Page:Buddhist Birth Stories, or, Jātaka Tales.djvu/362

246 city, and sent a letter to the king of Benares, saying, "Either give us up the kingdom, or give us battle!"

The king called a council of his ministers, and told them this, and asked them what was to be done.

"You ought not yourself, O king, to go out to battle at once," was the reply. "Send such and such a knight to give battle; and if he fails, we shall know what to do afterwards."

The king sent for him, and said, "Can you give battle, well beloved, to these seven kings?"

"O king," said he, "if I may have the thoroughbred Bhoja charger, I shall be able to fight, not only the seven kings, but the kings of all the continent of India."

"Take the Bhoja or any other charger you like, my trusty friend, and give them battle," said the king.

"Very good, my lord," said he, and took his leave, and went down from the palace, and had the Bhoja brought, and carefully clad in mail. And himself put on all his armour, girt on his sword, mounted the horse, issued from the city, charged like lightning against the first entrenchment, broke through it, took one king alive, galloped back, and delivered him over to the city guard.

Then he started again, broke through the second, then the third, and so took five kings alive; and had broken through the sixth, and had just taken the sixth king prisoner, when the Bhoja thoroughbred received a wound, and blood gushed forth, and he began to be in severe pain.

When the horseman saw the Bhoja was wounded, he made him lie down at the king's gate, loosened his mail, and began to harness another horse.

Whilst the Bodisat lay there as best he could, he