of their leader, they spread
themselves around those beautiful woods. And that mighty caravan finding
it was evening halted at that place. And (it came to pass that) at the
hour of midnight when everything was hushed and still and the tired
caravan had fallen asleep, a herd of elephants in going towards a
mountain stream to drink of its water befouled by their temporal juice,
saw that caravan as also the numerous elephants belonging to it. And
seeing their domesticated fellows the wild elephants infuriated and with
the temporal juice trickling down rushed impetuously on the former, with
the intention of killing them. And the force of the rush of those
elephants was hard to bear, like the impetuosity of peaks lessened from
mountain summits rolling towards the plain. The rushing elephants found
the forest paths to be all blocked up, for the goodly caravan was
sleeping obstructing the paths around that lake of lotuses. And the
elephants all of a sudden, began to crush the men lying insensible on the
ground. And uttering cries of 'Oh!' and 'Alas!' the merchants, blinded by
sleep, fled, in order to escape that danger, to copses and woods for
refuge. And some were slain by the tusks, and some by the trunks, and
some by the legs of those elephants. And innumerable camels and horses
were killed, and crowds of men on foot, running in fright, killed one
another. And uttering loud cries some fell down on the ground, and some
in fear climbed on trees, and some dropped down on uneven ground. And, O
king, thus accidentally attacked by that large herd of elephants, that
goodly caravan suffered a great loss. And there arose a tremendous uproar
calculated to frighten the three worlds, 'Lo! a great fire hath broken
out. Rescue us.

Do ye speedily fly away. Why do ye fly? Take the heaps of jewels
scattered around. All this wealth is a trifle. I do not speak falsely, 'I
tell you again, (exclaimed some one) think on my words, O ye distracted
one!' With such exclamation they ran about in fright. And Damayanti awoke
in fear and anxiety, while that terrible slaughter was raging there. And
beholding slaughter capable of awaking the fear of all the worlds, and
which was so unforeseen, the damsel of eyes like lotus leaves rose up,
wild with fright, and almost out of breath. And those of the caravan that
had escaped unhurt, met together, and asked one another, 'Of what deed of
ours is this the consequence? Surely, we have failed to worship the
ill