Denyo in his carly years had missed the fond care and loving attention of hi gentle mother: nevertheless he grew up with sweet and charming disposition, and sas loved by all the courtiers about the King's court, Some of those kindly men determined rescue the boy from such a fate, planned to send him away secretly into distant Tibet, One day his step-mother's strange request was made known to him and he was strongly advised by the King's counsellers to make his departure without delay. He was also informed that his stepmother was merely feigning sick ross and in order that her own boy might attain the throne on the death of his father she was bent on destroying Denyo. Ore day, the two boyts in open hearted friendship discussed the whole situation. "Dendro, Denyo, "we must' part, there is nothing else for it. My life is in danger, and my father's friends advise my fleeing into Tibet." The conversation which followed was similar to that between Naomi and Rath, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following thee! for whither thou geest T will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge."
The outcome was that both boy's determined to flee together and abide by the result, So well and secretly had the" escape been plained that several of the courtiers were able (o continue with the boys along the road for one month, Then the final parting took place and the boys, all alone, plunged into the wilds of Tibet.
Only those who have experienced travel over the high, desolate, plateaux can appreciate the daily and nightly terrors which must all times have confronted the babes lamaland. Long days and nights passed and the boys wandered on, apparently with little sense direction. One day _Dendro completely gave out, For days his legs had been showing symptoms of collapse. "Denyo," fat last he said, "I can go on no further, Tam dead beat ard thirsty and hungry. If I could only get a drink of water I might continue, but without that I simply must give in, Tam sorry, more for you than for myself, And so saying he There are few lands more frenceful to die In then Tibet end there are few solitudes more' solitary than the land of the lamas. On the high, barren, lonely plateaus there is a tremendous sense of the immeasurable, the inf unknowable. "Amidst this sense of the immeasurable, little Dendro lay dows, ai Heat characterizes the desert, cold, biting cold. haunts the plateau.. The fellow simply gave out from sheer: exhaustion: his limbs merely. refused to function. While the little body was still warm, Deny dug a little hollow and placed his hate brother tenderly in it. Thin he rutly covered with stores in ears wild beasts should distur it. Nese the little boy's mouth he carefully placed a leaf so that, should it rat luring his absence, the water would moisten the parched lins.
Alone with the Lama, lying beneath the stones, Dense plunged among the hills looking for water. Feta day and a half his throd Timbs carried him over the high barren rocks Hill at last a small before his eyes. own thirst he fied his mouth azd hurried back to the place where he had left Dendro, To kis utter amazement the stones had beet pushed aside and his anion was gon Where? were qu hurriedly through mind, Was he stil alive id beasts eaten him? Denyo sat dowa by the deserted hollow in lone! contemplation. Where could he search? the country was open la However he must search so he again started in among the hills around him. ima of a care Wandering on, his footsteps led
ely it was inhabited: there were signs of life about the place. As he cautiously approached the entrance was suddenly met by demanding who he waa and what brought him here. It a short tims the "gute of La-ma-droop-aong_ surveying the tired little traveller before him. Denyo, understanding the words of the Jama, explained who he was ard what had brought him here. "Come in," said tha Jama, "and rest awhile." Donyor however, had a sad story to tell and he must tell it quickly. Patiently the lonely hermit listened. to the bos's story: he then prayed himself into contemplation, from which he soon returned, informing Denyo that his companion Dendro was still alive, Together they went to the little hollow, searched around, but could find no trace of boy, The day being far spent they returned to the cave and the next few days were spent in a via search for Denyo's companion Dendro. Nothing could be found Dense settled down to live with the lama and await events.
It appears that soon after Denyo disappeared among the hills, the god, Wang-be-Jo-jin, dropped a life Riving pill into the boy's mouth, and in a short time he recovered suflciently to push away the stonow and get up, Seeing no Denyo immediately pushed into the hill in search of him. For days he wandered over trackless wastes, finally losing himself amid tha, wilds of Tibet. 1
The Fatal Dragon Year Days pasted into months, and as ign of Dendro could be found, Denyo bettied down to live with the hermit, Being still a boy he would wander out to a village near by and spend part of his time playing with other boys near a large lake, Very soon he told the other Inds in the village who he was, and that his father was the king of the country hho came from; he also told them that he was born in the Dragon year. Beinge quite handsome as boy and possessed of charming manners he attracted the little maiden of the then ruling house of Tibet, she fell passionately in love with "the little stranger in. their midst, and nothing would satisfy her till her parents agreed to bring the boy into their home, The time drew tear for the yearly sacri to be made to the dragon god. Each year a boy born during the dragon year was offered to this deity. Diligent search was made all over the country for a boy bora in the dragon year, but apart from Denyo, no one could be found, Fear and terror now took possoa sion of the young maiden: was the hoy she so passionately loved to he the next victim to Goo, the god of the under world? So terror-stricken hail she row become that she would not let Denyo out of he sight, Day by day: they could he seen walking together, the little irl holding Denyo by the hand. Some things may wait but not a heathen sacrifice, The days drow, tear when the must be thrown into the lake to satisfy thi fierce deity. Accopting his fate, Denyo wax quite prepared to offer himself without being pressed to so. As the day drew near he made the following suggestion to the father of the little maiden, "Lot us," he said, "your daughter and me go for a tow on the lake, Pro-lea skin boat and send someone with us." To this proposal the rule kindly assented; a skin coracle way provided, with a man to row them about the lake, The two lovers #aty as only lovers can sit, looking ints each others eyes, The maiden held the land of Denyo. On yom preferee, we know not what, the lid was suddenly withdrawn, and ithout any warning, Dense leaps from the coracle and disappeared in the waters of the lake, The boat man rowed the—grief.stricken maiden to the edge of the lake and from there leg her to her home it the pale.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.