Page:Folk-lore of the Telugus.djvu/15



II. THE KING AND THE WRESTLER. While King Nandana was wielding sway over Malabar a wrestler approached him and said that he had toiled hard and learnt the art of fencing and other similar arts, could fight with wild animals, and could even walk with a huge mountain on his head. But he had found no one, except the king, who could give him the wages due to his powers. He had come, therefore, to the king's presence to represent his grievances and earn a proper livelihood. The king heard him and thought that such a warrior would be serviceable to him, and engaged his services at a hundred pagodas a month.

There was a huge mountain near the city infested with wild beasts which were causing great havoc among the people. The king, therefore, sent for the wrestler and said:— "You declared, you know, that you could carry a mountain on your shoulders. A mountain