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Rh wealth than what thou expectest from that monarch, and go back thy way!' And Kasyapa, that foremost of men, thus addressed by the snake, and receiving from him as much wealth as he desired, wended back his way.""

"And Kasyapa wending back his way, Takshaka, approaching in disguise, blasted, with the fire of his poison, thy virtuous father, the first of kings, then staying in his mansion with all precautions. And after that, thou wast, o tiger among men, been installed on the throne). And, O best of monarchs, we have thus told thee all that we have seen and heard, cruel though the account is. And bearing all about the discomfiture of the monarch thy father, and of the insult to the Rishi Utanka, decidest thou that what should follow "

Sauti continued,-"King Janamejaya, that chastiser of enemies, then spake unto all his ministers. And he said, 'When have ye learnt all that happened upon that banian reduced to ashes by Takshaka, and which, wonderful as it is, was afterwards revived by Kasyapa? Assuredly, my father could not have died, for the poison could have been neutralised by Kasyapa with his mantras. That worst of snakes, of sinful soul, thought within his mind that if Kasyapa received the king bit by him, he. Taksbaka, would be an object of ridicule in the world owing to the neutraliasation of his poison. Assuredly, having thought so, he pacified the Brahmana. I have devised a way, however, of inflicting punishment upon bim, I like to know, however, ye saw or heard what happened in the deep solitude of the forest, viz., the words of Takshaka and the speeches of Kasyapa. Having known it, I shall devise the means of exterminating the snake racer

"The ministers said, 'Hear, O monarch of bim who told us before of the meeting between that foremost Brahmanas and that prince of snakes in the woods. A certain person, O monarch, had climbed up that tree containing some dry branches with the object of breaking chem for sacrificial fuel. He was not perceived either by the snake or by the Brahmana. And, O king, that man was reduced to ashes along with the tree itself. And, O king of kings, he was revived with the tree by the power of the Brahmana. That man, a Brahmana's menial, having come to us, represented fully everything as it happened between Takshaka and the Brahmana. Thus have we told thee, O king, all that we have seen and heard. And baving heard it, o tiger among kings. ordain that which should follow I'"

Sauti continued.-"King Janamejaya, having listened to the words of his ministers, was sorely afflicted with grief, and began to weep. And the monarch began to squeeze bis hands. And the locus-eyed king began to breathe a long and hot breath, shed tears, and shrieked aloud. And