Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/364

 328 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap, Thesame that had caused his father’s troubie, met his © সি eyes also. A large space of blue water was cover- again, ed with lotuses and upon the finest and noblest of them, sat the same mysterious and_ beautiful woman with dishevelled hair. She also was swall- owing an elephant. The wonder which a spectacle like this naturally creates in one’s mind had its effect on Crimanta and when he landed in Ceylon, in an interview with the king Galibahana, the very first thing that he related was concerning the woman seated on the lotus. “Why, this is another crazy head !”’ cried the king, and he tried to convince the boy that it was a silly story,— a mere fantasy of his brain ; but Grimanta would not stop till an agreement was made that if he suc- Anda ____ ceeded in showing it to the king, he would give him ee: his only daughter in marriage with half the king- dom as her dowry, but if it proved a failure he should be beheaded. The king already loved the boy for his handsome appearance and keen intel- ligence, but as Crimanta seemed determined to bring ruin upon himself, there was no help for it. They sailed to the spot on board a ship. But © alas! the illusion was not there. By order of the ~— king, Crimanta was now taken to the place of exe- cution. He was nowa young and beautiful boy of — Doomed to execu. twelve, so lovely that the women shed tears as ne they saw him carried for execution. Crimanta re- collected his mother’s face and tears came into — his eyes. He had come to seek his father, but he was not destined to meet him in this world. He thought of his playmates of Ujani, of the fair helds and meadows, where they sported,—of Durvalg, the maid-servant, of his step-mother