Volume 3

The history of Hindostan; its arts, and its sciences, as connected with the history of the other great empires of Asia ... / By the author of Indian antiquities [T. Maurice].

  • Maurice, Thomas, 1754-1824
Date:
1795-1798[-1799]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of Hindostan; its arts, and its sciences, as connected with the history of the other great empires of Asia ... / By the author of Indian antiquities [T. Maurice]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    tremely alarmed at the news of the bow having been broken. When Creeshna went forward, after breaking the bow, many mighty men and able warriors ran after him, crying. Stop him ! strike him down ! but no one interfered, and all men conceived he must be a Devata and not a man. With these events the day drew towards its close, and Creeshna with his companions rested there that evening, regaling on rice and milk. Cansa, in the mean time, having learnt what this despised youth had done, began seriously to feel his own inferi- ority ; and, when he went to sleep, he dreamt that he saw himself without a head, and the moon divided into two parts; that several deep wounds were in his body, that he was accompanied by none but dead persons, that he was mounted on an ass, rubbed with oil, with his feet bound, and his body publicly exposed in a naked state. He started up, and found he had only had an ill-omened dream, but he could sleep no more ! In the morning, with an op- pressed heart, he came from his chamber and ordered preparations for the assault to commence, and the athletics sounded to the com- bat with drums and hautboys. Chandoor and Mooshtek, with their pupils, began ; Saleb, and Selek, and Seltek, sparred. The neigh- bouring rajahs who had been invited took their seats, and Cansa also ascended his throne. Creeshna, early in the morning, prepared himself for the festival, and said to Ram, 46 I will wrestle with Chandoor, and Mooshtek shall feel your strength.” But, when they came to the gate, they found a fierce elephant placed there to oppose them. Creeshna, fastening up all his hair together to the crest on his head, and, binding the vest that covered his shoulders fast round his waist, told the elephant-driver to make room or he must perish ; but the driver urged on the beast with fury to attack him ; and this was Cansa’s best elephant. No elephant like him was to be found, he was therefore reserved for some desperate extremity ; and the driver goading him forward with all his might, that black mountain, roar- ing like thunder, sprang forward with the celerity of the wind, and