can it all be about?" and looking out of the window he-saw the man being dragged thither as described, and thinking everything was discovered he plucked up his courage and took his seat on his throne. And Kalahatthi drew nigh and questioned him, and the king answered him.

The Master, to make the matter clear, said:

'Twas now sunrise and day had scarce begun to break,
As Kala to the court with cook his way did take,
And drawing nigh the king words such as these he spake.

"Sire, is it true this cook was sent into the street,
And men and women slew to furnish thee with meat?"

[462] "Kala, 'tis even so; 'twas done at my request:
Why blame him then for what he did at my behest?"

On hearing this the commander-in-chief thought, "With his own mouth he confesses it; Oh, the ruffian! all this long time he has been eating men: I will stop him from this," and he said, "Sire, do not this thing; eat not the flesh of men." "Kalahatthi, what is it you say? I cannot cease from it." "Sire, if you do not cease from it, you will destroy both yourself and your realm." "Even though my realm be destroyed, I cannot possibly cease from it." Then the commander, to bring him to a better mind, told him a story by way of illustration.

Once upon a time there were six monster fishes in the ocean. Amongst them were Ananda, Timanda, Ajjhohara--these three were five hundred leagues in extent--Titimiti, Mingala, Timirapingala--these were a thousand leagues long--and all of them fed upon the rock-sevala weed. Of them Ananda dwelt on one side of the ocean and many fish came to see him. One day they thought, "Amongst all bipeds and quadrupeds kings are to be found, but we have no king: we will make this fish our king." And being all of one mind they made Ananda their king, and from that day the fish evening and morning came to pay their respects to him. Now one day Ananda on a certain mountain was feeding on rock-sevala and unwittingly ate a fish, thinking it to be sevala. [463] Its flesh was pleasing to his taste, and wondering what it could be that was so very sweet, he took it out of his mouth and looking at it found it was a piece of fish. He thought, "All this long time in my ignorance I never ate this: evening and morning when the fish come to pay their respects to me, I will devour one or two of them, for if when they are being eaten I make the fact too clear to them, not a single one will come near me, but they will all scurry off." So lying in concealment he struck at any that were retreating from behind and devoured them. The fish as their numbers gradually diminished thought, "From what quarter will this peril to our