Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/241

Rh that foremost of all wielders of darts killed many by hurling his darts at them. And well conversant with the arts of whirling the mace, the king of immeasurable prowess fearlessly wandered over the forest. And the king roamed about killing the inmates of the wilderness sometimes by his swords and sometimes by fast-descending blows of his mace and heavy short clubs.

"And when the forest was so agitated by the king possessed of wonderful energy and by the warriors in his train delighting in warlike sports, the lions began thereupon to desert it in numbers. And herds of animals deprived of their leaders, from fear and anxiety began to utter loud cries as they fled in all directions. And fatigued with flight they began to fall down on all sides, unable to slake their thirst having reached river-beds that were perfectly dry. And many so falling were eaten up by the hungry warriors. While others were eaten up after having been duly quartered and roasted in fires lit up by the warriors. And many strong elephants maddened with the wounds they received and alarmed also beyond measure fled with trunks upraised on high. And those wild elephants betraying the usual symptoms of alarm by urinating and ejecting the contents of their stomach and vomitting blood in large quantities trampled, as they ran, many warriors to death. And that forest which had been full of animals was by the king with his masses of followers and sharp weapons soon made bereft of lions and tigers and other monarchs of the wilderness."

And thus endeth the sixty-ninth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.

 

( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana said, "Then the king with his followers having killed thousands of animals entered another forest for purposes of hunting. And attended by a single follower and fatigued with hunger and thirst he came upon a large desert on the frontiers of the forest. And having crossed this herb-