behind on the horse; so the
king found his soldiers and went safely home. And when he got there, he
proclaimed the devotion of the pilgrim, and made him a rich man, but
could not feel that he had paid his debt. So Good stayed there happily
with King Fierce-lion and stopped living as a pilgrim.

One day the king sent Good to Ceylon to ask for the hand of the
daughter of the King of Ceylon. So he set out after sacrificing to the
proper god, and entered a ship with some Brahmans chosen by the king.
And when the ship had safely reached the middle of the ocean, there
suddenly arose from the waves a very large flag-pole made of gold, with
a top that touched the sky. It was adorned with waving banners of
various colours and was quite astonishing.

At the same moment the clouds gathered, it began to rain violently, and
a mighty wind blew. And the ship was driven by the storm winds and
caught on the flag-pole. Then the pole began to sink, dragging the ship
with it into the raging waves. And the Brahmans who were there were
overcome with fear and cursed the name of their king Fierce-lion.

But Good could not endure that because of his devotion to his king. He
took his sword in his hand, girt up his garment, and threw himself
after the flag-pole into the sea. He had no fear of the pole which
seemed a refuge from the ocean. Then as he sank, the ship was battered
by the winds and waves and broke up. And all in it fell into the mouths
of sharks.

But Good sank into the ocean, and when he looked about he saw a
wonderful city. There he entered a shrine to Gauri, tall as the
heavenly mountain, with great gem-sprinkled banners on walls made of
different kinds of jewels, in a golden temple blazing with jewelled
pillars, with a garden that had a pool, the stairs to which were made
of splendid gems. After he had bowed low and praised and worshipped the
goddess there, he sat down before her in amazement, wondering if it was
all a conjuror's trick.

Just then the door was suddenly opened by a heavenly maiden. Her eyes
were like lotuses, her face like the moon. She had a smile like a
flower and a body soft as lotus-stems. And a thousand women waited upon
her. She entered the shrine of the goddess and the heart of Good at the
same moment. And when she had worshipped the goddess there, she went
out from the shrine, but not from the heart of Good.

She entered a circle of light, and Good followed her. And he saw
another splendid house, th