.

"Now," said Goraknath, "you must learn to be sweeper to all the beasts
of the jungle, and you must serve them for twelve years." So for
twelve years King Burtal cleared the grass and kept the jungle clean
for all the creatures in it--cows, sheep, goats, tigers, cats, bears.
Sometimes he stayed in one part of the jungle, and sometimes in
another.

When the twelve years were over he went to Goraknath, who said to him,
"Good; you have learnt to serve the wild beasts; now you must learn to
serve men." Then the fakir took the king to a village, and bade him
sweep it and keep it clean for twelve years. Here King Burtal stayed
for another twelve years, and all that time he was the village-sweeper
and kept the village clean, and he swept all the dust and dirt into a
great heap till the heap was as high and as big as a hut.

When the twelve years were over he returned to Goraknath and stood
before him, and as he stood there came a man who was an angel sent by
God, and he threw some dirt on King Burtal's head; but the king never
moved nor spoke. "Now," cried Goraknath, "I see you are a true fakir:
go and cleanse yourself by bathing in the river."

The river in which he was sent to bathe was the Jamna. In this river
lived water-nymphs, and the nymph Ganga was playing in it when her
sister Jamna[3] came to her and said, "Come quickly; our father is
dying and wants to see you;" and off Jamna went to her father. Ganga
was hurrying after her when King Burtal saw her, and stopped her, and
asked her where she was going so fast. "To my father, who is very ill
and dying," said Ganga; "let me go." "I will not let you go," said
King Burtal. Then Ganga began to run, and said, "You cannot keep me,
you cannot catch me; no man can catch me, no man can keep me." This
provoked King Burtal, and he said, "I can catch you, and I can keep
you." "No, no," she answered; "no one can catch me, no one can hold
me." Then King Burtal got quite vexed, and he ran till he caught her,
and then he said, "Now, I will not let you go; I will keep you." Then
he held her in his hands and rubbed her between his palms, and when he
opened his hands she had turned into a little round ball. He tried to
hide the ball in his hair, but could not, for his hair was too short,
and he found he could not hold Ganga, as she was too strong for him;
so he thought he would take her to Mahadeo,[4] who had long thick
hair, and make him keep her, for King Burtal was dreadfully fr