LXXVIII.  Sit and Lakhan.

Once upon a time there was a Raja who had two wives and a concubine, but after giving birth to her second son, the first Rani died, and the name of her elder boy was Sit and that of the younger was Lakhan.  The two children used to cry for their mother but the second Rani never comforted them, for she hated them; it was the concubine who used to bathe them and care for them, and their father loved them much.  They used to go to the place where their father sat administering justice and Sit would sit behind his father and Lakhan in front.  The second Rani hated to see them with their father and would tell the concubine to drive them away; but she refused and said that it was natural for a father to love his motherless children; so the Rani kept silent, but anger remained in her heart.

At last the Rani feigned to be ill and kept her bed; the Raja sent for doctors and ojhas, and they came and saw that she could not rise and they wanted to feel her pulse, but she would not let them touch her; all she would do was to make the concubine tie a string to her wrist and let the doctors hold the other end of the string; so the doctors diagnosed the disease as best they could in this way and gave her medicines, but she got no better.

After some days the Rani sent for the Raja and said “I am dying and you don’t care; these doctors’ medicines do me no good; there is one medicine only which will cure me.”  The Raja asked “What is it?  I will get it for you.”  Then the Rani made him swear by Kali that he would give her the medicine she wanted, and he swore blindly.  Then the Rani said “If I eat the livers of Sit and Lakhan I shall get well, and if not I shall die.”  At this request the Raja was struck dumb.

Now the concubine and a sipahi had overheard the conversation, and when they heard what the Rani said, they withdrew and the concubine went and told Sit and Lakhan of what was in store for them, and Sit began to cry:—­but Lakhan said “Do not cry brother, our father gave us life, and it is for him to take it away if he will.”  So the Raja came out from the Rani’s room and when he saw the boys he wept and he went to them and told them to eat their rice quickly, but they would not eat; then he had their best clothes brought for them and told them to put them on, but they refused.  Then the Raja called for sipahis and the sipahi who had been with the concubine, and two others, came and the Raja told them with tears in his voice to take the two boys away and let him never see them again, and he added so that the boys should not hear “Bring me their livers.”  So the sipahis took away the boys, and as they passed through the bazar they bought them some sweetmeats.  After walking for a time they came to a jungle; then Sit said to the sipahis “How far are we to go?  Do here what is in your minds.”

But the sipahis went on further; then Sit again told them to do what they had to do.  But the sipahis said “Do not be frightened, we shall not kill you; we shall not obey your father; you must go away and never come back here.”