"And its hero?" queried Sheila oddly. "Ramey—do you know the full meaning of this story? The earth legend which has grown up about it?"
"Legend? You mean there is a legend about this?"
"About us!" Comprehension, which had been dawning slowly in Sheila's eyes, now flamed sudden and complete. "I see it all now! All! But surely daddy must have—Yes! He did—at the end. That is why he insisted we must return to our time. To clear up the ancient mystery—"
"What legend?" repeated Ramey perplexedly. "It's all over my head, Sheila. I don't get it at all."
"Then listen! Does this make sense to you, Ramey? 'And there were in those days four companions, Rama, Bharata, and the twins, Lakshmana and Satrughna—'"
"Hey! Those sound like the whacky handles we were tagged with at Chitrakuta! They called me 'Ramaíya,' and Lake was 'Lakshmana'—the smiling one—while Syd was 'Sidrughna'—the frowning one—"
"There would be slight changes," agreed the girl excitedly, "over a period of centuries. Pronunciation and spelling would change, of course. The legend goes on: 'Rama, by possession of an enormous Bow, formerly the dreaded weapon of the god Rudra, wins for a wife Sita, daughter of Janaka. Rama attracts the attention of a female demon, Rakshasi, and infuriated by his rejection of her advances, she inspires her brother Ravana with love for Sita.
"'In consequence of this, the latter is carried off by him to his capital, Lanka. Rama sets out with his companions to her rescue. After numerous adventures they enter into an agreement with Sugriva, king of the monkeys, and with the monkey-general, 'Anuman—'"[14]
"'Anuman!" repeated Ramey. "A new man! So in the legend his fondest dream becomes his name? But what is this legend, Sheila? An obscure folk-tale—?"
"It goes on," half-laughed, half-sobbed the girl, "to tell of the attack on Lanka ... the bridge built by the monkeys ... Ravana's death at Rama's hands! Everything is in it, Ramey—everything we have known and lived! An obscure folk-tale! It is anything but that. It is a tale from the Ramayana—one of the Sacred Books of the Hindu religion!