quietly that he loved Patala and wished
to marry her. He was himself a king, and would give her all she had
been used to. But it was all no good, for it only made the king more
angry. He rose from his throne, and stretching out his hand, he cried:

"Let him be scourged and placed in close confinement!"

Then Putraka with his staff wrote rapidly on the ground his wish that
no one should be able to touch him, and stooping down slipped on his
magic shoes. The king, the courtiers and the soldiers all remained
exactly as they were, staring at him in astonishment, as he rose up in
the air and flew out of one of the windows. Straight away he sped to
the palace of Patala and into her room, where she was pacing to and fro
in an agony of anxiety about him; for she had heard of his having been
taken prisoner and feared that her father would order him to be killed.

29. What do you think would have been the best thing for the king to
do when Putraka was brought before him?

30. If Putraka had not had his shoes with him, how could he have
escaped from the king's palace?

CHAPTER XVI

Great indeed was the delight of Patala when her beloved Putraka once
more flew in at her window; but she was still trembling with fear
for him and begged him to go away back to his own land as quickly
as possible.

"I will not go without you," replied Putraka. "Wrap yourself up warmly,
for it is cold flying through the air, and we will go away together,
and your cruel father shall never see you again."

Patala wept at hearing this, for it seemed terrible to her to have to
choose between the father she loved and Putraka. But in the end her
lover got his own way, and just as those who were seeking him were
heard approaching, he seized his dear one in his arms and flew off
with her. He did not return to his own land even then, but directed
his course to the Ganges, the grand and beautiful river which the
people of India love and worship, calling it their Mother Ganga. By
the banks of the sacred stream the lovers rested, and with the aid of
his magic bowl Putraka soon had a good and delicious meal ready, which
they both enjoyed very much. As they ate, they consulted together
what they had better do now, and Patala, who was as clever as she
was beautiful, said:

"Would it not be a good thing to build a new city in this lovely
place? You could do it with your marvellous staff, could you not?"

"Why, of course, I could," said Putraka laughing.