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STORY OF THE POISONED FOOD.

There was a city called Vijayanagara, to thenorth of which flowed a small river with mango topes*on both banks. One day a young Brahmin pilgrimcame and sat down to rest by the side of the stream,and, finding the place very cool and shady, heresolved to bathe, perform his religious ablutions,and make his dinner off the rice which he carriedtied up in a bundle.

Three days before there had come to the samespot an old Brahmin whose years numbered morethan three score and ten; he had quarrelled withhis family, and had fled from his house to die.Since he had reached that place he had tasted no food,and the young pilgrim found him lying in a pitiablestate, and placed near him a portion of his rice.The old man arose, and proceeded to the rivulet inorder to wash his feet and hands, and pronounce aholy incantation or two before tasting the food.

While thus engaged a kite, carrying in its beaka huge serpent, alighted upon the tree at the footof which was the rice given by the pilgrim to the

*

An Indian word meaning clumps of trees.