{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_62514/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_62514","id":"gutenberg_62514","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62514","summary":null,"tags":["Animals -- Folklore","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- India","Jataka stories","Jataka stories, English"],"text":"Transcriber's Notes:\n\n  Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by\n  =equal signs=.\n\n  Small uppercase have been replaced with regular uppercase.\n\n  Blank pages have been eliminated.\n\n  Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been left as in the\n  original.\n\n\n\n\n                             Jataka Tales\n\n\n                              Re-told by\n                           Ellen C. Babbitt\n\n\n                         With illustrations by\n                            Ellsworth Young\n\n\n                            [Illustration]\n\n\n                               New York\n                            The Century Co.\n                                 1912\n\n\n\n\n                          COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY\n                            THE CENTURY CO.\n\n                     _Published, September, 1912_\n\n\n\n\n                               Dedicated\n                                  to\n                                  DOT\n\n\n\n\nFOREWORD\n\n\nLong ago I was captivated by the charm of the Jataka Tales and realized\nthe excellent use that might be made of them in the teaching of\nchildren. The obvious lessons are many of them suitable for little\npeople, and beneath the obvious there are depths and depths of meaning\nwhich they may learn to fathom later on. The Oriental setting lends an\nadditional fascination. I am glad that Miss Babbitt has undertaken to\nput together this collection, and commend it freely to teachers and\nparents.\n\n                                                  FELIX ADLER.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n        PAGE\n\n      I THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE                   3\n\n     II HOW THE TURTLE SAVED HIS OWN LIFE             10\n\n    III THE MERCHANT OF SERI                          13\n\n     IV THE TURTLE WHO COULDN'T STOP TALKING          18\n\n      V THE OX WHO WON THE FORFEIT                    21\n\n     VI THE SANDY ROAD                                25\n\n    VII THE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS                     30\n\n   VIII THE MEASURE OF RICE                           34\n\n     IX THE FOOLISH, TIMID RABBIT                     39\n\n      X THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH MERCHANT             44\n\n     XI THE ELEPHANT GIRLY-FACE                       52\n\n    XII THE BANYAN DEER                               58\n\n   XIII THE PRINCES AND THE WATER-SPRITE              63\n\n    XIV THE KING'S WHITE ELEPHANT                     69\n\n     XV THE OX WHO ENVIED THE PIG                     74\n\n    XVI GRANNIE'S BLACKIE                             77\n\n   XVII THE CRAB AND THE CRANE                        84\n\n  XVIII WHY THE OWL IS NOT KING OF THE BIRDS          90\n\n\n\n\nPUBLISHER'S NOTE\n\n\nThe Jatakas, or Birth-stories, form one of the sacred books of the\nBuddhists and relate to the adventures of the Buddha in his former\nexistences, the best character in any story being identified with the\nMaster.\n\nThese legends were continually introduced into the religious discourses\nof the Buddhist teachers to illustrate the doctrines of their faith or\nto magnify the glory and sanctity of the Buddha, somewhat as medieval\npreachers in Europe used to enliven their sermons by introducing fables\nand popular tales to rouse the flagging interest of their hearers.\n\nSculptured scenes from the Jatakas, found upon the carved railings\naround the relic shrines of Sanchi and Amaravati and of Bharhut,\nindicate that the \"Birth-stories\" were widely known in the third\ncentury B.C., and were then considered as part of the sacred history of\nthe religion. At first the tales were probably handed down orally, and\nit is uncertain when they were put together in systematic form.\n\nWhile some of the stories are Buddhistic and depend for their point\non some custom or idea peculiar to Buddhism, many are age-old fables,\nthe flotsam and jetsam of folk-lore, which have appeared under various\nguises throughout the centuries, as when they were used by Boccaccio or\nPoggio, merely as merry tales, or by Chaucer, who unwittingly puts a\nJataka story into the mouth of his pardoners when he tells the tale of\n\"the Ryotoures three.\"\n\nQuaint humor and gentle earnestness distinguish these legends and\nthey teach many wholesome lessons, among them the duty of kindness to\nanimals.\n\nDr. Felix Adler in his \"Moral Instruction of Children,\" says:\n\n  The Jataka Tales contain deep truths, and are calculated to\n  impress lessons of great moral beauty. The tale of the Merchant of\n  Seri, who gave up all that he had in exchange for a golden dish,\n  embodies much the same idea as the parable of the priceless Pearl,\n  in the New Testament. The tale of the Measure of Rice illustrates\n  the importance of a true estimate of values. The tale of the\n  Banyan Deer, which offered its life to save a doe and her young,\n  illustrates self-sacrifice of the noblest sort. The tale of the\n  Sandy Road is one of the finest in the collection.\n\nAnd he adds that these tales \"are, as everyone must admit, nobly\nconceived, lofty in meaning, and many a helpful sermon might be\npreached from them as texts.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nJataka Tales\n\n\n\n\nI\n\nTHE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE\n\n\nPART I\n\nA monkey lived in a great tree on a river bank.\n\nIn the river there were many Crocodiles.\n\nA Crocodile watched the Monkeys for a long time, and one day she said\nto her son: \"My son, get one of those Monkeys for me. I want the heart\nof a Monkey to eat.\"\n\n\"How am I to catch a Monkey?\" asked the little Crocodile. \"I do not\ntravel on land, and the Monkey does not go into the water.\"\n\n\"Put your wits to work, and you'll find a way,\" said the mother.\n\nAnd the little Crocodile thought and thought.\n\nAt last he said to himself: \"I know what I'll do. I'll get that Monkey\nthat lives in a big tree on the river bank. He wishes to go across the\nriver to the island where the fruit is so ripe.\"\n\nSo the Crocodile swam to the tree where the Monkey lived. But he was a\nstupid Crocodile.\n\n\"Oh, Monkey,\" he called, \"come with me over to the island where the\nfruit is so ripe.\"\n\n\"How can I go with you?\" asked the Monkey. \"I do not swim.\"\n\n\"No--but I do. I will take you over on my back,\" said the Crocodile.\n\nThe Monkey was greedy, and wanted the ripe fruit, so he jumped down on\nthe Crocodile's back.\n\n\"Off we go!\" said the Crocodile.\n\n\"This is a fine ride you are giving me!\" said the Monkey.\n\n\"Do you think so? Well, how do you like this?\" asked the Crocodile,\ndiving.\n\n\"Oh, don't!\" cried the Monkey, as he went under the water. He was\nafraid to let go, and he did not know what to do under the water.\n\nWhen the Crocodile came up, the Monkey sputtered and choked. \"Why did\nyou take me under water, Crocodile?\" he asked.\n\n\"I am going to kill you by keeping you under water,\" answered the\nCrocodile. \"My mother wants Monkey-heart to eat, and I'm going to take\nyours to her.\"\n\n[Illustration: \"Why did you take me under water, Crocodile?\" he asked.]\n\n\"I wish you had told me you wanted my heart,\" said the Monkey, \"then I\nmight have brought it with me.\"\n\n\"How queer!\" said the stupid Crocodile. \"Do you mean to say that you\nleft your heart back there in the tree?\"\n\n\"That is what I mean,\" said the Monkey. \"If you want my heart, we must\ngo back to the tree and get it. But we are so near the island where the\nripe fruit is, please take me there first.\"\n\n\"No, Monkey,\" said the Crocodile, \"I'll take you straight back to your\ntree. Never mind the ripe fruit. Get your heart and bring it to me at\nonce. Then we'll see about going to the island.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the Monkey.\n\nBut no sooner had he jumped onto the bank of the river than--whisk! up\nhe ran into the tree.\n\nFrom the topmost branches he called down to the Crocodile in the water\nbelow:\n\n\"My heart is way up here! If you want it, come for it, come for it!\"\n\n\nPART II\n\nThe monkey soon moved away from that tree.\n\nHe wanted to get away from the Crocodile, so that he might live in\npeace.\n\nBut the Crocodile found him, far down the river, living in another tree.\n\nIn the middle of the river was an island covered with fruit-trees.\n\nHalf-way between the bank of the river and the island, a large rock\nrose out of the water. The Monkey could jump to the rock, and then to\nthe island. The Crocodile watched the Monkey crossing from the bank of\nthe river to the rock, and then to the island.\n\nHe thought to himself, \"The Monkey will stay on the island all day, and\nI'll catch him on his way home at night.\"\n\nThe Monkey had a fine feast, while the Crocodile swam about, watching\nhim all day.\n\nToward night the Crocodile crawled out of the water and lay on the\nrock, perfectly still.\n\nWhen it grew dark among the trees, the Monkey started for home. He ran\ndown to the river bank, and there he stopped.\n\n\"What is the matter with the rock?\" the Monkey thought to himself. \"I\nnever saw it so high before. The Crocodile is lying on it!\"\n\nBut he went to the edge of the water and called: \"Hello, Rock!\"\n\nNo answer.\n\nThen he called again: \"Hello, Rock!\"\n\nThree times the Monkey called, and then he said: \"Why is it, Friend\nRock, that you do not answer me to-night?\"\n\n\"Oh,\" said the stupid Crocodile to himself, \"the rock answers the\nMonkey at night. I'll have to answer for the rock this time.\"\n\nSo he answered: \"Yes, Monkey! What is it?\"\n\nThe Monkey laughed, and said: \"Oh, it's you, Crocodile, is it?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the Crocodile. \"I am waiting here for you. I am going to\neat you.\"\n\n\"You have caught me in a trap this time,\" said the Monkey. \"There is no\nother way for me to go home. Open your mouth wide so I can jump right\ninto it.\"\n\n[Illustration: The Monkey jumped.]\n\nNow the Monkey well knew that when Crocodiles open their mouths wide,\nthey shut their eyes.\n\nWhile the Crocodile lay on the rock with his mouth wide open and his\neyes shut, the Monkey jumped.\n\nBut not into his mouth! Oh, no! He landed on the top of the Crocodile's\nhead, and then sprang quickly to the bank. Up he whisked into his tree.\n\nWhen the Crocodile saw the trick the Monkey had played on him, he said:\n\"Monkey, you have great cunning. You know no fear. I'll let you alone\nafter this.\"\n\n\"Thank you, Crocodile, but I shall be on the watch for you just the\nsame,\" said the Monkey.\n\n\n\n\nII\n\nHOW THE TURTLE SAVED HIS OWN LIFE\n\n\nA king once had a lake made in the courtyard for the young princes to\nplay in. They swam about in it, and sailed their boats and rafts on it.\nOne day the king told them he had asked the men to put some fishes into\nthe lake.\n\nOff the boys ran to see the fishes. Now, along with the fishes, there\nwas a Turtle. The boys were delighted with the fishes, but they had\nnever seen a Turtle, and they were afraid of it, thinking it was a\ndemon. They ran back to their father, crying, \"There is a demon on the\nbank of the lake.\"\n\nThe king ordered his men to catch the demon, and to bring it to the\npalace. When the Turtle was brought in, the boys cried and ran away.\n\nThe king was very fond of his sons, so he ordered the men who had\nbrought the Turtle to kill it.\n\n\"How shall we kill it?\" they asked.\n\n\"Pound it to powder,\" said some one. \"Bake it in hot coals,\" said\nanother.\n\n[Illustration: \"Throw the thing into the lake.\"]\n\nSo one plan after another was spoken of. Then an old man who had always\nbeen afraid of the water said: \"Throw the thing into the lake where it\nflows out over the rocks into the river. Then it will surely be killed.\"\n\nWhen the Turtle heard what the old man said, he thrust out his head and\nasked: \"Friend, what have I done that you should do such a dreadful\nthing as that to me? The other plans were bad enough, but to throw me\ninto the lake! Don't speak of such a cruel thing!\"\n\nWhen the king heard what the Turtle said, he told his men to take the\nTurtle at once and throw it into the lake.\n\nThe Turtle laughed to himself as he slid away down the river to his old\nhome. \"Good!\" he said, \"those people do not know how safe I am in the\nwater!\"\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE MERCHANT OF SERI\n\n\nThere was once a merchant of Seri who sold brass and tinware. He went\nfrom town to town, in company with another man, who also sold brass and\ntinware. This second man was greedy, getting all he could for nothing,\nand giving as little as he could for what he bought.\n\nWhen they went into a town, they divided the streets between them. Each\nman went up and down the streets he had chosen, calling, \"Tinware for\nsale. Brass for sale.\" People came out to their door-steps, and bought,\nor traded, with them.\n\nIn one house there lived a poor old woman and her granddaughter. The\nfamily had once been rich, but now the only thing they had left of all\ntheir riches was a golden bowl. The grandmother did not know it was a\ngolden bowl, but she had kept this because her husband used to eat out\nof it in the old days. It stood on a shelf among the other pots and\npans, and was not often used.\n\n[Illustration: He threw the bowl on the ground.]\n\nThe greedy merchant passed this house, calling, \"Buy my water-jars! Buy\nmy pans!\" The granddaughter said: \"Oh, Grandmother, do buy something\nfor me!\"\n\n\"My dear,\" said the old woman, \"we are too poor to buy anything. I have\nnot anything to trade, even.\"\n\n\"Grandmother, see what the merchant will give for the old bowl. We do\nnot use that, and perhaps he will take it and give us something we\nwant for it.\"\n\nThe old woman called the merchant and showed him the bowl, saying,\n\"Will you take this, sir, and give the little girl here something for\nit?\"\n\nThe greedy man took the bowl and scratched its side with a needle.\nThus he found that it was a golden bowl. He hoped he could get it for\nnothing, so he said: \"What is this worth? Not even a halfpenny.\" He\nthrew the bowl on the ground, and went away.\n\nBy and by the other merchant passed the house. For it was agreed that\neither merchant might go through any street which the other had left.\nHe called: \"Buy my water-jars! Buy my tinware! Buy my brass!\"\n\nThe little girl heard him, and begged her grandmother to see what he\nwould give for the bowl.\n\n\"My child,\" said the grandmother, \"the merchant who was just here threw\nthe bowl on the ground and went away. I have nothing else to offer in\ntrade.\"\n\n\"But, Grandmother,\" said the girl, \"that was a cross man. This one\nlooks pleasant. Ask him. Perhaps he'll give some little tin dish.\"\n\n\"Call him, then, and show it to him,\" said the old woman.\n\nAs soon as the merchant took the bowl in his hands, he knew it was of\ngold. He said: \"All that I have here is not worth so much as this bowl.\nIt is a golden bowl. I am not rich enough to buy it.\"\n\n\"But, sir, a merchant who passed here a few moments ago, threw it on\nthe ground, saying it was not worth a halfpenny, and he went away,\"\nsaid the grandmother. \"It was worth nothing to him. If you value it,\ntake it, giving the little girl some dish she likes for it.\"\n\nBut the merchant would not have it so. He gave the woman all the money\nhe had, and all his wares. \"Give me but eight pennies,\" he said.\n\nSo he took the pennies, and left. Going quickly to the river, he paid\nthe boatman the eight pennies to take him across the river.\n\nSoon the greedy merchant went back to the house where he had seen the\ngolden bowl, and said: \"Bring that bowl to me, and I will give you\nsomething for it.\"\n\n\"No,\" said the grandmother. \"You said the bowl was worthless, but\nanother merchant has paid a great price for it, and taken it away.\"\n\n[Illustration: \"It is a golden bowl.\"]\n\nThen the greedy merchant was angry, crying out, \"Through this other man\nI have lost a small fortune. That bowl was of gold.\"\n\nHe ran down to the riverside, and, seeing the other merchant in the\nboat out in the river, he called: \"Hallo, Boatman! Stop your boat!\"\n\nBut the man in the boat said: \"Don't stop!\" So he reached the city on\nthe other side of the river, and lived well for a time on the money the\nbowl brought him.\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\nTHE TURTLE WHO COULDN'T STOP TALKING\n\n\nA turtle lived in a pond at the foot of a hill. Two young wild Geese,\nlooking for food, saw the Turtle, and talked with him. The next day\nthe Geese came again to visit the Turtle and they became very well\nacquainted. Soon they were great friends.\n\n\"Friend Turtle,\" the Geese said one day, \"we have a beautiful home far\naway. We are going to fly back to it to-morrow. It will be a long but\npleasant journey. Will you go with us?\"\n\n\"How could I? I have no wings,\" said the Turtle.\n\n\"Oh, we will take you, if only you can keep your mouth shut, and say\nnot a word to anybody,\" they said.\n\n\"I can do that,\" said the Turtle. \"Do take me with you. I will do\nexactly as you wish.\"\n\n[Illustration: \"How could I go with you?\" said the Turtle.]\n\nSo the next day the Geese brought a stick and they held the ends of it.\n\"Now take the middle of this in your mouth, and don't say a word until\nwe reach home,\" they said.\n\n[Illustration: The Geese sprang into the air.]\n\nThe Geese then sprang into the air, with the Turtle between them,\nholding fast to the stick.\n\nThe village children saw the two Geese flying along with the Turtle\nand cried out: \"Oh, see the Turtle up in the air! Look at the Geese\ncarrying a Turtle by a stick! Did you ever see anything more ridiculous\nin your life!\"\n\nThe Turtle looked down and began to say, \"Well, and if my friends carry\nme, what business is that of yours?\" when he let go, and fell dead at\nthe feet of the children.\n\nAs the two Geese flew on, they heard the people say, when they came to\nsee the poor Turtle, \"That fellow could not keep his mouth shut. He had\nto talk, and so lost his life.\"\n\n[Illustration: \"Oh, see the Turtle up in the air.\"]\n\n\n\n\nV\n\nTHE OX WHO WON THE FORFEIT\n\n\nLong ago a man owned a very strong Ox. The owner was so proud of his\nOx, that he boasted to every man he met about how strong his Ox was.\n\nOne day the owner went into a village, and said to the men there: \"I\nwill pay a forfeit of a thousand pieces of silver if my strong Ox\ncannot draw a line of one hundred wagons.\"\n\nThe men laughed, and said: \"Very well; bring your Ox, and we will tie a\nhundred wagons in a line and see your Ox draw them along.\"\n\nSo the man brought his Ox into the village. A crowd gathered to see the\nsight. The hundred carts were in line, and the strong Ox was yoked to\nthe first wagon.\n\nThen the owner whipped his Ox, and said: \"Get up, you wretch! Get\nalong, you rascal!\"\n\nBut the Ox had never been talked to in that way, and he stood still.\nNeither the blows nor the hard names could make him move.\n\n[Illustration: \"Get along, you rascal.\"]\n\nAt last the poor man paid his forfeit, and went sadly home. There he\nthrew himself on his bed and cried: \"Why did that strong Ox act so?\nMany a time he has moved heavier loads easily. Why did he shame me\nbefore all those people?\"\n\nAt last he got up and went about his work. When he went to feed the Ox\nthat night, the Ox turned to him and said: \"Why did you whip me to-day?\nYou never whipped me before. Why did you call me 'wretch' and 'rascal'?\nYou never called me hard names before.\"\n\nThen the man said: \"I will never treat you badly again. I am sorry I\nwhipped you and called you names. I will never do so any more. Forgive\nme.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the Ox. \"To-morrow I will go into the village and\ndraw the one hundred carts for you. You have always been a kind master\nuntil to-day. To-morrow you shall gain what you lost.\"\n\nThe next morning the owner fed the Ox well, and hung a garland of\nflowers about his neck. When they went into the village the men laughed\nat the man again.\n\nThey said: \"Did you come back to lose more money?\"\n\n\"To-day I will pay a forfeit of two thousand pieces of silver if my Ox\nis not strong enough to pull the one hundred carts,\" said the owner.\n\nSo again the carts were placed in a line, and the Ox was yoked to the\nfirst. A crowd came to watch again. The owner said: \"Good Ox, show how\nstrong you are! You fine, fine creature!\" And he patted his neck and\nstroked his sides.\n\n[Illustration: A garland of flowers about his neck.]\n\nAt once the Ox pulled with all his strength. The carts moved on until\nthe last cart stood where the first had been.\n\nThen the crowd shouted, and they paid back the forfeit the man had\nlost, saying: \"Your Ox is the strongest Ox we ever saw.\"\n\nAnd the Ox and the man went home, happy.\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\nTHE SANDY ROAD\n\n\nOnce upon a time a merchant, with his goods packed in many carts, came\nto a desert. He was on his way to the country on the other side of the\ndesert.\n\nThe sun shone on the fine sand, making it as hot as the top of a stove.\nNo man could walk on it in the sunlight. But at night, after the sun\nwent down, the sand cooled, and then men could travel upon it.\n\nSo the merchant waited until after dark, and then set out. Besides the\ngoods that he was going to sell, he took jars of water and of rice, and\nfirewood, so that the rice could be cooked.\n\nAll night long he and his men rode on and on. One man was the pilot. He\nrode first, for he knew the stars, and by them he guided the drivers.\n\nAt daybreak they stopped and camped. They unyoked the oxen, and fed\nthem. They built fires and cooked the rice. Then they spread a great\nawning over all the carts and the oxen, and the men lay down under it\nto rest until sunset.\n\n[Illustration: They built fires and cooked the rice.]\n\nIn the early evening, they again built fires and cooked rice. After\nsupper, they folded the awning and put it away. They yoked the oxen,\nand, as soon as the sand was cool, they started again on their journey\nacross the desert.\n\nNight after night they traveled in this way, resting during the heat\nof the day. At last one morning the pilot said: \"In one more night we\nshall get out of the sand.\" The men were glad to hear this, for they\nwere tired.\n\nAfter supper that night the merchant said: \"You may as well throw away\nnearly all the water and the firewood. By to-morrow we shall be in the\ncity. Yoke the oxen and start on.\"\n\nThen the pilot took his place at the head of the line. But, instead of\nsitting up and guiding the drivers, he lay down in the wagon on the\ncushions. Soon he was fast asleep, because he had not slept for many\nnights, and the light had been so strong in the daytime that he had not\nslept well then.\n\nAll night long the oxen went on. Near daybreak, the pilot awoke and\nlooked at the last stars fading in the light. \"Halt!\" he called to the\ndrivers. \"We are in the same place where we were yesterday. The oxen\nmust have turned about while I slept.\"\n\nThey unyoked the oxen, but there was no water for them to drink. They\nhad thrown away the water that was left the night before. So the\nmen spread the awning over the carts, and the oxen lay down, tired\nand thirsty. The men, too, lay down saying, \"The wood and water are\ngone--we are lost.\"\n\nBut the merchant said to himself, \"This is no time for me to sleep.\nI must find water. The oxen cannot go on if they do not have water to\ndrink. The men must have water. They cannot cook the rice unless they\nhave water. If I give up, we shall all be lost!\"\n\n[Illustration: \"There must be water somewhere below.\"]\n\n\nOn and on he walked, keeping close watch of the ground. At last he saw\na tuft of grass. \"There must be water somewhere below, or that grass\nwould not be there,\" he said.\n\nHe ran back, shouting to the men, \"Bring the spade and the hammer!\"\n\nThey jumped up, and ran with him to the spot where the grass grew.\nThey began to dig, and by and by they struck a rock and could dig no\nfurther. Then the merchant jumped down into the hole they had dug, and\nput his ear to the rock. \"I hear water running under this rock,\" he\ncalled to them. \"We must not give up!\" Then the merchant came up out\nof the hole and said to a serving-lad: \"My boy, if you give up we are\nlost! You go down and try!\"\n\nThe boy stood up straight and raised the hammer high above his head\nand hit the rock as hard as ever he could. He would not give in. They\nmust be saved. Down came the hammer. This time the rock broke. And the\nboy had hardly time to get out of the well before it was full of cool\nwater. The men drank as if they never could get enough, and then they\nwatered the oxen, and bathed.\n\nThen they split up their extra yokes and axles, and built a fire, and\ncooked their rice. Feeling better, they rested through the day. They\nset up a flag on the well for travelers to see.\n\nAt sundown, they started on again, and the next morning reached the\ncity, where they sold the goods, and then returned home.\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\nTHE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS\n\n\nOnce upon a time many quails lived together in a forest. The wisest of\nthem all was their leader.\n\nA man lived near the forest and earned his living by catching quails\nand selling them. Day after day he listened to the note of the leader\ncalling the quails. By and by this man, the fowler, was able to call\nthe quails together. Hearing the note the quails thought it was their\nleader who called.\n\nWhen they were crowded together, the fowler threw his net over them and\noff he went into the town, where he soon sold all the quails that he\nhad caught.\n\nThe wise leader saw the plan of the fowler for catching the quails. He\ncalled the birds to him and said, \"This fowler is carrying away so many\nof us, we must put a stop to it. I have thought of a plan; it is this:\nThe next time the fowler throws a net over you, each of you must put\nyour head through one of the little holes in the net. Then all of you\ntogether must fly away to the nearest thorn-bush. You can leave the net\non the thorn-bush and be free yourselves.\"\n\nThe quails said that was a very good plan and they would try it the\nnext time the fowler threw the net over them.\n\nThe very next day the fowler came and called them together. Then he\nthrew the net over them. The quails lifted the net and flew away with\nit to the nearest thorn-bush where they left it. They flew back to\ntheir leader to tell him how well his plan had worked.\n\nThe fowler was busy until evening getting his net off the thorns and he\nwent home empty-handed. The next day the same thing happened, and the\nnext. His wife was angry because he did not bring home any money, but\nthe fowler said, \"The fact is those quails are working together now.\nThe moment my net is over them, off they fly with it, leaving it on a\nthorn-bush. As soon as the quails begin to quarrel I shall be able to\ncatch them.\"\n\nNot long after this, one of the quails in alighting on their feeding\nground, trod by accident on another's head. \"Who trod on my head?\"\nangrily cried the second. \"I did; but I didn't mean to. Don't be\nangry,\" said the first quail, but the second quail was angry and said\nmean things.\n\n[Illustration: The quails lifted the net and flew away with it.]\n\nSoon all the quails had taken sides in this quarrel. When the fowler\ncame that day he flung his net over them, and this time instead of\nflying off with it, one side said, \"Now, you lift the net,\" and the\nother side said, \"Lift it yourself.\"\n\n\"You try to make us lift it all,\" said the quails on one side. \"No, we\ndon't!\" said the others, \"you begin and we will help,\" but neither side\nbegan.\n\nSo the quails quarreled, and while they were quarreling the fowler\ncaught them all in his net. He took them to town and sold them for a\ngood price.\n\n[Illustration: The fowler caught them all in his net.]\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\nTHE MEASURE OF RICE\n\n\nAt one time a dishonest king had a man called the Valuer in his\ncourt. The Valuer set the price which ought to be paid for horses and\nelephants and the other animals. He also set the price on jewelry and\ngold, and things of that kind.\n\nThis man was honest and just, and set the proper price to be paid to\nthe owners of the goods.\n\nThe king was not pleased with this Valuer, because he was honest. \"If\nI had another sort of a man as Valuer, I might gain more riches,\" he\nthought.\n\nOne day the king saw a stupid, miserly peasant come into the palace\nyard. The king sent for the fellow and asked him if he would like to be\nthe Valuer. The peasant said he would like the position. So the king\nhad him made Valuer. He sent the honest Valuer away from the palace.\n\nThen the peasant began to set the prices on horses and elephants, upon\ngold and jewels. He did not know their value, so he would say anything\nhe chose. As the king had made him Valuer, the people had to sell their\ngoods for the price he set.\n\n[Illustration: So they went before the king.]\n\nBy and by a horse-dealer brought five hundred horses to the court of\nthis king. The Valuer came and said they were worth a mere measure of\nrice. So the king ordered the horse-dealer to be given the measure of\nrice, and the horses to be put in the palace stables.\n\nThe horse-dealer went then to see the honest man who had been the\nValuer, and told him what had happened.\n\n\"What shall I do?\" asked the horse-dealer.\n\n\"I think you can give a present to the Valuer which will make him do\nand say what you want him to do and say,\" said the man. \"Go to him and\ngive him a fine present, then say to him: 'You said the horses are\nworth a measure of rice, but now tell what a measure of rice is worth!\nCan you value that standing in your place by the king?' If he says he\ncan, go with him to the king, and I will be there, too.\"\n\nThe horse-dealer thought this was a good idea. So he took a fine\npresent to the Valuer, and said what the other man had told him to say.\n\nThe Valuer took the present, and said: \"Yes, I can go before the king\nwith you and tell what a measure of rice is worth. I can value that\nnow.\"\n\n\"Well, let us go at once,\" said the horse-dealer. So they went before\nthe king and his ministers in the palace.\n\nThe horse-dealer bowed down before the king, and said: \"O King, I have\nlearned that a measure of rice is the value of my five hundred horses.\nBut will the king be pleased to ask the Valuer what is the value of\nthe measure of rice?\"\n\n[Illustration: He ran away from the laughing crowd.]\n\nThe king, not knowing what had happened, asked: \"How now, Valuer, what\nare five hundred horses worth?\"\n\n\"A measure of rice, O King!\" said he.\n\n\"Very good, then! If five hundred horses are worth a measure of rice,\nwhat is the measure of rice worth?\"\n\n\"The measure of rice is worth your whole city,\" replied the foolish\nfellow.\n\nThe ministers clapped their hands, laughing, and saying, \"What a\nfoolish Valuer! How can such a man hold that office? We used to think\nthis great city was beyond price, but this man says it is worth only a\nmeasure of rice.\"\n\nThen the king was ashamed, and drove out the foolish fellow.\n\n\"I tried to please the king by setting a low price on the horses, and\nnow see what has happened to me!\" said the Valuer, as he ran away from\nthe laughing crowd.\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\nTHE FOOLISH, TIMID RABBIT\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a Rabbit was asleep under a palm-tree.\n\nAll at once he woke up, and thought: \"What if the world should break\nup! What then would become of me?\"\n\nAt that moment, some Monkeys dropped a cocoanut. It fell down on the\nground just back of the Rabbit.\n\nHearing the noise, the Rabbit said to himself: \"The earth is all\nbreaking up!\"\n\nAnd he jumped up and ran just as fast as he could, without even looking\nback to see what made the noise.\n\n[Illustration: He jumped up and ran.]\n\nAnother Rabbit saw him running, and called after him, \"What are you\nrunning so fast for?\"\n\n\"Don't ask me!\" he cried.\n\nBut the other Rabbit ran after him, begging to know what was the matter.\n\n[Illustration: The lion.]\n\nThen the first Rabbit said: \"Don't you know? The earth is all breaking\nup!\"\n\nAnd on he ran, and the second Rabbit ran with him.\n\nThe next Rabbit they met ran with them when he heard that the earth was\nall breaking up.\n\nOne Rabbit after another joined them, until there were hundreds of\nRabbits running as fast as they could go.\n\nThey passed a Deer, calling out to him that the earth was all breaking\nup. The Deer then ran with them.\n\n[Illustration: Saw the animals running.]\n\nThe Deer called to a Fox to come along because the earth was all\nbreaking up.\n\nOn and on they ran, and an Elephant joined them.\n\nAt last the Lion saw the animals running, and heard their cry that the\nearth was all breaking up.\n\nHe thought there must be some mistake, so he ran to the foot of a hill\nin front of them and roared three times.\n\nThis stopped them, for they knew the voice of the King of Beasts, and\nthey feared him.\n\n\"Why are you running so fast?\" asked the Lion.\n\n\"Oh, King Lion,\" they answered him, \"the earth is all breaking up!\"\n\n\"Who saw it breaking up?\" asked the Lion.\n\n\"I didn't,\" said the Elephant. \"Ask the Fox--he told me about it.\"\n\n\"I didn't,\" said the Fox.\n\n\"The Rabbits told me about it,\" said the Deer.\n\nOne after another of the Rabbits said: \"I did not see it, but another\nRabbit told me about it.\"\n\nAt last the Lion came to the Rabbit who had first said the earth was\nall breaking up.\n\n\"Is it true that the earth is all breaking up?\" the Lion asked.\n\n\"Yes, O Lion, it is,\" said the Rabbit. \"I was asleep under a palm-tree.\nI woke up and thought, 'What would become of me if the earth should all\nbreak up?' At that very moment, I heard the sound of the earth breaking\nup, and I ran away.\"\n\n\"Then,\" said the Lion, \"you and I will go back to the place where the\nearth began to break up, and see what is the matter.\"\n\nSo the Lion put the little Rabbit on his back, and away they went like\nthe wind. The other animals waited for them at the foot of the hill.\n\nThe Rabbit told the Lion when they were near the place where he slept,\nand the Lion saw just where the Rabbit had been sleeping.\n\nHe saw, too, the cocoanut that had fallen to the ground near by. Then\nthe Lion said to the Rabbit, \"It must have been the sound of the\ncocoanut falling to the ground that you heard. You foolish Rabbit!\"\n\nAnd the Lion ran back to the other animals, and told them all about it.\n\nIf it had not been for the wise King of Beasts, they might be running\nstill.\n\n[Illustration: Away they went like the wind.]\n\n\n\n\nX\n\nTHE WISE AND THE FOOLISH MERCHANT\n\n\nOnce upon a time in a certain country a thrifty merchant visited a\ngreat city and bought a great supply of goods. He loaded wagons with\nthe goods, which he was going to sell as he traveled through the\ncountry.\n\nA stupid young merchant was buying goods in the same city. He, too, was\ngoing to sell what he bought as he traveled through the country.\n\nThey were both ready to start at the same time.\n\nThe thrifty merchant thought, \"We cannot travel together, for the men\nwill find it hard to get wood and water, and there will not be enough\ngrass for so many oxen. Either he or I ought to go first.\"\n\nSo he went to the young man and told him this, saying, \"Will you go\nbefore or come on after me?\"\n\nThe other one thought, \"It will be better for me to go first. I shall\nthen travel on a road that is not cut up. The oxen will eat grass that\nhas not been touched. The water will be clean. Also, I shall sell my\ngoods at what price I like.\" So he said, \"Friend, I will go on first.\"\n\nThis answer pleased the thrifty merchant. He said to himself, \"Those\nwho go before will make the rough places smooth. The old rank grass\nwill have been eaten by the oxen that have gone before, while my oxen\nwill eat the freshly grown tender shoots. Those who go before will dig\nwells from which we shall drink. Then, too, I will not have to bother\nabout setting prices, but I can sell my goods at the prices set by the\nother man.\" So he said aloud, \"Very well, friend, you may go on first.\"\n\nAt once the foolish merchant started on his journey. Soon he had left\nthe city and was in the country. By and by he came to a desert which\nhe had to cross. So he filled great water-jars with water, loaded them\ninto a large wagon and started across the desert.\n\nNow on the sands of this desert there lived a wicked demon. This demon\nsaw the foolish young merchant coming and thought to himself, \"If I can\nmake him empty those water-jars, soon I shall be able to overcome him\nand have him in my power.\"\n\nSo the demon went further along the road and changed himself into the\nlikeness of a noble gentleman. He called up a beautiful carriage, drawn\nby milk-white oxen. Then he called ten other demons, dressed them like\nmen and armed them with bows and arrows, swords and shields. Seated\nin his carriage, followed by the ten demons, he rode back to meet the\nmerchant. He put mud on the carriage wheels, hung water-lilies and wet\ngrasses upon the oxen and the carriage. Then he made the clothes the\ndemons wore and their hair all wet. Drops of water trickled down over\ntheir faces just as if they had all come through a stream.\n\nAs the demons neared the foolish merchant they turned their carriage to\none side of the way, saying pleasantly, \"Where are you going?\"\n\nThe merchant replied, \"We have come from the great city back there and\nare going across the desert to the villages beyond. You come dripping\nwith mud and carrying water-lilies and grasses. Does it rain on the\nroad you have come by? Did you come through a stream?\"\n\n[Illustration: He put mud on the carriage wheels, hung water-lilies and\nwet grasses upon the oxen and the carriage.]\n\nThe demon answered, \"The dark streak across the sky is a forest. In it\nthere are ponds full of water-lilies. The rains come often. What have\nyou in all those carts?\"\n\n\"Goods to be sold,\" replied the merchant.\n\n\"But in that last big heavy wagon what do you carry?\" the demon asked.\n\n\"Jars full of water for the journey,\" answered the merchant.\n\nThe demon said, \"You have done well to bring water as far as this,\nbut there is no need of it beyond. Empty out all that water and go on\neasily.\" Then he added, \"But we have delayed too long. Drive on!\" And\nhe drove on until he was out of sight of the merchant. Then he returned\nto his home with his followers to wait for the night to come.\n\nThe foolish merchant did as the demon bade him and emptied every jar,\nsaving not even a cupful. On and on they traveled and the streak on the\nsky faded with the sunset. There was no forest, the dark line being\nonly clouds. No water was to be found. The men had no water to drink\nand no food to eat, for they had no water in which to cook their rice,\nso they went thirsty and supperless to bed. The oxen, too, were hungry\nand thirsty and dropped down to sleep here and there. Late at night the\ndemons fell upon them and easily carried off every man. They drove the\noxen on ahead of them, but the loaded carts they did not care to take\naway.\n\nA month and a half after this the wise merchant followed over the same\nroad. He, too, was met on the desert by the demon just as the other\nhad been. But the wise man knew the man was a demon because he cast no\nshadow. When the demon told him of the ponds in the forest ahead and\nadvised him to throw away the water-jars the wise merchant replied, \"We\ndon't throw away the water we have until we get to a place where we see\nthere is more.\"\n\nThen the demon drove on. But the men who were with the merchant said,\n\"Sir! those men told us that yonder was the beginning of a great\nforest, and from there onwards it was always raining. Their clothes and\nhair were dripping with water. Let us throw away the water-jars and go\non faster with lighter carts!\"\n\nStopping all the carts the wise merchant asked the men, \"Have you ever\nheard any one say that there was a lake or pond in this desert? You\nhave lived near here always.\"\n\n\"We never heard of a pond or lake,\" they said.\n\n\"Does any man feel a wind laden with dampness blowing against him?\" he\nasked.\n\n\"No, sir,\" they answered.\n\n\"Can you see a rain cloud, any of you?\" said he.\n\n\"No, sir, not one,\" they said.\n\n\"Those fellows were not men, they were demons!\" said the wise merchant.\n\"They must have come out to make us throw away the water. Then when we\nwere faint and weak they might have put an end to us. Go on at once and\ndon't throw away a single half-pint of water.\"\n\n[Illustration: He himself with the head men stood on guard.]\n\nSo they drove on and before nightfall they came upon the loaded wagons\nbelonging to the foolish merchant.\n\nThen the thrifty merchant had his wagons drawn up in a circle. In the\nmiddle of the circle he had the oxen lie down, and also some of the\nmen. He himself with the head men stood on guard, swords in hand and\nwaited for the demons. But the demons did not bother them. Early the\nnext day the thrifty merchant took the best of the wagons left by the\nfoolish merchant and went on safely to the city across the desert.\n\nThere he sold all the goods at a profit and returned with his company\nto his own city.\n\n\n\n\nXI\n\nTHE ELEPHANT GIRLY-FACE\n\n\nOnce upon a time a king had an Elephant named Girly-face. The Elephant\nwas called Girly-face because he was so gentle and good and looked so\nkind. \"Girly-face never hurts anybody,\" the keeper of the Elephants\noften said.\n\nNow one night some robbers came into the courtyard and sat on the\nground just outside the stall where Girly-face slept. The talk of the\nrobbers awoke Girly-face.\n\n\"This is the way to break into a house,\" they said. \"Once inside the\nhouse kill any one who wakens. A robber must not be afraid to kill. A\nrobber must be cruel and have no pity. He must never be good, even for\na moment.\"\n\nGirly-face said to himself, \"Those men are teaching me how I should\nact. I will be cruel. I will show no pity. I will not be good--not even\nfor a moment.\"\n\n[Illustration: The talk of the robbers awoke Girly-face.]\n\n[Illustration: He picked him up in his trunk and threw the poor keeper\nto the ground.]\n\nSo the next morning when the keeper came to feed Girly-face he picked\nhim up in his trunk and threw the poor keeper to the ground, killing\nhim.\n\nAnother keeper ran to see what the trouble was, and Girly-face killed\nhim, too.\n\nFor days and days Girly-face was so ugly that no one dared go near. The\nfood was left for him, but no man would go near him.\n\nBy and by the king heard of this and sent one of his wise men to find\nout what ailed Girly-face.\n\nThe wise man had known Girly-face a long time. He looked the Elephant\nover carefully and could find nothing that seemed to be the matter.\n\nHe thought at last, \"Girly-face must have heard some bad men talking.\nHave there been any bad men talking about here?\" asked the wise man.\n\n\"Yes,\" one of the keepers said, \"a band of robbers were caught here a\nfew weeks ago. They had met in the yard to talk over their plans. They\nwere talking together near the stall where Girly-face sleeps.\"\n\n[Illustration: He looked the Elephant over carefully.]\n\nSo the wise man went back to the king. Said he, \"I think Girly-face\nhas been listening to bad talk. If you will send some good men to talk\nwhere Girly-face can hear them I think he will be a good Elephant\nonce more.\"\n\nSo that night the king sent a company of the best men to be found to\nsit and talk near the stall where Girly-face lived. They said to one\nanother, \"It is wrong to hurt any one. It is wrong to kill. Every one\nshould be gentle and good.\"\n\n\"Now those men are teaching me,\" thought Girly-face. \"I must be gentle\nand good. I must hurt no one. I must not kill any one.\" And from that\ntime on Girly-face was tame and as good as ever an Elephant could be.\n\n\n\n\nXII\n\nTHE BANYAN DEER\n\n\nThere was once a Deer the color of gold. His eyes were like round\njewels, his horns were white as silver, his mouth was red like a\nflower, his hoofs were bright and hard. He had a large body and a fine\ntail.\n\nHe lived in a forest and was king of a herd of five hundred Banyan\nDeer. Near by lived another herd of Deer, called the Monkey Deer. They,\ntoo, had a king.\n\nThe king of that country was fond of hunting the Deer and eating deer\nmeat. He did not like to go alone so he called the people of his town\nto go with him, day after day.\n\nThe townspeople did not like this for while they were gone no one did\ntheir work. So they decided to make a park and drive the Deer into it.\nThen the king could go into the park and hunt and they could go on with\ntheir daily work.\n\nThey made a park, planted grass in it and provided water for the Deer,\nbuilt a fence all around it and drove the Deer into it.\n\nThen they shut the gate and went to the king to tell him that in the\npark near by he could find all the Deer he wanted.\n\nThe king went at once to look at the Deer. First he saw there the two\nDeer kings, and granted them their lives. Then he looked at their great\nherds.\n\nSome days the king would go to hunt the Deer, sometimes his cook would\ngo. As soon as any of the Deer saw them they would shake with fear and\nrun. But when they had been hit once or twice they would drop down dead.\n\nThe King of the Banyan Deer sent for the King of the Monkey Deer and\nsaid, \"Friend, many of the Deer are being killed. Many are wounded\nbesides those who are killed. After this suppose one from my herd goes\nup to be killed one day, and the next day let one from your herd go up.\nFewer Deer will be lost this way.\"\n\n[Illustration: The King of the Banyan Deer sent for the King of the\nMonkey Deer.]\n\nThe Monkey Deer agreed. Each day the Deer whose turn it was would go\nand lie down, placing its head on the block. The cook would come and\ncarry off the one he found lying there.\n\nOne day the lot fell to a mother Deer who had a young baby. She went to\nher king and said, \"O King of the Monkey Deer, let the turn pass me by\nuntil my baby is old enough to get along without me. Then I will go and\nput my head on the block.\"\n\nBut the king did not help her. He told her that if the lot had fallen\nto her she must die.\n\nThen she went to the King of the Banyan Deer and asked him to save her.\n\n\"Go back to your herd. I will go in your place,\" said he.\n\nThe next day the cook found the King of the Banyan Deer lying with his\nhead on the block. The cook went to the king, who came himself to find\nout about this.\n\n\"King of the Banyan Deer! did I not grant you your life? Why are you\nlying here?\"\n\n\"O great King!\" said the King of the Banyan Deer, \"a mother came with\nher young baby and told me that the lot had fallen to her. I could not\nask any one else to take her place, so I came myself.\"\n\n[Illustration: Rise up. I grant your life and hers.]\n\n\"King of the Banyan Deer! I never saw such kindness and mercy. Rise up.\nI grant your life and hers. Nor will I hunt any more the Deer in either\npark or forest.\"\n\n\n\n\nXIII\n\nTHE PRINCES AND THE WATER-SPRITE\n\n\nOnce upon a time a king had three sons. The first was called Prince of\nthe Stars. The next was called the Moon Prince and the third was called\nthe Sun Prince. The king was so very happy when the third son was born\nthat he promised to give the queen any boon she might ask.\n\nThe queen kept the promise in mind, waiting until the third son was\ngrown before asking the king to give her the boon.\n\nOn the twenty-first birthday of the Sun Prince she said to the king,\n\"Great King, when our youngest child was born you said you would give\nme a boon. Now I ask you to give the kingdom to Sun Prince.\"\n\nBut the king refused, saying that the kingdom must go to the oldest\nson, for it belonged by right to him. Next it would belong by right to\nthe second son, and not until they were both dead could the kingdom go\nto the third son.\n\nThe queen went away, but the king saw that she was not pleased with his\nanswer. He feared that she would do harm to the older princes to get\nthem out of the way of the Sun Prince.\n\nSo he called his elder sons and told them that they must go and live\nin the forest until his death. \"Then come back and reign in the city\nthat is yours by right,\" he said. And with tears he kissed them on the\nforeheads and sent them away.\n\nAs they were going down out of the palace, after saying good-by to\ntheir father, the Sun Prince called to them, \"Where are you going?\"\n\nAnd when he heard where they were going and why, he said, \"I will go\nwith you, my brothers.\"\n\nSo off they started. They went on and on and by and by they reached the\nforest. There they sat down to rest in the shade of a pond. Then the\neldest brother said to Sun Prince, \"Go down to the pond and bathe and\ndrink. Then bring us a drink while we rest here.\"\n\nNow the King of the Fairies had given this pond to a water-sprite. The\nFairy King had said to the water-sprite, \"You are to have in your power\nall who go down into the water except those who give the right answer\nto one question. Those who give the right answer will not be in your\npower. The question is, 'What are the Good Fairies like?'\"\n\n[Illustration: The Sun Prince went into the pond.]\n\nWhen the Sun Prince went into the pond the water-sprite saw him and\nasked him the question, \"What are the Good Fairies like?\"\n\n\"They are like the Sun and the Moon,\" said the Sun Prince.\n\n\"You don't know what the Good Fairies are like,\" cried the\nwater-sprite, and he carried the poor boy down into his cave.\n\nBy and by the eldest brother said, \"Moon Prince, go down and see why\nour brother stays so long in the pond!\"\n\nAs soon as the Moon Prince reached the water's edge the water-sprite\ncalled to him and said, \"Tell me what the Good Fairies are like!\"\n\n\"Like the sky above us,\" replied the Moon Prince.\n\n\"You don't know, either,\" said the water-sprite, and dragged the Moon\nPrince down into the cave where the Sun Prince sat.\n\n\"Something must have happened to those two brothers of mine,\" thought\nthe eldest. So he went to the pond and saw the marks of the footsteps\nwhere his brothers had gone down into the water. Then he knew that a\nwater-sprite must live in that pond. He girded on his sword, and stood\nwith his bow in his hand.\n\nThe water-sprite soon came along in the form of a woodsman.\n\n\"You seem tired, Friend,\" he said to the prince. \"Why don't you bathe\nin the lake and then lie on the bank and rest?\"\n\n[Illustration: The water-sprite in the form of a woodsman.]\n\nBut the prince knew that it was a water-sprite and he said, \"You have\ncarried off my brothers!\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the water-sprite.\n\n\"Why did you carry them off?\"\n\n\"Because they did not answer my question,\" said the water-sprite, \"and\nI have power over all who go down into the water except those who do\ngive the right answer.\"\n\n\"I will answer your question,\" said the eldest brother. And he did.\n\"The Good Fairies are like\n\n    The pure in heart who fear to sin,\n    The good, kindly in word and deed.\"\n\n\"O Wise Prince, I will bring back to you one of your brothers. Which\nshall I bring?\" said the water-sprite.\n\n\"Bring me the younger one,\" said the prince. \"It was on his account\nthat our father sent us away. I could never go away with Moon Prince\nand leave poor Sun Prince here.\"\n\n\"O Wise Prince, you know what the good should do and you are kind. I\nwill bring back both your brothers,\" said the water-sprite.\n\nAfter that the three princes lived together in the forest until the\nking died. Then they went back to the palace. The eldest brother was\nmade king and he had his brothers rule with him. He also built a home\nfor the water-sprite in the palace grounds.\n\n\n\n\nXIV\n\nTHE KING'S WHITE ELEPHANT\n\n\nOnce upon a time a number of carpenters lived on a river bank near a\nlarge forest. Every day the carpenters went in boats to the forest to\ncut down the trees and make them into lumber.\n\nOne day while they were at work an Elephant came limping on three feet\nto them. He held up one foot and the carpenters saw that it was swollen\nand sore. Then the Elephant lay down and the men saw that there was a\ngreat splinter in the sore foot. They pulled it out and washed the sore\ncarefully so that in a short time it would be well again.\n\nThankful for the cure, the Elephant thought: \"These carpenters have\ndone so much for me, I must be useful to them.\"\n\nSo after that the Elephant used to pull up trees for the carpenters.\nSometimes when the trees were chopped down he would roll the logs down\nto the river. Other times he brought their tools for them. And the\ncarpenters used to feed him well morning, noon and night.\n\n[Illustration: He held up one foot and the carpenters saw that it was\nswollen and sore.]\n\nNow this Elephant had a son who was white all over--a beautiful, strong\nyoung one. Said the old Elephant to himself, \"I will take my son to the\nplace in the forest where I go to work each day so that he may learn to\nhelp the carpenters, for I am no longer young and strong.\"\n\n[Illustration: The Elephant used to pull up trees for the carpenters.]\n\nSo the old Elephant told his son how the carpenters had taken good care\nof him when he was badly hurt and took him to them. The white Elephant\ndid as his father told him to do and helped the carpenters and they\nfed him well.\n\nWhen the work was done at night the young Elephant went to play in the\nriver. The carpenters' children played with him, in the water and on\nthe bank. He liked to pick them up in his trunk and set them on the\nhigh branches of the trees and then let them climb down on his back.\n\n[Illustration: With a last look at his playmates the beautiful white\nElephant went on with the king.]\n\nOne day the king came down the river and saw this beautiful white\nElephant working for the carpenters. The king at once wanted the\nElephant for his own and paid the carpenters a great price for him.\nThen with a last look at his playmates, the children, the beautiful\nwhite Elephant went on with the king.\n\nThe king was proud of his new Elephant and took the best care of him as\nlong as he lived.\n\n\n\n\nXV\n\nTHE OX WHO ENVIED THE PIG\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was an Ox named Big Red. He had a younger\nbrother named Little Red. These two brothers did all the carting on a\nlarge farm.\n\nNow the farmer had an only daughter and she was soon to be married.\nHer mother gave orders that the Pig should be fattened for the wedding\nfeast.\n\nLittle Red noticed that the Pig was fed on choice food. He said to his\nbrother, \"How is it, Big Red, that you and I are given only straw and\ngrass to eat, while we do all the hard work on the farm? That lazy Pig\ndoes nothing but eat the choice food the farmer gives him.\"\n\nSaid his brother, \"My dear Little Red, envy him not. That little Pig is\neating the food of death! He is being fattened for the wedding feast.\nEat your straw and grass and be content and live long.\"\n\n[Illustration: Little Red noticed that the Pig was fed on choice food.]\n\n[Illustration: The fattened Pig was killed and cooked for the wedding\nfeast.]\n\nNot long afterwards the fattened Pig was killed and cooked for the\nwedding feast.\n\nThen Big Red said, \"Did you see, Little Red, what became of the Pig\nafter all his fine feeding?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the little brother, \"we can go on eating plain food for\nyears, but the poor little Pig ate the food of death and now he is\ndead. His feed was good while it lasted, but it did not last long.\"\n\n\n\n\nXVI\n\nGRANNY'S BLACKIE\n\n\nOnce upon a time a rich man gave a baby Elephant to a woman.\n\nShe took the best of care of this great baby and soon became very fond\nof him.\n\nThe children in the village called her Granny, and they called the\nElephant \"Granny's Blackie.\"\n\nThe Elephant carried the children on his back all over the village.\nThey shared their goodies with him and he played with them.\n\n\"Please, Blackie, give us a swing,\" they said to him almost every day.\n\n\"Come on! Who is first?\" Blackie answered and picked them up with\nhis trunk, swung them high in the air, and then put them down again,\ncarefully.\n\nBut Blackie never did any work.\n\nHe ate and slept, played with the children, and visited with Granny.\n\nOne day Blackie wanted Granny to go off to the woods with him.\n\n[Illustration: Blackie swung them high in the air.]\n\n\"I can't go, Blackie, dear. I have too much work to do.\"\n\nThen Blackie looked at her and saw that she was growing old and feeble.\n\n\"I am young and strong,\" he thought. \"I'll see if I cannot find some\nwork to do. If I could bring some money home to her, she would not have\nto work so hard.\"\n\nSo next morning, bright and early, he started down to the river bank.\n\nThere he found a man who was in great trouble. There was a long line of\nwagons so heavily loaded that the oxen could not draw them through the\nshallow water.\n\nWhen the man saw Blackie standing on the bank he asked, \"Who owns this\nElephant? I want to hire him to help my Oxen pull these wagons across\nthe river.\"\n\nA child standing near by said, \"That is Granny's Blackie.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the man, \"I'll pay two pieces of silver for each\nwagon this Elephant draws across the river.\"\n\nBlackie was glad to hear this promise. He went into the river, and\ndrew one wagon after another across to the other side.\n\nThen he went up to the man for the money.\n\nThe man counted out one piece of silver for each wagon.\n\nWhen Blackie saw that the man had counted out but one piece of silver\nfor each wagon, instead of two, he would not touch the money at all. He\nstood in the road and would not let the wagons pass him.\n\nThe man tried to get Blackie out of the way, but not one step would he\nmove.\n\nThen the man went back and counted out another piece of silver for each\nof the wagons and put the silver in a bag tied around Blackie's neck.\n\nThen Blackie started for home, proud to think that he had a present for\nGranny.\n\nThe children had missed Blackie and had asked Granny where he was, but\nshe said she did not know where he had gone.\n\nThey all looked for him but it was nearly night before they heard him\ncoming.\n\n\"Where have you been, Blackie? And what is that around your neck?\" the\nchildren cried, running to meet their playmate.\n\n[Illustration: He would not touch the money at all.]\n\n[Illustration: Blackie told her that he had earned some money for her.]\n\nBut Blackie would not stop to talk with his playmates. He ran straight\nhome to Granny.\n\n\"Oh, Blackie!\" she said, \"Where have you been? What is in that bag?\"\nAnd she took the bag off his neck.\n\nBlackie told her that he had earned some money for her.\n\n\"Oh, Blackie, Blackie,\" said Granny, \"how hard you must have worked to\nearn these pieces of silver! What a good Blackie you are!\"\n\nAnd after that Blackie did all the hard work and Granny rested, and\nthey were both very happy.\n\n\n\n\nXVII\n\nTHE CRAB AND THE CRANE\n\n\nIn the Long Ago there was a summer when very little rain fell.\n\nAll the Animals suffered for want of water, but the Fishes suffered\nmost of all.\n\nIn one pond full of Fishes, the water was very low indeed.\n\nA Crane sat on the bank watching the Fishes.\n\n\"What are you doing?\" asked a little Fish.\n\n\"I am thinking about you Fishes there in the pond. It is so nearly\ndry,\" answered the Crane.\n\n\"Yes,\" the Crane went on, \"I was wishing I might do something for you.\nI know of a pond in the deep woods where there is plenty of water.\"\n\n\"I declare,\" said the little Fish, \"you are the first Crane that ever\noffered to help a Fish.\"\n\n\"That may be,\" said the Crane, \"but the water is so low in your pond. I\ncould easily carry you one by one on my back to that other pond where\nthere is plenty of water and food and cool shade.\"\n\n\"I don't believe there is any such pond,\" said the little Fish. \"What\nyou wish to do is to eat us, one by one.\"\n\n\"If you don't believe me,\" said the Crane, \"send with me one of the\nFishes whom you can believe. I'll show him the pond and bring him back\nto tell you all about it.\"\n\nA big Fish heard the Crane and said, \"I will go with you to see the\npond--I may as well be eaten by the Crane as to die here.\"\n\nSo the Crane put the big Fish on his back and started for the deep\nwoods.\n\nSoon the Crane showed the big Fish the pool of water. \"See how cool and\nshady it is here,\" he said, \"and how much larger the pond is, and how\nfull it is!\"\n\n\"Yes!\" said the big Fish, \"take me back to the little pond and I'll\ntell the other Fishes all about it.\" So back they went.\n\nThe Fishes all wanted to go when they heard the big Fish talk about the\nfine pond which he had seen.\n\n[Illustration: So the Crane put the big Fish on his back and started\nfor the deep woods.]\n\nThen the Crane picked up another Fish and carried it away. Not to the\npool, but into the woods where the other Fishes could not see them.\n\nThen the Crane put the Fish down and ate it. The Crane went back for\nanother Fish. He carried it to the same place in the woods and ate it,\ntoo.\n\nThis he did until he had eaten all the Fishes in the pond.\n\nThe next day the Crane went to the pond to see if he had left a Fish.\nThere was not one left, but there was a Crab on the sand.\n\n\"Little Crab,\" said the Crane, \"would you let me take you to the fine\npond in the deep woods where I took the Fishes?\"\n\n\"But how could you carry me?\" asked the Crab.\n\n\"Oh, easily,\" answered the Crane. \"I'll take you on my back as I did\nthe Fishes.\"\n\n\"No, I thank you,\" said the Crab, \"I can't go that way. I am afraid you\nmight drop me. If I could take hold of your neck with my claws, I would\ngo. You know we Crabs have a tight grip.\"\n\nThe Crane knew about the tight grip of the Crabs, and he did not like\nto have the Crab hold on with his claws. But he was hungry, so he said:\n\n\"Very well, hold tight.\"\n\n[Illustration: And off went the Crane with the Crab.]\n\nAnd off went the Crane with the Crab.\n\nWhen they reached the place where the Crane had eaten the Fishes, the\nCrane said:\n\n\"I think you can walk the rest of the way. Let go of my neck.\"\n\n\"I see no pond,\" said the Crab. \"All I can see is a pile of Fish bones.\nIs that all that is left of the Fishes?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the Crane, \"and if you will let go of my neck, your shell\nwill be all that will be left of you.\"\n\nAnd the Crane put his head down near the ground so that the Crab could\nget off easily.\n\nBut the Crab pinched the Crane's neck so that his head fell off.\n\n\"Not my shell, but your bones are left to dry with the bones of the\nFishes,\" said the Crab.\n\n\n\n\nXVIII\n\nWHY THE OWL IS NOT KING OF THE BIRDS\n\n\nWhy is it that Crows torment the Owls as they sleep in the daytime? For\nthe same reason that the Owls try to kill the Crows while they sleep at\nnight.\n\nListen to a tale of long ago and then you will see why.\n\nOnce upon a time, the people who lived together when the world was\nyoung took a certain man for their king. The four-footed animals also\ntook one of their number for their king. The fish in the ocean chose\na king to rule over them. Then the birds gathered together on a great\nflat rock, crying:\n\n\"Among men there is a king, and among the beasts, and the fish have\none, too; but we birds have none. We ought to have a king. Let us\nchoose one now.\"\n\nAnd so the birds talked the matter over and at last they all said, \"Let\nus have the Owl for our king.\"\n\n[Illustration: \"See how sour he looks right now.\"]\n\nNo, not all, for one old Crow rose up and said, \"For my part, I don't\nwant the Owl to be our king. Look at him now while you are all crying\nthat you want him for your king. See how sour he looks right now. If\nthat's the cross look he wears when he is happy, how will he look when\nhe is angry? I, for one, want no such sour-looking king!\"\n\nThen the Crow flew up into the air crying, \"I don't like it! I don't\nlike it!\" The Owl rose and followed him. From that time on the Crows\nand the Owls have been enemies. The birds chose a Turtle Dove to be\ntheir king, and then flew to their homes.\n\n\nTHE END","title":"Jataka tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":11910}