The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
A SACRIFICE TO BHOWANI.

Sitaram Dhas left his hut at earliest
dawn. He carried on his shoulder his rude
pillow. consisting of two strong poles. the
one forming the beam and the other. shOd
with iron at one end. serving at once as
the share and the single handle. He drove
his Two little bullocks. already yoked. be
fore him. His wife. Mana. and his sister.
Rebi, shrilly wished him luck in his day S
blowing and Ramachand. his little nine
year-old boy. proudly bore Sitaram's great
bamboo bow and culver of arrows for who
could tell what evil beast father might
find in the clearing which he had made in
the forest not to speak of the chance Of
fine fat buck coming his way to provide
them with d feast?
Arrived at the clearing Sitaram firmly
dashed the beam Of the pillow to the yoke.
slung the bow and culver a his back. and
stuck the handle OF his ltt+e SanthaI axe
in his girdle. Then. driving the ironshod
point Of the plowshare into the ground and
cheering on the little bullocks with an in
spiriring cry. the plowman began his work
Back and forward the little bullocks plOd
ded all the long morning The sun rose
high I'm heaven and poured down its rays
i've a.rss Sit,rap, VAS himself ready
f,,. .i,, ,.i5.7a,, .c-f grbrp ltitIa Rarucroud
.,,-...,-,.5 ,.ftb . ,--.,t g,,,,f,,l If coarse
s,rars y.bjet, he had cut The nIovy was
gt,,.-.d in tbs f,,rrog- IA. rrass thrown
down before the hungry bull0cks, Sitaram
lay down in a shady spot 70 sleep through
the heat Of the day and the bow started
off To gather sticks for the lIe at home.
w, So, ,,',I.' "a, I'D bsJ y, 1ra,-
-, 55,.--t,l t.tg - IT,. 'b,,,b, no
49,. - -. - tl-,. eol,,as-
-; ,ttt I-or IL ~ ,,inri,r
L., -, gl.,irs z,,rdin, t.s1re hin,
~ H. ~ -, g., H.. a.. N t...-..i.. tI,5+
tl f.1.sl ..rl -.-.,s,,.,1 ~. an his
+rir. f.,. IT, .bo rs.a.sa- ~ a., I,irr- Tho
goddess said not "a word nuf She. cooked at
him win a frovr;pe ana terrible co nj ..-
apra and br,udisbed bafor4 his ives the
grast -arrifrf3l knife She held ig one Of
her hands
Si+aram treFhlad i'm every limb lie
dared not try IN gues- What maj ayfuI
annartfiop might noffaud The goddess
loved human sacriHces aud though the
Ssbfb I.og. who we're lords OF the land. did
their best to prevent them. he knew that
children were sometimes offered But the
blowing must Dee finished. Tomorrow he
would have TO begin sowing In the mean
time he would try 10 forget his dream.
Again. with voice and eoad. he urged the
huIlocks TO their work The last furtov
would soon Dee turned. d was nearly dark
when the Lullo.ks got Co. the end Of that
last furloW and SuaIam stopped them.
He had scarcely Ict 70 the handle of the
pillow when something that BOZ the unceu-
tain Light looked like "a grayiyh pun of
smoke flew ouj OF the darkness of the
forest and aligateI with q crash ON one OF
the bull0chs
Sitaram suatphcd at The strong bamboo
bow and fitted am arrow GU The string. for
he well knew that iL was ON" of the pair
OF tigers that the -hikaris of an the coun-
try round had been tracking for weeks
past The beast had killed the strong
Young bullock that Mlna's father had
given To her husband Sitar8m drew the
bow with an his force. holding I'm his hand
"a second arrow in case the FIRST should
miss ITS mark The tiger lay ON the body
of the PROSTATE bullock. grerdily drinking
the blood which flowed from a wound in
the animals throat. The arrow flew true
TO its aim and buried half its length I'm the
great cats shoulder. But il had been shot
from behind and Sitaram knew he had
given neither ii mortal nor "A disabling
wound The tiger snlrlei savageely. and
bounded into the darkness followed by the
second arrow
Sitaram sorrowfuuy released the suryiy-