home to show our friends.'—'Very well,' answered the Blind Man, 'we will take them as a present to our friends.' So the Deaf Man took a silver snuff-box out of his pocket, and put four or five of the finest black ants into it; which done, they continued their journey.
But before they had gone very far, a terrible storm came on. It thundered and lightened, and rained, and blew with such fury that it seemed as if the whole heavens and earth were at war. 'Oh dear! oh dear!' cried the Deaf Man, 'how dreadful this lightning is; let us make haste and get to some place of shelter.' 'I don't see that it's dreadful at all,' answered the Blind Man, 'but the thunder is very terrible; we had better certainly seek some place of shelter.'
Now, not far from them was a lofty building, which looked exactly like a fine temple. The Deaf Man saw it, and he and the Blind Man resolved to spend the night there; and, having reached the place, they went in and shut the door, taking the donkey and the great big chattee with them. But this building, which they mistook for a temple, was in truth no temple at all, but the house of a very powerful Rakshas; and hardly had the Blind Man, the Deaf Man, and the donkey got inside, and fastened the door, than the Rakshas, who had been out, returned home. To his surprise he found the door fastened, and heard people moving about inside his house. 'Ho! ho!' cried he to himself, 'some men have got in here, have they? I'll soon make mince-meat of them!' So he began to roar in a voice louder than the thunder, crying, 'Let me into my house this minute, you wretches! let me in, let me in, I say!' and to kick the door and batter it with his great fists. But though his voice was very powerful, his appearance was still more alarming, insomuch that the Deaf Man, who was peeping at him through a chink in the wall, felt so frightened that he did not know what to do. But the Blind Man was very brave (because he couldn't see), and went up to the door, and called out, 'Who are you? and what do you mean by coming battering at the door in this way, and at this time of night?'
'I'm a Rakshas,' answered the Rakshas angrily, 'and this is my house. Let me in this instant, or I'll kill you!' All this time the Deaf Man, who was watching the Rakshas, was shivering and shaking in a terrible fright, but the Blind Man was very brave (because he couldn't see), and he called out again, 'Oh, you're a Rakshas, are you? Well, if you're Rakshas, I'm Bakshas; and Bakshas is as good as Rakshas.'—'Bakshas!' roared the Rakshas.
