Page:Stories of India's Gods & Heroes.djvu/137

Rh they too entered the company of Ritudhwaja, and with him passed many days in all sorts of gay employ. Day by day the friendship betwixt the prince and the two young Nagas grew apace; they were joined to him by ties of close affection, while he knew no pleasure apart from them, neither eating nor drinking nor bathing, nor any sort of pleasurable or strenuous exercise. Thus passed the days; the nights, the two Nagas spent in Patala, sighing for the dawn of day to suffer them to seek again the prince's company.

Then, one day, their father inquired of them, saying, "Tell me, dear sons, with whom in the upper world are ye joined in such close affection?" Then the twain, doing obeisance to their father, answered, "It is the son of King Satrujit that draws us thither; a noble and upright hero is he, kindly, learned, handsome in person, the foe of all that is dishonourable, and a very mine of all that is virtuous. So yearn our hearts for him, that thus separate we take little delight in this our home; the Naga world seems chill and comfortless, while above ground his company and the sun's glad rays combined to warm and cheer us. To them answered their father:

"Happy son of holy sire must he be, in sooth, whom such as yourselves praise so devotedly even in his absence! There are evil men learned in the Scriptures, and good men who are fools; but truly estimable is he who is both good-hearted and learned in sacred lore. His father's pride is that son whose friends praise his goodness and whose enemies confess his valour. As to this noble youth, I doubt