404 IN THE VISION OF GOD
The minister looked round and discovered fruits on
the trees. Climbing up a tree he plucked a few ripe fruits
and presented them to the king. The king in his haste to
eat the fruit, while cutting it wit.li a penknife, chopped off
a bit of his finger. With a cry of pain hu dropped both the
fruit and the knife, his injured finger streaming with blood.
" Ho!" he cried out, " how it pains—0, minister."
"God does everything 'Cor the best/1 put in tho minister
quietly.
These words tended only U> rouBO the already petulant
king. He flew into a rage and cried out:
*4Fool, truce to your philosophy! 1 have had enough
of it. While I am suffering from excruciating agony the
only consolation yon can tender is: 'God docfl everything
for the best1. How can this be for tho host when my pain is
intense and real! Avaunt, T will have nothing of you in
future. Get out of my sight, and novev show mo youv
face again." The king could not control himself aud
rising up kicked the minister furiously and commanded
him to take himself off at once. While tho minister was
leaving the king, he calmly reiterated : " God doew every
thing for the best."
Now the king was left alone. Ho tore a strip of his
garment and bandaged his injured finger and was given to
sad reflections, when two stalwart men wove soon approach-
ing him. They instantly foil on the king and bound him
hand and foot. Struggle or resistance wan utterly useless,
as the men were sturdy giants in build.
The frightened king now askod:
" What are you going to do with me?"
They replied: " We want you to be sacrificed at the altar
of our goddess Kali. It is the custom to offer to her a human
sacrifice once a year. The time has arrived for it and we
were on the look out for a human being and wo are
fortunate in having found you."
These words of his captors thoroughly alarmed the