in- 
