Page:Kings of Kashmira Vol 3.djvu/98

74 tree, and the rat did not quit his hole in the forest, how could these be killed? The king, in his anger, marched against Jasratha for giving shelter to the heir-apparent who was hostile to the king. The king was eager to overcome Jasratha, the chief among the strong, and his eagerness was not checked by his ministers whose influence was overshadowed by that of the mlechchhas. The envoys and those who profited by dissensions informed the king by letters of the rising prosperity of the heir-apparent, and increased by their advice, his eagerness for battle. The monarch was flattered by the Yavanas who hoped to obtain his favour, but his soldiers lost courage at the triumph of the heir-apparent, and they became alarmed and blamed the king's attempt. As the king of Kashmīra marched, the sun shone against him, and the chiefs who were friendly to him did not join him. The mlechchha army, maddened with pride, saw darkness personified in the dust that was raised by them. The king became furious, and caused Rājapurī and other countries, which he should have taken under his protection, to be harassed by plunder, as if they had been his enemy's territories. When the king arrived at a place named Mudgaravyāla, the king of Madra who was very powerful, sent him the following message:—"Though in your camp there be infantry possessed of wealth, and swift horses, and warriors skilled in fight, yet be not confident in your war against the world renowned artifices of the Khuḥkhuras, We know their artifices in battle, for