elephant will not, in the cave that is guarded by a lion.

Who is there 189 that becometh not a hero by a glance of mine eye? And if but I so desire it, even the babes and sucklings would fight on my side. Lo! 190 within two months or three, not only will I drive the king Máṇábharaṇa out of the king's country, but I will shut him out also from his own. Yea, it is even in such a pass as this, when all things seem hopeless, 191 that the strong arm of heroes like unto me availeth something.” With such bold words as these did he give courage to those whose 192 hearts had failed them. And then the skilful warrior sent the captains 193 Rakkha Adhikári and Ádi Potthaki that they might take up a position at the village Mangalaba.

And then the king, whose fame was great and who knew how to 194 command, bestowed offices on such as were worthy of them, and chose 195 him as officers Rakkha the chief secretary, Mandijívita Potthaki, Sankhadhátu, and the generals Kitti who were brethren, to serve under him. And to these officers the great king entrusted a mighty 196 army, and sent them to Pillaviṭṭhi to subdue the great districts that adjoin Kálavápi. Likewise also did this exceeding great and mighty 197 man place Máragiri and Nigródha at Uddhavápi with a great host. Moreover, he left in divers places bodies of fighting men with captains 198 over them to carry on the war at divers points.

Now, at that time, the chief secretary Mandi went at the command 199 of Mánábharana, to the place called Janapada, to make war; but the 200 fighting men of Janapada, who were skilled in the game of war, fought with him and put him to flight; and being thereby discouraged he renewed not the contest. And that host sent tidings of what had 201 happened to king Parakkama while he tarried at Nálanda, and took 202 his pleasure there like unto the chief of the gods, and also daily performed many great and good deeds. Afterwards the commanders 203 who were set at Pillaviṭṭhi with Rakkha, the chief secretary, at their 204 head, fought a terrible battle for eight days with Buddhanátha, Máhálana, and Déva Sénápati, the generals of Mánábharana who occupied Kálavápi, and killed many strong men and put the remnant 205 to flight, and also took possession of Kálavápi, and speedily cleared the place of the thorn-like foe; and, in obedience to the command of 206 Parakkama Báhu, they fortified the place and tarried there with the army.

And Nigródha Máragiri, who was set at Uddhavápi, also gave 207 battle three times and broke the enemy's forces. And then he fortified 208 himself in a grove at the village Tannaru, and tarried there with the army according to the command of the great king.

Thereupon king Mánábharana bestowed honours and much territory 209 on the prince Mahinda, and said unto him: "Go thou with a great 210 host in the direction of the country Móravápi and tarry in the noble city of Anuradhapura that so we might seize the southern part of the country, and I will proceed to Pallavavála that so I might from thence move towards Buddhagáma." And he gave Mahinda a great army 211

212 first, and sent him to the beautiful city of Anuradhapura, but he himself 213 tarried behind, even where he was, in the king's country. And the

chief officers who were placed at Kálavápi heard that prince Mahinda had advanced with a great army to Anuradhapura, and they desired greatly to defeat his purpose before he could establish himself there. 215 So they placed the great secretary Rakkha and Kitti Bhaṇḍára Potthaki to defend Kálavápi, and of their own accord they proceeded 216 thence with their armies and their equipage to the place called Káṇa217 múla, and built a stronghold there and occupied it together. And the king Parakkama heard thereof, and, being a cautious man and one whose cunning in war failed him not, he sent messengers unto them, 218 saying," Ye are men of none experience in the country, go not therefore 219 without my command into the heart of the country to carry on the

war." Thus did the wise and far-seeing king, with authority like unto 220 the god Sakka, send forth his command. But the foolish officers were

impatient, and went thither even against the king's command, saying 221 "We shall soon take Anuradhapura." And those among them who 222 were not fortunate would not be advised by the king's message, and not being skilled in action nor in devising devices, proceeded to the place called Kaṭuvandu, as if they sought after the consequences of 223 disobeying the king's command. And when they had arrived there, they did many wicked things in divers parts of the great country, 224 by reason of which their forces were scattered on all sides. Thereupon the prince Mahinda, hearing of their doings, took counsel with his officers, and, gathering together his forces around him, commenced 225 the fight with them. But, inasmuch as Parakkama's army lacked unity, the prince Mahinda broke and utterly routed it in the field of 226 battle. And the leaders thereof returned to Kálavápi with their forces shattered, as if they had only then remembered the king's command 227 which they had not regarded. And the prince then returned to Anu

rádhapura and gathered together an army of his fellow-countrymen. 228 And as he was now powerful he sent them to Kálavápi to seize it,

which was his great desire. And when the lord of the land, whose 229 wisdom was great, heard thereof, he made haste and sent thither

Bhúta Bhandara Potthaki at the head of many hosts of mighty men 230 of valour whom he had carefully chosen. And they all joined them

selves together, and for the space of three months maintained an 231 exceeding fierce contest day after day. And these skilful men despised

not the king's counsel, but continued to fight vigorously, and broke 232 in pieces Mahinda's four-fold army. And they took the great country round about, and remained at Kálavápi, even where they then were, mindful of the king's command.

233 Then the prince Mahinda, being puffed up with his success in the unequal struggle that he had with those who had obeyed not the king's 234 command, came himself, ready for the strife. But a certain captain

who was left at the place called Móravápi, set not at naught the counsel 235 of the far-sighted king, and drew up his forces on both sides of the

road; and when all the hosts of the enemy had entered within their lines, they closed on them from all sides and kept up a terrible fight. 236 And they made an end of the lives of many captains and leaders, and 237 put the prince to flight, and sent unto the king the heads of many of the enemy that had been slain in the field of battle.

Thereupon the mighty and terrible king Parakkama Báhu gathered 238 together his armies that were set at divers places. And that he might 239 drive the king Mánábharana out of the king's country, he placed Rakkha, the great secretary, and Añjana, the chief of works, at Kyánagáma, and sent forward Kitti Potthaki and Rakkha Adhikári 240 to the village Mangalaba. And he sent companies of hunters and 241 robbers, and such as were accustomed to the fastnesses of the forest and the mountain, and to roaming at night, and caused them to destroy 242 (the enemy's) men by day and night, wheresoever they found them. And so greatly did they disquiet the king Máṇábharana and harass 243 the city, that the inhabitants of Pulatthi, like unto birds that were made captive in a cage, feared to come out of their houses even in the daytime; neither were they who had been for a long time in want 244 of fuel and water able to do the works that were needful, because that all the grass and the plants had been rooted out. Yea, everything 245 that was in each man's house was destroyed; even all the divers stuffs in the markets on the borders of the city were cut off, and, by reason 246 of the constant tumult that was raised by this war of kings in the streets that led to the town, the whole city trembled with fear, even 247 to the court of the king's palace.

Then the king Máṇábharaṇa, being sorely vexed, and filled with 248 anxious thoughts, communed with himself in this wise: "Alas! If 249 we flee into the Róhana the people of the king's country who dwell 250 there, seeing that we are weakened and in flight, will not permit us to remain there, that so they might show their fealty to the king Parakkama. On the contrary, it is even difficult for us to remain 251 here, where we now are, by reason of the distress that we endure by day and night. It is therefore meet for us that we should engage in a 252 fierce battle with the enemy, and partake of the pleasure (of victory) or suffer the misery (of defeat) that would happen therefrom." And 253 when he had thus resolved he stirred himself up for the fight and put his four-fold army in battle array, and proceeded to Pallavaválaka.

Thereupon the king Parakkama Báhu, who was brave like unto a 254 lion and prudent in action, when he heard everything concerning this 255 movement, desired greatly to drive away the army of the enemy that 256 came from that side, and sent Lankápura, the two generals who were brethren, and Lókagalla, by three ways, having before instructed them in the divers stratagems of warfare. And these mighty men 257 went thither, and kept the enemy engaged daily in exceeding great encounters for the space of one month.

Then was the king Máṇábharana's distress increased two-fold; and 258 he thought within himself, saying, "Our strongholds have we quitted

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259 and come hither with the intent to give battle; but even here is there no hope for us. Verily our misfortune hath taken firm root, and 260 increaseth daily. Instead of contenting ourselves with the good or the evil that would have been our portion in the wilderness, have we ventured to come hither, and are therefore well served in that we are 261 brought to such great misery. Should we then endeavour again to 262 return thither? But that also is now an exceeding hard matter. Nor 263 is it right for us to tarry in a place where we are hemmed in by the great hosts of the enemy who occupy divers places on the highway. Let us, therefore, inquire of them that are familiar with the country and go about among the hosts of the enemy, and proceed by some secret 264 path which peradventure they might show us." And when he had determined in this wise, he inquired of them that dwelt in the country, and went by the way that they showed him to the village Konduruva. 265 Thereafter Rakkha Adhikári, mindful of the king's counsel, held 266 possession of the village Mihirana Bibbila. And he put up posts, pointed like unto arrow heads, and fixed them firmly in the ground, joining the one with the other, that so they might not be shaken even 267 by elephants. And on the outside thereof, he put up huge posts, greater in size than the rest, and placed them close together on the ground, that so there might not be any fissures, and bound them 268 crosswise with poles. Moreover, he caused a moat to be dug between the two stockades, twenty or thirty cubits in breadth, the circumference whereof was equal to the measure of one hundred men with their 269 hands raised, and he laid sharp spikes and thorns therein. On the

ground outside thereof, he also fixed rows of spikes, and made a fence 270 of thorns along it without gap or opening; and between them also he 271 made a trench as before, and in it also he made rows of spikes and thorns, and caused the ground outside the fence to be dug, and thus 272 formed a trench so deep that it reached the water. And he covered 273 the bottom of it with spikes and thorns. At the same time also he

caused the forest beyond the trench to be cleared to a distance of two or three bow-shots; and outside this space, where there were secret paths, he dug pits, and spread the bottoms thereof thickly with sharp 274 thorns, and covered them all over with dry leaves and sand that so 275 they might appear passable. And in order that he might utterly 276 destroy the enemy who ventured to come from that side, he caused secret paths to be made round about it, and placed sharp-shooting 277 bowmen therein. He then built a tower of four stories in the middle of the fortress, and set archers on the top thereof in divers places. 278 Thereafter, in order that he might tempt the enemy's hosts to draw

near unto the fortress, he sent forth two or three thousand archers 279 skilled in the use of the bow. And they cunningly feigned that they 280 were driven back by a shower of arrows that they could not resist which the enemy had poured out on them on all sides as they came forth to meet them, pursuing after them as they stood still (and turning round and fleeing from them when they pursued after them).

And when the enemy had come sufficiently nigh unto the fortifications,

many thousands of good and valiant men, skilled in warfare, armed 281 themselves quickly, and rushed forth on the enemy like unto so 282 many elephants, and fought like the hosts of the king of death that had appeared against them. Then the showers of arrows began to 283 pour down on all sides; and they that were placed on the top of the tower began to shoot their arrows on those that were on the ground.

(And now the battle waxed hot), and stones without number were 284 seen, hurled from engines, that flew about on every side. And the heat 285 of the fire of the reeds that were lighted and thrown among the enemy could not be endured, nor the many burning javelins bound with 286 chains with which they harassed them. And this cruel work lasted for seven days.

Thus did the noble officers of the great king carry on the war with 287 zeal according to his commands. Then, of a sudden, were the hosts 288 of the enemy with their king broken up and destroyed, like the billows of the sea when they dash themselves upon the shore, the one after the other; and the king (Máṇábharaṇa) and his army on the field of 289 battle resembled the (fading) moon and the stars at the rising of the

sun.

Moreover, they weakened the hosts of the enemy in the terrible war 290 that they had ceased not to wage at Rajatakédára for six months. Then the king Máṇábharana began to build him a fortress with an 291 encampment, after that he had covered the ground outside with thorns. Thereupon the lotus-eyed king Parakkama Báhu resolute 292 and lofty in wisdom, pondered the design with care, and being also 293 skilled in the stratagems of war, thought in this wise: "If now, he purposeth to raise a fortress, it seemeth to me that it is but a feint, for 294 his forces are now weakened; and he intendeth of a surety to retreat. Now is the time, therefore, to seize him. And for this end it is meet 295 that I also should go thither in such a manner that he would not know aught thereof, lest otherwise he escape." And when he had thus 296 resolved he set out from the city called Vikkama, feigning that he 297 desired to go out hunting, and reached Kyánagáma, surrounded by a band of musicians. And the wise king, who delighted in the strains 298 of vínás and flutes and songs, tarried in that village, taking his pleasure like unto Sakka. Then the lord of the land sent messengers to Rakkha 299 Adhikári, commanding him to make ready a force and to engage himself quickly in battle with Buddhanayaka, the chief captain of Máṇábharana. And the great king's commander (Rakkha), who was 300 a man of great mind and obedient withal, gave due heed to the king's 301 wish that was conveyed to him, and straightway made ready an army skilled in war, which was able to blow away the enemy like a blast of wind which bloweth away the cotton. And that army of four divisions 302 proceeded to Rajatakédára, and fought a great battle there until the 303 going down of the sun. And they slew Buddhanayaka and the other captains, and put the remnant of the army to flight, and passed the