Lelha went to his mother’s house and said to her, “Tell no one of my being here.” He had alighted from his horse on the outskirts of the city, and returned it to the Indarpuri Kuri.
A period of ten days elapsed before Lelha’s brothers and his wives arrived. The latter declined to accompany the former at once to the raja’s palace. They said, “Let your mothers come, and conduct us, as is usual when a bride enters her husband’s house.” The two elder ranis then came, and the four sons went to the raja’s flower garden and hung the hiras and manis on the branches of the trees, and the whole countryside was instantly lighted up by the sheen of the precious stones. The saying of the Koema Jugi was fulfilled to the letter.
Lelha also sent his mother to welcome his wives, but when the elder ranis saw her coming, they reviled her and drove her away. They would not permit her to come near. She returned home weeping. “You told me,” she said, “to go and welcome your wives, and I have been abused. When will you learn wisdom?” Lelha ran into the house, and brought a ring, and giving it to his mother, said, “Take this ring, and place it in the lap of one of them.” She took the ring, and gave it to one of Lelha’s wives, and immediately they all rose, and followed her laughing, to their new home.
The elder ranis went and informed their sons of what had happened, but they said, “They are Lelha’s wives. What can we do?”
X.
The Indarpuri Kuri whom Lelha had robbed of her hira now awoke, and at once missed her precious jewel. She knew that Lelha had stolen it from her, and summoning her army to her standard marched upon Lelha’s father’s capital, to which she laid siege, and before many hours had elapsed, the raja was a prisoner in her hands.
This Indarpuri Kuri said to him, “Will you give up the hiras and manis, or will you fight?” The raja sent the following message to his four sons, “Will you fight to retain possession of the hiras and manis, or will you deliver them up?” They were afraid, so they gave answer, “We will not. Lelha knows all about the hiras and manis. We do not.”
The raja then sent and called Lelha, and enquired, “Will you shew fight, Lelha, or will you give up the hiras and manis?” Lelha replied, “I will fight. I will not part with the hiras and manis. I obtained them only after much painful toil, so I cannot deliver them up. Ask them to agree to delay hostilities for a short time, but inform them that Lelha will fight.”
Lelha hurried to the further end of the garden, and taking the hair of the first Indarpuri Kuri in his hand said, “Oh! Indarpuri Kuri. Give me an army four times stronger than the one brought against me, so that I may make short work of my enemies.” Immediately an army of 44,000 men stood in military array, awaiting his orders. The two armies joined battle, and Lelha discomfited the host of the Indarpuri Kuri, and she herself became his prize. She became his wife, and returned no more to her cavernous home in the solitary island. Lelha thus became the husband of four wives.