CHAPTER XVII
THE ABDUCTION
One day a most culpable idea came into my head. Parvati had forsome time past shown herself extremely irritated by the constantlyincreasing demands of her position as Princess; by the Receptions, theParades, the long dissertations of the Brahmans upon the present andthe future Life, and the interminable Poems, recited in a monotonousvoice by the court Poet in reference to the most insignificant eventsthat occurred at the palace.
"Oh!" said she, "to be free! to be only a simple mortal! To do onlywhat one likes to do! without being obliged to wear a mask, and forceoneself to smile, when one feels like weeping--or to be solemn, whenone wants to laugh!"...
To be free! I also thought of it during the long days when I wasdeprived of her companionship.... Well! It was easy enough! We had butto steal away to the depths of the forest, and never return!
I refused to consider the wickedness of such a scheme. I repelled allthe objections that might have suggested themselves, and one day,leaving the palace of Golconda as if for an ordinary promenade, I wasfirmly resolved never to return to it.
I gained the forest more quickly than usual, and pushed on to portionsfar beyond those where we had previously ventured.
At this distance I felt safe. I was quite sure they could not pursueus, for it had not rained for a long time, and the dry ground showed notrace of my enormous feet. Still, in order to make sure, I marched forhalf an hour along the bed of a shallow stream, to throw the dogs offthe scent, and when I again stepped onto the ground I felt confidentthat I was now, indeed, to be for a long time alone with my dear littlePrincess Parvati.
At last I had quitted that Court where everything combined to separateme from my little friend--ceremonies, etiquette, the great festivals,and the thousand demands of the toilette, which occupied her at allhours of the day, in order that she might never appear in public twicein the same costume.
Now, there would be no more of all that. She was going to live quietlyand happily in the forest, like a little Hermit, served and waited onby a great White Slave! And I would take such good care of her--serveher so devotedly--with such thoughtfulness, such affection, suchlove!...
She was so light on my back that I did not feel her any more than ifshe had been a green fly, or a little blue-bird that had lighted on myrough skin. But I could hear her singing--and her voice delighted me.She was singing a very long and very beautiful song which one of herMaids of Honour had taught her; it was called the "_Gita Govinda_" andI think she did not understand it very well, but she liked it all thebetter on that account.
From time to time I raised my trunk and she clasped the tip in herlittle fingers, and laughingly "shook hands" with me! She was delightedwith this excursion, for it was the first of the kind she had taken.Of course, she had heard of the deep parts of the forest, filled withbright flowers, and she knew that she had not been allowed to come herefor fear some heavy fruit might fall on her from a tree, or a venomousserpent dart out upon her. She was not fond of contradictions--nor ofbeing thwarted by obstacles of any sort, and being forbidden to enterit, she was all the more desirous to do so; it was, therefore, withgreat glee that she permitted her good friend Iravata to conduct her tothe _Forbidden Forest_.
At the expiration of a couple of hours we had penetrated to the veryheart of the wild wood.
The trees overhead were of a prodigious height, and their tops so fullof leaves that the sunlight could not pass through. No plants grewat their feet, and there were neither bushes nor vines; nothing butan endless number of tall slender trunks without branches; it was asif we had entered the colonnade of an immense temple. Parvati was alittle afraid now of this vast solitude--this profound silence. She nolonger sang, and when she spoke her voice sounded sad....
I hastened, therefore, to go in another direction. I remembered that ashort distance from where we were the ground rose gently till it formeda little hillock, which was celebrated for its beauty; so I turned inthat direction, and soon reached the spot. A perfumed breeze waftedfrom it the sound of birds singing in the branches, and Parvati beganagain her song.
This new forest was wonderfully beautiful. There were so many flowersgrowing here that as I walked on and crushed them, my feet were stainedas red as if I had been walking in blood. The trees bore more flowersthan leaves, and swarms of bees buzzed among the branches. Littleblossoms of blue and yellow bloomed even on the trunks of the trees,having pierced the bark with their tiny roots. There were great bedsof tall plants which bore rich and fragrant blossoms. These were the_Sacred Flowers_, the dwelling place of the _Good Fairies_, who bestowgreat joys, and fulfill desires and hopes.
Parvati wished to dismount and gather some of them. I wrapped my trunkaround her slender waist, and placed her--like another flower--amongthe crimson blossoms. She picked seven of the handsomest, made anopening in the centre of each, and threaded them on a thin stem, whichheld them together without crushing them. Then she unfastened her hairand shook it down over her shoulders, and arranged the wreath upon herhead as best she could. I had never seen her look so pretty; her royalhead-dresses were too heavy and elaborate and weighed down her delicatehead. I would have preferred always to see her crowned only with thiswreath of flowers which she herself had made without the aid of eitherslaves or mirrors.
I replaced her gently on my back and resumed my march through theforest. The vines had now become so numerous and so tall that I couldno longer step over them; sometimes I had to rise on my hind legs andplace my forefeet upon a tangle of green creepers that barred the way.The weight of my body was barely sufficient to break through thesenatural barriers and open a path before us.
Often too, the trees grew so close together, and the branches hung solow that my dear little Parvati might have been struck and scratched bythe twigs and briars; at such times I lifted my trunk and held up, outof her way, all that might have touched her---on whom I would not havepermitted so much as a flower to rest and annoy her!
All that she saw delighted her. Great birds flew by with wonderfulfeathers, and she regretted not being able to catch them and makefans of their beautiful red and green tails. She longed to possessthe little monkeys that chattered when they saw her, and threw downlittle nuts and fruits that lodged in her hair. She wanted the biginsects that glittered in the sunshine, and hummed about the clusteringflowers.... Alas! I could not give her any of them! What is more, Iwould not have cared to continue the excursion with a whole menagerieon my back! To tell the truth I was rather jealous of the attentionParvati gave to all these things, so much more beautiful than I....
The sun was about to set and the forest was transfigured in the redevening rays, when we reached the borders of a lake, all surrounded bytrees, and so overgrown with lotus flowers that the water could hardlybe seen.
Parvati wished to dismount; I assisted her--but soon repented of myimprudence, when I saw her unfasten her long robe of silk and gold,throw it on the bank, and plunge into the shining water....
Like a careful nurse, I was alarmed lest my little mistress shouldcatch cold, and I made desperate signals to her with my trunk to comeout.... But she only looked at me coaxingly, took a lotus in each ofher hands, and crossed her arms on her breast, as they do before thestatues of Lachmi, when asking favours or returning thanks. So I lether remain.... I was weak enough to permit her to do so.... She wasso joyous and full of spirits! I could see just her little round headamong the lotus flowers, as she pushed them aside, walking on thebottom of the lake; only her laughing mouth and brilliant eyes showedunder her wet drooping hair. She left behind her a trail of perfume onwhich floated the blue powder and the santal that had been scatteredover her to give her the colour of the skies.
And soon she might have been taken for any ordinary little girl had itnot been for a look of royalty that shone in her eyes.