better." The two women at once went down into the tank and ducked their heads under the water. The moment they did so, the sham devotee sneaked away, and made for the garland-weaver's house, as fast as ever he could. The two women, having kept their heads under water as long as was possible, at length stood up again, and, to their great dismay, found their heads covered, not with hair, but with leeches. Loudly complaining and bewailing themselves, they went back to the house, where they set to work to detach the leeches—a most painful operation, which made the blood run down from their heads to their very feet.
A little after nightfall, the Kotwal came home, having had his labour for his pains that day, and was met by the news of the outrage wrought upon his wife and sister-in-law. "That villain's spite seems all directed against me,"[1] said he to himself, and, feeling utterly nonplussed, he wended his way back to the Raja, and told him about his new misfortune. The Raja said, "It's plain that catching the fellow is too stiff a job for you. We must call in the aid of an astrologer."[2] The most skilful in
- ↑ Cf. the "dead set" made by the Minister's son against the astrologer in No. XX.
- ↑ 2In many Hindu tales, the astrologer replaces the "Keen-eye" of stories which, as regards this particular point, are more primitive. E.g., Lynceus is said to have been able to look all over the Peloponnesu's from the summit of Taygetus, and thus to have seen the Dioscuri within the hollow oak-tree. Lang, 'Homer and the Epic,' p. 333 Cf. CLP, I, pp. 281 ff. Actual X phenomena were, doubtless tile original' source of the belief that certain persons were possessed of such powers. See MCF. pp. 208 ff., and the very interesting discussion of this whole subject in Lang's 'The Making of Religion.' See also, No. XX, Note 10.
