"While she is cooking for us let us go to cut a stick," the elder
brother said.
Afterwards the two persons having gone to the chena jungle cut the
stick. After having cut it [292] the elder brother said, "You lie
down [293] [for me] to cut the stick to your length." When he was
lying down the elder brother cut off his two feet and two hands. He
having cut them, when he was coming away the younger brother said,
"If you are going, pick up my book and place it upon my breast." After
having placed it, the elder brother went away [294]; the younger
brother remained saying and saying Bana.
After the elder brother went, seven widow women having gone to break
firewood and having heard that he was saying Bana, the seven persons
came to the place and saw the Prince. "A Yaka or a human being
(manuswayekda)?" they asked.
The Prince asked, "Does a Yaka or a human being ask? The Bana a human
being indeed is saying," he said.
"And human beings indeed ask," the widow women said.
Well, having said thus they came to hear the Bana. While hearing it,
a woman having said, "Ade! We having been here, the gill of rice will
be spoilt [295]; let us go to break firewood," six persons went away.
The other woman saying, "I [am] to go home carrying (lit., lifting)
Kota," and having stayed, lifting him and having gone and placed him
[there], and cooked rice, and given him to eat, while he was [there]
he heard the notification by beat of tom-toms:--"At the King's garden
thieves are plucking the flowers."
On seeing that widow, Kota said, "I can catch the thieves; you go to
the King and tell him."
Then the woman having gone to the place where the King is, the King
asked, "What have you come for?" Well then, the woman said, "There
is a Kota (Short One) with (lit., near) me; that one can catch the
thieves, he says."