The herald., 1893-10-19

with dry grass, while all hastily she un-
fastened her clothing and wound her
purple sari round her waist and over her
head. having first tied on her choli of
orange and green. Afterward she
tripped up the bank and away to the
fold-not thinking when Govinda after
ward passed her in tho fields and made
her Ram. RANT and fair salutations
that he had already devised devilish
plot to cause her to die.
What did that gray fox contrive, do
you ask, asylum of excellence? He went
forthwith on his pony to the potters
shop of the neighboring village, and there
he bought q black chatty of exactly such
size and make as that with which Sohni
had swan the river, but unbaked, and
the clay only set by the sun. This he
took with him at nightfall and came
with it into the little grove here, where
the goat girl had concealed her swim
ming pot. That pot he broke into many
pieces and flung them all far into the
stream, putting in its place the unbaked
chatty, which looked like the other, es-
pecially in the gloom, for always of
course it was after nightfall that the
goat girl crossed over to Luximan."
"That night and the next night there
was feast in this village, and Sohni
must take her part with the household,
so she could not go over the water. And
the next day a food came down, strong
and sudden, from the hills, so that the
river became greatly swollen and peril
GUS, nor did any of the fishermen venture
forth with their spreadnets in such yell
low twisting eddies as were running.
But Sohni's heart was too full of love 30
have in it any room for proper fear, and
when she heard that evening, coming
across the current, the faint sound of her
Indian boys hute she knew it was the
signal of his fond impatience for the COM
fort Of her hands and the blessings of her
mouth, and she waited until the moon
was down and then set forth for her
grove.
I'm its old hiding place she found--as
she thought-her black chatty. She
drew it forth and filled the narrow muz-
zle with grass, and placing it under her
naked bosom committed herself, with
little terror at the dark flowing waters,
to the quick current. Again at this mo-
ment she heard the soft notes of Luxi-
mans bansuli. He was awaiting her in
the safe and warm jungle and would be
doubly loving to her for her courage in
coming"
"But, o Shival what is this which is
Detailing? The water flows into the
vessel. Itfills. 1t sinks under her! The
false sides of the chatty-unbaked and
softening quickly in the strong stream
yield, melt, fall in between her hands
The accursed cheat fails herl She knows
what has been done and lets the deceit
full pot go before its growing weight pulls
her under the chill waves of the river,
the half of which she has not yet swum
over Then unseen by her lover, I'M
helped by any pitying star, she struggles
steadfastly and bravely not to die.
''Many times she rises bravely from
the whirlpools which drag her feet down
and cries to Luximan, who, to save his
jungle dove, would have breasted the
river of Asipatra, which flows through
hell, if he only knew and could have
seen. He does not know and cannot see,
and so, deprived of the sustaining chatty,
her young strength yields, the yellow
currant boila again and again between
her gasping lips, her long brown arms
beat the stream with feebler strokes,
and at last na1ning her lovers name,
her beautiful head went under, and only
a dark hand was seen above the river as
it whirled away the dead body of beau
tiful Sohni
Next day, when the light was strong
upon the stream and its swollen tide had
somewhat fallen, they found the corpse
of the goat girl upon the tail Of yonder
sandfat, where the cranes are fishing.
Her funereal pile was reared near to
where this stone stands, and the village
people raised the stone and had the
black chatty carved upon it as amemori-
al for times to come, and because they
compassionated Sohni and hated the
cruel and avaricious Soucar Govinda."
Sir Edwin Arnold.