And， true enough， as the midnight gong struck， he appeared in the form of a gigantic and malignant Rakshasa （fiend）， dreadfully frightened the household of Haridas， and carried off the lovely Unmadini， leaving word that she was to he found on the topmost peak of Himalaya.
The unhappy father hastened to the house where Devasharma lived. There， weeping bitterly and wringing his hands in despair， he told the terrible tale， and besought his intended son-in-law to be up and doing.
The young Brahman at once sought his late rival， and asked his aid. This the soldier granted at once， although he had been nettled at being conquered in love by a priestling.
The carriage was at once made ready， and the suitors set out， bidding the father be of good cheer， and that before sunset he should embrace his daughter. They then entered the vehicle； Gunakar with cabalistic words caused it to rise high in the air， and Devasharma put to flight the demon by reciting the sacred verse，[FN#156] "Let us meditate on the supreme splendour （or adorable light） of that Divine Ruler （the sun） who may illuminate our understandings. Venerable men， guided by the intelligence， salute the divine sun （Sarvitri） with oblations and praise. Om！"
[FN#156] The celebrated Gayatri， the Moslem Kalmah.
Then they returned with the girl to the house， and Haridas blessed them， praising the sun aloud in the joy of his heart. Lest other accidents might happen， he chose an auspicious planetary conjunction， and at a fortunate moment rubbed turmeric upon his daughter's hands.
The wedding was splendid， and broke the hearts of twenty-four rivals. In due time Devasharma asked leave from his father-in-law to revisit his home， and to carry with him his bride. This request being granted， he set out accompanied by Gunakar the soldier， who swore not to leave the couple before seeing them safe under their own roof-tree.
It so happened that their road lay over the summits of the wild Vindhya hills， where dangers of all kinds are as thick as shells upon the shore of the deep. Here were rocks and jagged precipices making the traveller's brain whirl when he looked into them. There impetuous torrents roared and flashed down their beds of black stone， threatening destruction to those who would cross them. Now the path was lost in the matted thorny underwood and the pitchy shades of the jungle， deep and dark as the valley of death. Then the thunder-cloud licked the earth with its fiery tongue， and its voice shook the crags and filled their hollow caves. At times， the sun was so hot， that wild birds fell dead from the air. And at every moment the wayfarers heard the trumpeting of giant elephants， the fierce howling of the tiger， the grisly laugh of the foul hyaena， and the whimpering of the wild dogs as they coursed by on the tracks of their prey.
Yet， sustained by the five-armed god[FN#157] the little party passed safely through all these dangers. They had almost emerged from the damp glooms of the forest into the open plains which skirt the southern base of the hills， when one night the fair Unmadini saw a terrible vision.
[FN#157] Kama again.
She beheld herself wading through a sluggish pool of muddy water， which rippled， curdling as she stepped into it， and which， as she advanced， darkened with the slime raised by her feet. She was bearing in her arms the semblance of a sick child， which struggled convulsively and filled the air with dismal wails. These cries seemed to be answered by a multitude of other children， some bloated like toads， others mere skeletons lying upon the bank， or floating upon the thick brown waters of the pond. And all seemed to address their cries to her， as if she were the cause of their weeping； nor could all her efforts quiet or console them for a moment.
When the bride awoke， she related all the particulars of her ill-omened vision to her husband； and the latter， after a short pause， informed her and his friend that a terrible calamity was about to befall them. He then drew from his travelling wallet a skein of thread. This he divided into three parts， one for each， and told his companions that in case of grievous bodily injury， the bit of thread wound round the wounded part would instantly make it whole. After which he taught them the Mantra，[FN#158] or mystical word by which the lives of men are restored to their bodies， even when they have taken their allotted places amongst the stars， and which for evident reasons I do not want to repeat. It concluded， however， with the three Vyahritis， or sacred syllables——Bhuh， Bhuvah， Svar！
[FN#158] From "Man，" to think； primarily meaning， what makes man think.
Raja Vikram was perhaps a little disappointed by this declaration. He made no remark， however， and the Baital thus pursued：
As Devasharma foretold， an accident of a terrible nature did occur. On the evening of that day， as they emerged upon the plain， they were attacked by the Kiratas， or savage tribes of the mountain.[FN#159] A small， black， wiry figure， armed with a bow and little cane arrows， stood in their way， signifying by gestures that they must halt and lay down their arms. As they continued to advance， he began to speak with a shrill chattering， like the note of an affrighted bird， his restless red eyes glared with rage， and he waved his weapon furiously round his head. Then from the rocks and thickets on both sides of the path poured a shower of shafts upon the three strangers.
