than he does any of you; and that, when be dies, he will leave the
kingdom and all his money to him. Now I will help you to prevent this
by getting rid of Sringa-Bhuja.

"You must have a great shooting match, in which your brother will
be delighted to take part, for he is very proud of his skill with
the bow and arrow. On the day of the match, I will send for him and
give him the jewelled arrow belonging to your father to shoot with,
telling him the king had said I might lend it to him. Your father
will then think he stole it and order him to be killed."

The brothers were all delighted at what they thought a very clever
scheme, and did just what Ayasolekha advised. When the day came,
great crowds assembled to see the shooting at a large target set up
near the palace. The king himself and all his court were watching the
scene from the walls, and it was difficult for the guards to keep the
course clear. The brothers, beginning at the eldest, all pretended to
try and hit the target; but none of them really wished to succeed,
because they thought that, when Sringa-Bhuja's turn came, as their
father's youngest son, he would win the match with the jewelled
arrow. Then the king would order him to be brought before him, and
he would be condemned to death or imprisonment for life.

Now, as very often happens, something no one in the least expected
upset the carefully planned plot. Just as Sringa-Bhuja was about to
shoot at the target, a big crane flew on to the ground between him and
it, so that it was impossible for him to take proper aim. The brothers,
seeing the bird and anxious to shoot it for themselves, all began to
clamour that they should be allowed to shoot again. Nobody made any
objection, and Sringa-Bhuja stood aside, with the jewelled arrow in