suffering a similar fate, and wishing that, like
the wazir, he could feel that there was something to give thanks for.

That night the rajah held a special council to consider what should
be done to his rival who had thus given himself into his hands. All
the Brahmans were sent for--fat priests who understood all about
everything, and what days were lucky and what unlucky--and, whilst all
the rest of the rajah's councillors were offering him different advice
until he was nearly crazy with anger and indecision, the chief Brahman
was squatting in a corner figuring out sums and signs to himself with
an admiring group of lesser priests around him. At last he arose, and
advanced towards the throne.

'Well,' said the rajah anxiously, 'what have you to advise?'

'A very unlucky day!' exclaimed the chief Brahman. 'Oh, a very unlucky
day! The god Devi is full of wrath, and commands that to-morrow you
must chop off this badshah's head and offer it in to him in
sacrifice.'

'Ah, well,' said the rajah, 'let it be done. I leave it to you to
carry out the sentence.' And he bowed to the priests and left the
room.

Before dawn great preparations were being made for a grand festival in
honour of the great idol Devi. Hundreds of banners waved, hundreds of
drummers drummed, hundreds of singers chanted chants, hundreds of
priests, well washed and anointed, performed their sacred rites,
whilst the rajah sat, nervous and ill at ease, amongst hundreds of
courtiers and servants, wishing it were all well over. At last the
time came for the sacrifice to be offered, and the poor badshah was
led out bound, to have his head chopped off.

The chief Brahman came along with a smile on his face, and a big sword
in his hand, when, suddenly, he noticed that the badshah's finger was
tied up in a bit of rag. Instantly he dropped the sword, and, with his
eyes starting out of his head with excitement, pounced upon the rag
and tore it off, and there he saw that the tip of his victim's finger
was missing. At this he got very red and angry indeed, and he led the
badshah up to where the rajah sat wondering.

'Behold! O rajah,' he said, 'this sacrifice is useless, the tip of his
finger is gone! A sacrifice is no sacrifice unless it is complete.'
And he began to weep with rage and mortification.

But of instead of wailing likewise, the rajah gave a sigh of relief,
and answered: 'Well, that settles the matter. If it had been anyone
else I should not have