Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/121

Rh the last. The bards Arichil-kilar and Pon-mudiyar were present in the camp of the Chera king during the siege: and a few of their verses which have been preserved to this day contain vivid accounts of some of the incidents of the assault on the fort. When the Chera forces approached Thakadûr Elini and his general Perum-pakkan led out their army to engage them outside the fort. Perum-pakkan stood in front of his army awaiting the assault. The bards Arichil-kilar and Pon-mudiyar addressed the Chera kings as follows, when they saw Perum-pakkan laughing defiantly at them :—

“The youthful warrior decked with garlands, who rejoicing in his strength stands facing our army, mounted on a handsome glittering chariot, drawn by high spirited horses; if he attacks us in his rage, he would overthrow even majestic rutting elephants. Eager for the assault, he shakes his lance which seems to emit flashes of lightning, and laughs at his foes.”

“The dauntless young warrior who wears the dark beard, holds the reins of his steeds and looks first at his own swelling shoulders, then at the array of battle elephants behind him, theo’ at the rows of chariots behind the elephants, then at his own steeds, then at the coming arrows, then at his lance, then at his armlets and laughs at us.”

In the first day’s engagement Elini’s troops were driven into the fort. On the second day, the thorny jungle which sorrounded the fort was cleared; and the following stanza was uttered by the bards, when the Chera king asked them what they thought of the progress of the siege.

“Yesterday (Elinis) steeds fled like stags, the elephants fainted and fell like rocks, and his valiant soldiers were routed by showers of hissing arrows. Thou victorious king who bearest on thy body fresh wounds received in battle! to-day the heads of the slain with arrows sticking to them, kicked by our elephants, lie by the roadside like young palmyra fruits cut open; and our dark. eyed youths, who know no fatigue, have cleared the jungle, shouting at the enemies men and killing them wherever they appeared. To-morrow we shall march, to the beat of drums, and storm the fort.”