108.15

108.20

man in a battle to shock and to thrill any who had eyes for it. With a mocking laugh Bhima pierced the wrathful demon king with nine of his whetted shafts. Rishya·shringa’s child bellowed terribly at the blow and he fell upon Bhima and the men at his side. Five knotless shafts found Bhima as the demon smashed three hundred of his cars into the dust. He tore through four hundred more and turned back to Bhima and let fly another feathered dart. Mighty Bhima swayed and swooned beneath the demon’s attack and sunk into the floor of his car. Then his head swam with anger and gathering his wits the Storm God’s son got back on his feet and drew back his fine fearful and unfailing bow and harrowed Alambusha hard with biting darts. The demon was black as antimony and o king as arrows pierced his skin he flowered with wounds like a flame of the forest in bloom.

The arrows whistled from Bhima·sena’s bow and found their mark and with them the image of his brother’s death at the Pandava’s hand came back to Alambusha, and flaring up into a fearsome shape he called across at his adversary.

“O Partha stay your hand and look upon me. You may somewhere in your ravaged mind recall a great king of night’s denizenry who now is fallen. His name was Baka, and he was my brother. I will reward you now for his murder.”*

108.25

So he spoke to Bhima and then he burst forth with a massive pulse of arrows and disappeared. Even as the demon vanished Bhima filled the air o king with wellwhittled shafts. Caught in Bhima’s volley Alambusha appeared again for a moment in his chariot and then down on the ground and then like a bee darted up into the sky. He began to shift __________