‘So now Yudhi is down by fifty. Three glahas in a row!’
‘Yes... Shakuni was lucky again.’
‘Lucky?’
‘Yes,’ interceded Drupada. ‘He was lucky that Yudhi didn’t take up his offer of a bad bet. Shakuni does that too often for comfort.’
Yudhi thought for a while before starting the fourth glaha. Saha and Nakula both tried to advise him, but he wished not to be disturbed, and they sat in silence beside him.
When eventually he opened the glaha, Yudhi was able to place three dice, 1, 2 and 1, betting the maximum permitted each throw, tapping as required, before ceding the attack on 4. Shakuni’s next throw was a 4, having put up a single bet, but curiously he gave his opponent just enough time to touch down two blocking counters, and so was forced to take the dice to the end of the row, return
