The Affitcted Rajah. 153

THE FIRST COCOA-NUT.

“A Prince once lived in the East, who fell ill, just like the
poorest of his subjects. The Prince in those countries was
called a Rajah, which means much the same thing. There was
no help for it; disease had entered the Rajah’s house of stucco,
with the teak-wood balconies, as if he were a humble laborer,
living in a hut, and eating a handful of rice a day.

“What was the matter with him? Nobody knew, and wise
doctors came miles and miles to consult over the mysterious
malady and discover a remedy, but all to no purpose. The
wise doctors, as well as all the subjects, believed that Maha-
Laka, a great demon, had thus afflicted the Rajah because he
was a good man.

“There was really nothing more to be done, since the physi-
clans were at their wits’ end.

“ The Rajah did not forget to say his prayers, however great
his sufferings; so he went to the temple, offered a whole pyra-
mid of sweet flowers on the altar, according to the formula
of the Buddhist religion, and repeated the Buddha-Sarana.

“ Then he came home to the teak-wood palace, laid down on
his mat, and slept for seven days. Slaves hovered about him,
burning perfumes in braziers, and waving fans of peacock
feathers to cool the chamber, yet none dared to disturb his

slumbers.