Page:Indian tales of the great ones.djvu/102

94 Parvati, the wife of Shiva, and, "Please help us," they said. "See how full the Earth is. There is no room for us all, and some of us are weary and would sleep."

So Parvati went to the great god. "The Earth is very full," she said. "Will you not let the King of Death send his slow-moving grey-black buffalo for the tired Earth-people?"

"No," said Shiva; "he insulted my symbol: he may not return to the Earth. I have spoken."

"But you know you did say that the perfect boy was to be no older than his thirteenth year," said Parvati. "That was why the King of Death came to fetch him."

And Shiva was silent, not knowing what to answer.

"But when you said that, you only meant that he should never look older