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After many more adventures, Hanuman and his companions reach the snow capped mountains of Hematiwan, which stand on the coast of the mainland opposite the island of Longka. They climb the mountain and near the summit come on the great bird Sampatee crouched featherless and shivering within a cave. Hanuman greets the bird and tells him of the noble death of his brother Sadayu. Sampatee weeps to hear this story. Then, in his turn, tells the monkeys why he is in the cave, and how he lost his feathers. "Long ago," he says, "when I was much younger and my brother was little more than a fledgling, our mother left us for a time, having warned me to watch carefully over Sadayu and see he came to no harm. For a time, all was well, but then Sadayu grew restless and, while my attention was elsewhere, flew out of the nest and high above the forest trees. There, for the first time, he caught sight of the orb of the sun spinning through the heavens and, taking it to be a golden fruit, flew high into the sky, meaning to pluck and cat it. Just in time to save him from the anger of Phra Artit, the Sun God, I saw what had happened and flew above him, guiding him back to safety while protecting him from the god's hot darts. He reached the nest unharmed, but Phra Artit's curse seared every feather from my body, and I was condemned to live in this cave until Phra Ram's army passes." To the bird's joy, Hanuman informs him that they are a reconnaissance party from Phra Ram's army. With Sampatee's permission the three generals scat themselves on his back, and at once the bird's splendid plumage is restored. He stretches out his powerful wings, launches himself into the wind, and with the three monkeys riding on his back swirls up high into the sky. From there he indicates, far across the ocean, the bulk of the blue hills of Longka, their destination. They return to the Hematiwan Mountains. Hanuman instructs his brother generals to wait for him there. Sampatee flies back to Phra Ram's army to bring him the news of their progress, while the Son of the Wind soars up into the air and, after a backward glance at the mainland, flies out over the ocean in the direction of Longka. |
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