Page:Tales from the Indian Epics.djvu/115

Rh the king's stalls at Ayodhya.

The sage Vamadeva marvelled that King Sala did not send back the Vami horses. Then he thought, "The king is young and is loth to part with them. He will in time remember his promise and will send them back to my hermitage." The sage waited a month in vain. Then he sent his pupil Atreya, who humbly asked King Sala to restore his Vami horses to Vamadeva. But King Sala scornfully answered Atreya, "Good Sir, what need has Vamadeva of Vami horses? A Brahman needs no horses like these that are swifter than the wind. They rightly belong to a Kshatriya king. I regard them as mine and I shall not give them back to Vamadeva."

Atreya returned sorrowfully to Vamadeva and gave him the king's message. Vamadeva grew very angry, and went himself to Ayodhya and obtained an audience of the king.

"King Sala," he said, "give me back my Vami horses, otherwise you will bring my curse and your destruction on yourself."

"O Vamadeva," said King Sala scornfully, "you who are a Brahman have no need of Vami horses. Take in their place two docile bulls or four mules or four asses. But the Vami horses are now mine and I shall never return them to you."

The sage looked angrily at the king and was about to curse him. Then he pitied Sala's youth and beauty and said, "O king, when I gave you the Vami horses, you gave me your royal word that you would restore them to me. Do not call down punishment on yourself by breaking the promise of an Aryan king."

"O Vamadeva," said King Sala, "Vami horses are hunting horses. A Kshatriya only is permitted to hunt.