Page:Tales from the Indian Epics.djvu/125

Rh not know where." The young prince went back through the tunnel and entered the one leading to the northern quarter of the other side of the earth. There he saw the elephant Bhadra. At first Anshumat thought that he was only a giant berg that rose out of the ice floe. But after a time he saw that he was an elephant. "Noble elephant," said the young prince, "my sixty thousand uncles set forth to seek my grandfather's horse. But they have never returned." But Bhadra said never a word in reply; and the grey mists rose up from the frozen seas and gradually hid him from the young prince's eyes. And the snow began to fall in great flakes and the frost began to spread its numbness over Anshumat's limbs, until he longed to lie down and sleep alongside the elephant Bhadra for ever and ever. But with a great effort the young prince roused himself. "If I stay here much longer," he mused, "I shall become as silent as yonder elephant. Then I shall never do the task which my grandfather the king set me." Turning his back on Bhadra, Anshumat walked back again to the centre of the earth. Then walking through the last tunnel he came out at the north-eastern quarter of the opposite side of the earth.

A hundred yards or so away, he saw a horse grazing, which he at once knew to be King Sagar's sacrificial horse. He called to it, and it gave a joyful whinny and galloped up to him. For he had always cared for and caressed it. The prince patted it and fondled it. Then he looked around him and saw heap after heap of ashes scattered all over the plain. Going close to them, he saw that they were the charred remains of what had once been human beings and he recognized the weapons scattered among the ashes as those of his uncles. The