Page:Tales from the Indian Epics.djvu/111

Rh The king watched her with approval and waited for her to come once more to the surface. But she never came. Parikshit, fearing that she had been caught in some weeds, dived to the bottom of the lake. But although he swam with open eyes all over the bottom he saw his beautiful queen nowhere. At last, despairing and frightened, he swam to the bank, put on his clothes again, sent for his chariot and drove with all speed to Ayodhya. There he told the chief minister what had befallen the queen and, gathering together a great company of labourers, he had all the water of the lake pumped out. Nowhere, however, could the queen's body be found. There was nothing but a huge frog sitting by a hole. And when it saw the king it jumped into the hole and vanished.

Then the king turned in a fury to the chief minister saying, "That accursed frog is the cause of my sorrow. It seized my queen as she swam beneath the water, and tearing her in pieces devoured her. Do you now order my soldiers and subjects to kill all frogs wherever they see them. And proclaim to all those of my subjects who wish for an audience with me, or have petitions to present tome, that instead of the customary gift, they must bring as their offering a dead frog."

Then throughout the land of Ayodhya a fearful slaughter of frogs took place. King Parikshit's soldiers and subjects, hearing that a frog had devoured the queen, plunged into pools and marshes and cut to pieces all frogs that they found there. And all who wanted an audience of the king or desired to petition him, gladly brought him a dead frog instead of the customary present. Day after day the massacre of the frog people continued, until at last they went in a great body