to the Brahman. The Brahman's rage knew no bounds. What! the infidel Kotwal's son aspiring to the hand of a Brahman's daughter! A dwarf may as well aspire to catch hold of the moon! But the Kotwal's son determined to have her by force. With this wicked object he one day scaled the wall that encompassed the Brahman's house, and got upon the thatched roof of the Brahman's cow-house. While he was reconnoitering from that lofty position, he heard the following conversation between two calves in the cow-house:—
First Calf. Men accuse us of brutish ignorance and immorality; but in my opinion men are fifty times worse.
Second Calf. What makes you say so, brother? Have you witnessed to-day any instance of human depravity?
First Calf. Who can be a greater monster of crime than the same lad who is at this moment standing on the thatched roof of this hut over our head?
Second Calf. Why, I thought it was only the son of our Kotwal; and I never heard that he was exceptionally vicious.
First Calf. You never heard, but now you hear from me. This wicked lad is now wishing to get married to his own mother!
The First Calf then related to the inquisitive Second Calf in full the story of Swet and Basanta; how they and Swet's wife fled from the vengeance of their stepmother; how Swet's wife was
101
