Page:Indian tales of the great ones.djvu/18



Long before time as we count it, there lived in India a great and just King whose name was Vikramaditya. When he died, his beautiful palace and city of marble fell into ruins: and people remembered nothing but his name, and that he was great and good, and wise and gentle.

One day, some boys who were minding cows led them near a green mound among the ruins: and while the cows cropped the grass, the boys played.

And one of them invented this game.

"I shall be the Judge," he said, "and you shall bring your quarrels to me. I will do justice."

So he sat on the mound; and the boys ran away and whispered, and made a tale of wrong, and brought it