me!  What hath made thee wish for death so soon?’ Thus addressed by Vali, Sugriva, that slayer of foes, as if addressing Rama himself for informing him of what had happened, replied unto his brother in these words of grave import, ’O king, robbed by thee of my wife and my kingdom also, what need have I of life?  Know that it is for this that I have come!’ Then addressing each other in these and other words of the same import, Vali and Sugriva rushed to the encounter, fighting with Sala and Tala trees and stones.  And they struck each other down on the earth.  And leaping high into the air, they struck each other with their fists.  And mangled by each other’s nail and teeth, both of them were covered with blood.  And the two heroes shone on that account like a pair of blossoming Kinshukas.  And as they fought with each other, no difference (in aspect) could be observed so as to distinguish them.  Then Hanuman placed on Sugriva’s neck a garland of flowers.  And that hero thereupon shone with that garland on his neck, like the beautiful and huge peak of Malya with its cloudy belt.  And Rama, recognising Sugriva by that sign, then drew his foremost of huge bows, aiming at Vali as his mark.  And the twang of Rama’s bow resembled the roar of an engine.  And Vali, pierced in the heart by that arrow, trembled in fear.  And Vali, his heart having been pierced through, began to vomit forth blood.  And he then beheld standing before him Rama with Sumatra’s son by his side.  And reproving that descendant of Kakutstha’s race, Vali fell down on the ground and became senseless.  And Tara then beheld that lord of hers possessed of the effulgence of the Moon, lying prostrate on the bare earth.  And after Vali had been thus slain, Sugriva regained possession of Kishkindhya, and along with it, of the widowed Tara also of face beautiful as the moon.  And the intelligent Rama also dwelt on the beautiful breast of the Malyavat hill for four months, duly worshipped by Sugriva all the while.

“Meanwhile Ravana excited by lust, having reached his city of Lanka, placed Sita in an abode, resembling Nandana itself, within a forest of Asokas, that looked like an asylum of ascetics.  And the large-eyed Sita passed her days there in distress, living on fruits and roots, practising ascetic austerities with fasts, attired in ascetic garb, and waning thin day by day, thinking of her absent lord.  And the king of the Rakshasas appointed many Rakshasa women armed with bearded darts and swords and lances and battle-axes and maces and flaming brands, for guarding her.  And some of these had two eyes, and some three.  And some had eyes on their foreheads.  And some had long tongues and some had none.  And some had three breasts and some had only one leg.  And some had three matted braids on their heads, and some had only one eye.  And these, and others of blazing eyes and hair stiff as the camel’s, stood beside Sita surrounding her day and night most watchfully.  And those Pisacha women of frightful voice and terrible