When told the truth--that I had been trying to shoot a dish of doves for breakfast, as I could get neither meat nor drink from his kitchen--the head boy, rather guessing than understanding what was told him, distorted my message, and said to the king, as I could not obtain a regular supply of food from his house, I did not wish to accept anything further at his hands, but intended foraging for the future in the jungles.

The king, as might be imagined, did not believe the boy's story, and sent other pages to ascertain the truth of the case, bidding them listen well, and beware of what they were about.

This second lot of boys conveyed the story rightly, when the king sent me a cow.

As I afterwards heard, he cut off the ears of the unfortunate little mischief-maker for not making a proper use of those organs; and then, as the lad was the son of one of his own officers he was sent home to have the sores healed.

After breakfast the king called me to go boating, when I used my grass throne, to the annoyance of the attendants.