240 ALBERUNPS INDIA. was the reason of his appearing so, whereupon Soma¬ datta informed him, and told him the whole story. Now Visvamitra became very angry on his account; he Page I20. ordered the Brahmans into his presence in order to per¬ form a great sacrifice, among those also the children of Vasishtha, and he spoke to them : '•' I wish to make a new world, and a new paradise for this pious king, that there he may obtain the fulfilment of his wish." There¬ upon he began to make the pole and the Great Bear in the south, but then Indra, the ruler, and the spiritual beings began to fear him. They went to him, humbled themselves before him, and asked him to desist from the work he had commenced on this condition, that they would carry Somadatta with his body, just as it was, into paradise. This they did, and in consequence the Rishi desisted from making a second world, but that which he had already made up to that moment remained. It is well known that the north pole with us is called the Great Bear, the south pole Canopus. But some of our people (Muslims) who do not rise above the unedu¬ cated mass, maintain that in the south of heaven too there is a Great Bear of the same shape as the northern, which revolves round the southern pole. Such a thing would not be impossible nor even strange, if the report about it came from a trust¬ worthy man, who had made long sea-voyages. Cer¬ tainly in southern regions stars are seen which we do Siipaiaon uot kuow iu our latitudes. So Sripala says that the sftia '^Aiiai- P©ople of Multau SCO in summer time a red star a little fe^v-el-"s"ar"^ bclow the meridian of Canopus, which they call Sllla, Brahma- ■ ^ g ^^g bcain of critcifixion, and that the Hindus consider gupta on iiie t/ »/ ^ sisumara. it as uulucky. Therefore, when the moon stands in the station Piirvabhadrapada, the Hindus do not travel towards the south, because this star stands in the south. Aljaihani relates, in his Book of Routes, that on the