Listen to it. A royal sage of the Haihaya race, Sumitra by
name, went out a hunting. He pursued a deer, having pierced it with a
straight shaft. Possessed of great strength, the deer ran ahead, with the
arrow sticking to him. The king was possessed of great strength, and
accordingly pursued with great speed his prey. The animal, endued with
fleetness, quickly cleared a low ground and then a level plain. The king,
young, active and strong, and armed with bow and sword and cased in mail,
still pursued it. Unaccompanied by anybody, in chasing the animal through
the forest the king crossed many rivers and streams and lakes and copses.
Endued with great speed, the animal, at its will, showing itself now and
then to the king, ran on with great speed. Pierced with many shafts by
the king, that denizen of wilderness, O monarch, as if in sport,
repeatedly lessened the distance between itself and the pursuer.
Repeatedly putting forth its speed and traversing one forest after
another, it now and then showed itself to the king at a near point. At
last that crusher of foes, taking a very superior shaft, sharp, terrible,
and capable of penetrating into the very vitals, fixed it on his
bowstring. The animal then, of huge proportions, as if laughing at the
pursuer's efforts suddenly distanced him by reaching a point full four
miles ahead of the range of the shaft. That arrow of blazing splendour
accordingly fell on the ground. The deer entered a large forest but the
king still continued the chase.
Pages:
1509
1510
1511
1512
1513
1514
1515
1516
1517
1518
1519
1520
1521
1522
1523
1524
1525
1526
1527
1528
1529
1530
1531
1532
1533