On seeing the huge boar, which resembled a purple mountain-peak, the king whipped up his horse and rode on with speed, challenging the boar, “Now you can’t escape!”

When it saw the horse come pounding on, the boar took to flight swift as the wind. The king lost no time in fitting a shaft to his bow, and, seeing the arrow, the boar crouched down.

Taking steady aim, the king shot his arrow, but the boar evaded it by its wiliness and escaped. The beast rushed on, now lying hid and now emerging into view, while the king in much excitement rode after it.

The boar ran far on into a dense wood impenetrable by horse or elephant. Even though the king was all alone and he found it difficult to make his way through the forest, still he would not abandon the chase.

Seeing the king so determined, the boar slunk away into a deep mountain cave. When he saw that there was no access to the cave, he had to return disappointed; but, what was worse, he had lost his way in the great forest.

Exhausted with much exertion and oppressed by hunger and thirst, the king with his horse sought desperately for a stream or a pond and was faint for want of water.

As he wandered through the forest, he saw a hermitage where dwelt, in the disguise of a hermit, a prince who had been despoiled of his kingdom by Pratapabhanu and who had fled from the field of battle deserting his army.