Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/591

 those wicked gamblers took him and threw him into a large dark well, fearing that, if he lived, he might take vengeance on them.

But that gambler Dágineya, when flung down into that very deep well, saw in front of him two great and terrible men. But they, when they saw him fall down terrified, said to him kindly, " Who are you, and how have you managed to fall into this deep well? Tell us !" Then the gambler recovered his spirits, and told them his story, and said to them " Do you also tell me who you are and whence you come." When those men, who were in the pit, heard that, they said, " Good Sir, we were Bráhman demons* dwelling in the cemetery belonging to this city, and we possessed two maidens in this very city; one was the daughter of the principal minister, the other of the chief merchant. And no conjurer on the earth, however powerful his spells, was able to deliver those maidens from us.

" Then king Vikramáditya, who had an affection for their fathers, heard of it, and came to the place, where those maidens were with a friend of their fathers'. The moment we saw the king, we left the maidens, and tried to escape, but we were not able to do so, though we tried our utmost. We saw the whole horizon on fire with his splendour. Then that king, seeing us, bound us by his power. And seeing us unhappy, as we were afraid of being put to death, he gave us this order, ' Ye wicked ones, dwell for a year in a dark pit, and then ye shall be set at liberty. But when freed, ye must never again commit such a crime; if ye do, I will punish you with destruction.' After king Vishamaśila had given us this order, he had us flung into this dark pit; but out of mercy he did not destroy us.

" And in eight more days the year will be completed, and with it the period during which we were to dwell in this cave, and we shall then be released from it. Now, friend, if you engage to supply us with some food during those days, we will lift you out of this pit, and set you down out- side it; but if you do not, when lifted out, supply us with food according to your engagement, we will certainly, when we come out, devour you."

When the Bráhman demons made this proposal to the gambler, he consented to it, and they put him out of the pit. When he got out of it, he went to the cemetery at night to deal in human flesh, as he saw no other chance of getting what he wanted. And I, happening to be there at that time, saw that gambler, who was crying out, " I have human flesh for sale; buy it somebody." Then I said, " I will take it off your hands; what price do you want for it?" And he answered, " Give me your shape and power," Then I said again to him, " My fine fellow, what will you do with them?" The gambler then told me his whole story, and said to me, " By means of your shape and power I will get hold of those enemies of