nd takes compassion on our lord's
slave, she will arrive at destruction to-morrow. Graciously do this act
of kindness, O chief of all the _hpeas_."

Lord Sa Kyah took pity on his son and promised to help him. The four
strongest spirits in his kingdom were four _hpeas_. They were twins and
the name of the first two was Nan Ta Re and that of the second Hte Sa
Kyung. These powerful spirits he ordered to complete the road during the
night.

The next morning when the king arose he looked forth from his palace
and a most wonderful sight met his gaze. He rubbed his eyes, for he
believed they deceived him. He pinched himself to see whether he was
really awake or whether he was dreaming. For a wonderful thing had
happened during the night, so wonderful, in fact, that one cannot be
surprised that he thought it unreal.

From the bazaar to the very gate of the palace was a broad, smooth road.
On each side were brick walls covered with the whitest of cement, and
decorated with the heads of lions, and two large griffins, built of
brick and covered also with cement, guarded the entrance. They were more
than twelve cubits high; their mouths were wide open and showed their
terrible fangs, and their eyes looked upon the king with a stony glare.
The road was paved with blocks of stone cut as smooth and laid as true
as the cells of a honeycomb. There was one road for men, one for oxen,
and yet another for horses. _Zayats_ had been built here and there so
that travelers aweary could rest and be thankful, and over all was a
wide canopy of white cloth that extended entirely from end to end and
from side to side to protect the king from the sun when he should move
along the road to observe its wonders more closely.

In utter amazement he beat the gong that hung ready to his side with
such vigor that _amats_, soldiers, attendants, and the people from the
city, came rushing out of their houses to the palace gates expecting at
least that the neighboring prince with whom they had long been at war
had taken the city by surprise; but they, like the king, stood
transfixed and speechless with wonder when they saw the road with its
carvings and _zayats_ and the canopy with the golden border spread above
all.

The king called Myeh Khit. She came, and hidden in her turban was her
son. The king had thought to punish this presumptuous woman by giving
her an impossible task to do with a penalty that put her beyond the
power of offending again, and was