The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-05-12

king, and dearly shall You pay for your
ineolence to me!'
"You hear what he says" said one of
the guards to his companion; sit seems
to nue. the king was only just in time in
locking him up"
So saying, and despite his furious
struggles and angry words, the door was
opened and the whilom porter thrust
into the same cell as Sewama.
Naturally Sewama was sore at the way
he had been treated by his fellow-pris-
oner, and he said nothing, and finally.
after the porter had tired himself out by
crying for help, they both fell asleep.
During the next day Sewama's fellow
prisoner, who had refused to eat the
prison food, and who had continued to
cry out that he was the king, turned to
Sewama and said abruptly in tone of
authority:
"Come-talk to me. I am tired of
this solitude. Tell me how you came
here"
Sewama, nothing 10th. related the
his native village with his dear wife and
their little babe, and what fine plans he
had for the future, when all his hap
DlleSS WAS DldStcQ w bAC h1hS . sum
mons to him to work on the buildings at
Anuradhapura. His voice trembled
| with emotion as he told how he had been
| there nearly six months and had not
heard q word as to the welfare of his dear
ones-that they might be dead for aught
he knew, and then, breaking down ut
terly, he lifted up his voice and wept
His story seemed to atfe It the porter,
or king, more than might have been ex-
pected. He rose hastily and began to
pace backward and forward in a moody
manner.
81 never thought never reflected"
he muttered to himself, "that to drag
thousands of men from long distances
to work for me was to break
up the happiness of thousands
of homes. ! am rightly punished
I shall die at the hand of that vile sup
planter, Subho. All! that were once
more back on the throne" continued he,
II would have no more giant dagobas-
no more enormous tanks, or stately pan
salas cemented with the tears and groans
of my subjects. But it is too late-too
late!" SO saying he sank back into
silence.
After while guard of soldiers came
and ordered the two prisoners to follow
them to the king. They both went be-
fore him with very detected air and
Sewama was struck with the wonderful
resemblance between the person on the
throne and the prisoner beside him. The
great man looked at Sewama very hard
for some time and finally he turned to
the assembled chiefs, and pointing to
Sewama's fellow prisoner, told them that
he had treated him-Subho his porter
with the greatest kindness and considera-
ton, but had lately learnt that the por-
ter, availing himself of the resemblance
that existed between them, had formed q
plan for seizing his throne and taking
his life, for which crime" added the
king, II condemn him to instant execu-
ton"
At this the prisoner started up and ap-
pealed to the chiefs, saying: 81 appeal
to you, entreat you, chieftains of the
Sinhalese race, not to let your king be
dragged away to an infamous death at
the lnstigation of vile supplanter!'
But the chiefs said nothing, and the
guards bore him away, and Sewama saw
him no more. 1t was now Sewama's own
turn, and he trembled with fear as the
king asked him what defense he had to
make against the charge of abusing the
king Sewama told his story. When he
was through the king said:
''Are You not the man who once saved
the life of the porter whom l have Just
ordered to execution"
Eyes, lion. like-king," answered Sc
wanna, lit was 1 who drew him from I'M
der the feet of the elephant"
81 remember his relating the adven-
ture to me-" said the king, and turning
to the chiefs added: 1T appears that this
poor man, having been brutally used by
his accuser, did in his anger make use
of some criminal language. His fault
does not seem to me to be nearly so
great as that of the man who ill-nsed
him. 1. therefore, decree that he be set
at liberty and that the Overseer who
made the complaint be condemned to re-
ceive 80 lashes."
Sewama's heart leapt with Joy when
he heard these words. He no longer
doubted that the occupant of the throne
was indeed Subho, the porter, and that,
acting as king, he remembered with
gratitude how his life had been saved.
The rest OF the legend is soon told.
| Sewama was made an overseer and his
pay and perquisites soon amounted to
large sum. But he lon9ed for home and
asked for and obtained permission to go.
He found his wife and child in poverty,
l Al. L.