Enter from the right General Siha (GS.) with a Captain (C) and some soldiers.
GS. Pitch the tents on the slope of yonder hill where that farmhouse stands.
C. It shall be done, my general.
GS. What crowd is gathered there with flags and flowers?
C. It is the farmer's family led by the village priest, and neighbors flock around to swell their number.
GS. The priest handles a big knife that flashes in the sun. I see his hands are stained with gore. They seem to celebrate a feast in honor of a god.
C. The villagers inform me that the occasion of it is sad. One of the farmer's children died of late, and others being sick the father invokes the goddess Kali to preserve the rest of his family. They are arrayed for a procession and having offered a young sheep at the altar of the homestead they have started out. See how the crowd are wending their way hither to the temple.
General Siha looks around and contemplates the scenery, then turns to the Captain.
GS. Now pitch the tents before the sun goes down.
In the meantime, the Buddha enters with two disciples. They sit down under a tree. The Captain bows to them reverently and leaves the stage.