第104章

Narsenayque was well pleased to listen to this treason and to hear of the evil deed which this captain planned,and he showed him much favour.The captain disappeared after some days from where Narsenayque was,feigning to have fled;and he came to Penagumdy,where in a few days his arrival was known;and he set about and put in hand all those things that had been arranged.Every day he showed the King a letter,one day from a captain of one fortress,the next day another from another captain;and the King,understanding the plots contained in the letters so shown,replied that the counsel and advice seemed good,and yet how could he resist the power of Narsenayque,who,besides being minister of the kingdom,had (possession of)all the horses and elephants and treasure,so that he could at once make war against him?"True it is,Sire,that which thou sayest,"answered the traitor,"and yet he is much misliked by all the captains who raised thee to be king,and as soon as they shall see thee in Chaodagary"[511](which was a fortress whither he had advised him to flee,being one which up to that time was independent),"all will flock to thine aid,since they esteem it a just cause."Said the King,--"Since this is so,how dost thou propose that I should leave this place,so that my going should not be known to the guards and to the 20,000men who surround me in this city?""Sire,"he replied,"I will disclose to thee a very good plan;thou and I will go forth by this thy garden,and from thence by a postern gate which is in the city (wall),and which I know well;and the guards,seeing thee alone without any following,will not know that it is thou,the King,and thus we shall pass to the outside of the city,where I will have horses ready that will take us whithersoever it seemeth good to thee."All this pleased the King well,and he placed everything in his hands;and,seeing fulfilled all his desire,the captain spoke with those men who guarded that part of the garden by which he wished that the King should fly,and which was near the King's own houses,(for into this garden the King often went to amuse himself with his wives,which garden was at that part guarded by a matter of 300armed men)and to these men he spoke thus,saying to them:--"If ye shall happen to see me pass by here on such a night and at such an hour,and if ye shall see a man coming with me,slay him,for he well deserves it of me,and I will reward ye;"and they all said that that would be a very small service to do for him.When that day had passed the traitor went to the King and said to him:--"Sire,do not put off till to-morrow that which thou hast to do to-day;for I have the horses ready for thy escape,and have planned so to escort thee forth that even thy ladies shall not be aware of thy departure,nor any other person.Come,Sire,to the garden,where I will await thee."The King replied that his words were good and so he would do,and as soon as night was come and the hour arrived,the King went carefully out,and still more careful was he who for some time had awaited him;and he gave signal to the armed men,and as soon as he was come to the garden he passed between two of them who were the guards,and they threw themselves on the King and slew him,and forthwith buried him at the foot of a tree in the same garden.And this being accomplished without their knowing whom they had slain,the traitor gave them his thanks,and returned to his inn to make ready to leave the city,and also so as not to give cause for talk therein.And the next morning it was found that the King was missing;and though searched for throughout all the city no news of him could be heard,all the people thinking that he had fled somewhere,whence he would make war on Narsenayque.And to Narsenayque the news was straightway brought,and he,feigning much sorrow at it,yet made ready all his horses and elephants in case the kingdom should be plunged into some revolution by the death of the king;although as yet he knew not for certain how the matter stood,save that the King had disappeared.And afterwards the man came who had killed the King,and told him how it had been done and how secretly he had been slain,so that even the very men who had killed him knew not who it was;and Narsenayque bestowed upon him rich reward.And since there was no news of the King,and he holding everything now under his hand,he was raised to be king over all the land of Narsymga.

And this king left at his death five sons,one was called Busbalrao,and another Crismarao,and another Tetarao,and another Ramygupa and another Ouamysyuaya.[512]

And this Busbalrao inherited the kingdom at the death of his father Narsenayque and reigned six years,during which he was always at war,for as soon as his father was dead the whole land revolted under its captains;who in a short time were destroyed by that King,and their lands taken and reduced under his rule.During these six years the King spent,in restoring the country to its former condition,eight million gold PARDAOS.This King died of his sickness in the city of Bisnaga;and before he died he sent for Salvatimya,his minister,[513]and commanded to be brought to him his (the King's)son,eight years old,and said to Sallvatina that as soon as he was dead he must raise up this son to be king (though he was not of an age for that,and though the kingdom ought perhaps to belong to his brother Crisnarao)and that he must put out the eyes of the latter and must bring them to show him;in order that after his death there should be no differences in the kingdom.Salvatina said that he would do so and departed,and sent to call for Crisnarao,and took him aside to a stable,and told him how his brother had bade him put out his eyes and make his son king.When he heard this,Crisnarao said that he did not seek to be king,nor to be anything in the kingdom,even though it should come to him by right;that his desire was to pass through this world as a JOGI(ascetic,recluse),and that he should not put his eyes out,seeing that he had not deserved that of his brother.Sallvatina,hearing this,and seeing that Crisnarao was a man of over twenty years and therefore more fit to be king,as you will see farther on,than the son of Busbalrao who was only eight years old,commanded to bring a she-goat,and he put out its eyes,and took them to show the King,for already he was at the last hour of his life;and he presented them to him,and as soon as the King was dead his brother Crisnarao was raised to be king,whose eyes the late King had ordered to be torn out.