gic spell. And Moon-lord bowed to his
teacher on the bank, and plunged into the river.

And as he mumbled the words of the spell in the water, he was
bewildered by its magic. He forgot all about his past life, and went
through another life. He was born in another city as the son of a
Brahman. Then he grew up, was consecrated, and went to school. Then he
took a wife, and after many experiences half pleasant, half painful, he
found himself the father of a family. Then he lived for some years with
his parents and his relatives, devoted to wife and children, and
interested in many things.

While he was experiencing all these labours of another life, the hermit
took pity on him and repeated magic words to enlighten him. And
Moon-lord was enlightened in the midst of his new life. He remembered
himself and his teacher, and saw that the other life was a network of
magic. So he prepared to enter the fire in order to win magic power.

But older people and reliable people and his parents and his relatives
tried to prevent him. In spite of them he hankered after heavenly
pleasures, and went to the bank of a river where a funeral pile had
been made ready. And his relatives went with him. But when he got there
he saw that his old parents and his wife and his little children were
weeping.

And he was perplexed, and thought: "Alas! If I enter the fire, all
these my own people will die. And I do not know whether my teacher's
promise will come true or not. Shall I go into the fire, or go home?
No, no. How could a teacher with such powers promise falsely? Indeed, I
must enter the fire." And he did.

And he was astonished the feel the fire as cool as snow, and lost his
fear of it. Then he came out of the water of the river, and found
himself on the bank. He saw his teacher standing there, and fell at his
feet, and told him the whole story, ending with the blazing funeral
pile.

Then his teacher said: "My son, I think you must have made some
mistake. Otherwise, why did the fire seem cool to you? That never
happens in the winning of this magic spell."

And Moon-lord said: "Holy sir, I do not remember making any mistake."
Then his teacher was eager to know about it, so he tried to remember
the spell himself. But it would not come to him or to his pupil. So
they went away sad, having lost their magic.

When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King,
explain the matter to me. Why did they lose their magic, when
eve