Chinese Literature

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Clear water will not mix with foul; I will not have his son!

Finally, high-handed Rabubalore ordered his underlings to sweep down on that happy and peaceful home to carry Ashma off by force.

Ashma’s brother Ahay, who had taken his flute to herd his sheep far away, had a strange dream one night in which he saw his home flooded and a monstrous snake coiling in the yard. He hurried home to find out what had happened and, when he learned that his sister had been carried off three days before, he caught up his bow and arrows, leapt onto a swift steed and galloped off like lightning in pursuit of the kidnappers.

After Ashma was taken to Rabubalore’s house, he and his son tried first to tempt her with gold and silver and then to intimidate her with threats and blows; but to all their blandishments and threats she answered firmly:

Ninety-nine times I answer No! Your son I will not wed!

So finally they locked her up in a dark dungeon, hoping by so doing to break the spirit of this lovely girl, the pride of the Shani people. Just then, however, Ahay, who had crossed many mountains and streams, arrived at Rabubalore’s door. He shouted Ashma’s name, in a voice like an earthquake, louder than thunder; and his cry not only aroused the whole of Rabubalore’s household, but penetrated into the damp, icy dungeon.

Rabubalore and his son Adgy immediately closed the big iron gate to keep Ahay out; then made him compete with them in singing, felling trees, sowing seeds and picking them up again, saying that only if he won would they let him in. In the end, when Rabubalore and his son were beaten, Ahay shot three arrows into their house which pierced the gate, the sacrificial table and the wall. The whole household was powerless to remove these arrows, and Rabubalore had to let Ashma out from the dark dungeon in order to beg her to pull the arrows out: thus Ashma was able to see her brother again.

Pretending, then, to be friendly, Rabubalore invited Ahay to spend the night with them, but that night let loose three tigers to kill him. Ahay, however, killed the tigers instead; and the next morning Rabubalore had to let him take Ashma away in triumph. Even then, these wicked bandits would not give up their evil design, for they invoked the water god to flood the road along which the brother and sister had to pass; and although Ahay eventually conquered the flood, Ashma was carried off by the raging water. Fortunately, on the cliff nearby there lived Skadulma, who had become an echo. Formerly a hard-working, beautiful girl like Ashma, she had run away from her cruel father and

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