{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_7518/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_7518","id":"gutenberg_7518","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7518","summary":null,"tags":["Animals -- Folklore","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- India","Jataka stories","Jataka stories, English"],"text":"Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Tonya Allen, and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMORE JATAKA TALES\n\n\nRe-told by\n\nEllen C. Babbitt\n\n\nWith illustrations by\n\nEllsworth Young\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nDEDICATED\n\nto\n\nRUDYARD KIPLING\n\nin the name of all children\nwho troop to his call\n\n\n\n\n\nFOREWORD\n\n\nThe continued success of the \"Jataka Tales,\" as retold and published\nten years ago, has led to this second and companion volume. Who that\nhas read or told stories to children has not been lured on by the\nsubtle flattery of their cry for \"more\"?\n\nDr. Felix Adler, in his Foreword to \"Jataka Tales,\" says that long ago\nhe was \"captivated by the charm of the Jataka Tales.\" Little children\nhave not only felt this charm, but they have discovered that they can\nread the stories to themselves. And so \"More Jataka Tales\" were found\nin the volume translated from the Sanskrit into English by a group of\nCambridge scholars and published by the University Press.\n\nThe Jataka tales, regarded as historic in the Third Century B. C., are\nthe oldest collection of folk-lore extant. They come down to us from\nthat dim far-off time when our forebears told tales around the same\nhearth fire on the roof of the world. Professor Rhys Davids speaks of\nthem as \"a priceless record of the childhood of our race. The same\nstories are found in Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, and in most\nEuropean languages. The Greek versions of the Jataka tales were\nadapted and ascribed to the famous storyteller, Aesop, and under his\nname handed down as a continual feast for the children in the\nWest,--tales first invented to please and instruct our far-off cousins\nin the East.\" Here East, though East, meets West!\n\nA \"Guild of Jataka Translators,\" under Professor E. B. Cowell,\nprofessor of Sanskrit in the University of Cambridge, brought out the\ncomplete edition of the Jataka between 1895 and 1907. It is from this\nsource that \"Jataka Tales\" and \"More Jataka Tales\" have been retold.\n\nOf these stories, spread over Europe through literary channels,\nProfessor Cowell says, \"They are the stray waifs of literature, in the\ncourse of their long wanderings coming to be recognized under widely\ndifferent aspects, as when they are used by Boccaccio, or Chaucer, or\nLa Fontaine.\"\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\nI THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS\n\nII THE THREE FISHES\n\nIII THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS\n\nIV THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER\n\nV THE GOLDEN GOOSE\n\nVI THE STUPID MONKEYS\n\nVII THE CUNNING WOLF\n\nVIII THE PENNY-WISE MONKEY\n\nIX THE RED-BUD TREE\n\nX THE WOODPECKER AND THE LION\n\nXI THE OTTERS AND THE WOLF\n\nXII HOW THE MONKEY SAVED HIS TROOP\n\nXIII THE HAWKS AND THEIR FRIENDS\n\nXIV THE BRAVE LITTLE BOWMAN\n\nXV THE FOOLHARDY WOLF\n\nXVI THE STOLEN PLOW\n\nXVII THE LION IN BAD COMPANY\n\nXVIII THE WISE GOAT AND THE WOLF\n\nXIX PRINCE WICKED AND THE GRATEFUL ANIMALS\n\nXX BEAUTY AND BROWNIE\n\nXXI THE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG\n\n\n\n\n\nI\n\nTHE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS\n\n\nOne day the king went for a long walk in the woods. When he came back\nto his own garden, he sent for his family to come down to the lake\nfor a swim.\n\nWhen they were all ready to go into the water, the queen and her\nladies left their jewels in charge of the servants, and then went down\ninto the lake.\n\nAs the queen put her string of pearls away in a box, she was watched\nby a Girl Monkey who sat in the branches of a tree near-by. This Girl\nMonkey wanted to get the queen's string of pearls, so she sat still\nand watched, hoping that the servant in charge of the pearls would go\nto sleep.\n\nAt first the servant kept her eyes on the jewel-box. But by and by she\nbegan to nod, and then she fell fast asleep.\n\nAs soon as the Monkey saw this, quick as the wind she jumped down,\nopened the box, picked up the string of pearls, and quick as the wind\nshe was up in the tree again, holding the pearls very carefully. She\nput the string of pearls on, and then, for fear the guards in the\ngarden would see the pearls, the Monkey hid them in a hole in the\ntree. Then she sat near-by looking as if nothing had happened.\n\nBy and by the servant awoke. She looked in the box, and finding that\nthe string of pearls was not there, she cried, \"A man has run off with\nthe queen's string of pearls.\"\n\nUp ran the guards from every side.\n\nThe servant said: \"I sat right here beside the box where the queen put\nher string of pearls. I did not move from the place. But the day is\nhot, and I was tired. I must have fallen asleep. The pearls were gone\nwhen I awoke.\"\n\nThe guards told the king that the pearls were gone.\n\n\"Find the man who stole the pearls,\" said the king. Away went the\nguards looking high and low for the thief.\n\nAfter the king had gone, the chief guard said to himself:\n\n\"There is something strange here. These pearls,\" thought he, \"were\nlost in the garden. There was a strong guard at the gates, so that no\none from the outside could get into the garden. On the other hand,\nthere are hundreds of Monkeys here in the garden. Perhaps one of the\nGirl Monkeys took the string of pearls.\"\n\nThen the chief guard thought of a trick that would tell whether a Girl\nMonkey had taken the pearls. So he bought a number of strings of\nbright-colored glass beads.\n\nAfter dark that night the guards hung the strings of glass beads here\nand there on the low bushes in the garden. When the Monkeys saw the\nstrings of bright-colored beads the next morning, each Monkey ran for\na string.\n\nBut the Girl Monkey who had taken the queen's string of pearls did not\ncome down. She sat near the hole where she had hidden the pearls.\n\nThe other Monkeys were greatly pleased with their strings of beads.\nThey chattered to one another about them. \"It is too bad you did not\nget one,\" they said to her as she sat quietly, saying nothing. At last\nshe could stand it no longer. She put on the queen's string of pearls\nand came down, saying proudly: \"You have only strings of glass beads.\nSee my string of pearls!\"\n\nThen the chief of the guards, who had been hiding nearby, caught the\nGirl Monkey. He took her at once to the king.\n\n\"It was this Girl Monkey, your Majesty, who took the pearls.\"\n\nThe king was glad enough to get the pearls, but he asked the chief\nguard how he had found out who took them.\n\nThe chief guard told the king that he knew no one could have come into\nthe garden and so he thought they must have been taken by one of the\nMonkeys in the garden. Then he told the king about the trick he had\nplayed with the beads.\n\n\"You are the right man in the right place,\" said the king, and he\nthanked the chief of the guards over and over again.\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nII.\n\nTHE THREE FISHES\n\n\nOnce upon a time three Fishes lived in a far-away river. They were\nnamed Thoughtful, Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless.\n\nOne day they left the wild country where no men lived, and came down\nthe river to live near a town.\n\nVery-Thoughtful said to the other two: \"There is danger all about us\nhere. Fishermen come to the river here to catch fish with all sorts of\nnets and lines. Let us go back again to the wild country where we used\nto live.\"\n\nBut the other two Fishes were so lazy and so greedy that they kept\nputting off their going from day to day.\n\nBut one day Thoughtful and Thoughtless went swimming on ahead of\nVery-Thoughtful and they did not see the fisherman's net and rushed\ninto it. Very-Thoughtful saw them rush into the net.\n\n\"I must save them,\" said Very-Thoughtful.\n\nSo swimming around the net, he splashed in the water in front of it,\nlike a Fish that had broken through the net and gone up the river.\nThen he swam back of the net and splashed about there like a Fish that\nhad broken through and gone down the river.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe fisherman saw the splashing water and thought the Fishes had\nbroken through the net and that one had gone up the river, the other\ndown, so he pulled in the net by one corner. That let the two Fishes\nout of the net and away they went to find Very-Thoughtful.\n\n\"You saved our lives, Very-Thoughtful,\" they said, \"and now we are\nwilling to go back to the wild country.\"\n\nSo back they all went to their old home where they lived safely ever\nafter.\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Big Rat lived in the forest, and many hundreds of\nother Rats called him their Chief.\n\nA Tricky Wolf saw this troop of Rats, and began to plan how he could\ncatch them. He wanted to eat them, but how was he to get them? At last\nhe thought of a plan. He went to a corner near the home of the Rats\nand waited until he saw one of them coming. Then he stood up on his\nhind legs.\n\nThe Chief of the Rats said to the Wolf, \"Wolf, why do you stand on\nyour hind legs?\"\n\n\"Because I am lame,\" said the Tricky Wolf. \"It hurts me to stand on my\nfront legs.\"\n\n\"And why do you keep your mouth open?\" asked the Rat.\n\n\"I keep my mouth open so that I may drink in all the air I can,\" said\nthe Wolf. \"I live on air; it is my only food day after day. I can not\nrun or walk, so I stay here. I try not to complain.\" When the Rats\nwent away the Wolf lay down.\n\nThe Chief of the Rats was sorry for the Wolf, and he went each night\nand morning with all the other Rats to talk with the Wolf, who seemed\nso poor, and who did not complain.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nEach time as the Rats were leaving, the Wolf caught and ate the last\none. Then he wiped his lips, and looked as if nothing had happened.\n\nEach night there were fewer Rats at bedtime. Then they asked the Chief\nof the Rats what the trouble was. He could not be sure, but he thought\nthe Wolf was to blame.\n\nSo the next day the Chief said to the other Rats, \"You go first this\ntime and I will go last.\"\n\nThey did so, and as the Chief of the Rats went by, the Wolf made a\nspring at him. But the Wolf was not quick enough, and the Chief of the\nRats got away.\n\n\"So this is the food you eat. Your legs are not so lame as they were.\nYou have played your last trick, Wolf,\" said the Chief of the Rats,\nspringing at the Wolf's throat. He bit the Wolf, so that he died.\n\nAnd ever after the Rats lived happily in peace and quiet.\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\nTHE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Deer lived in a forest near a lake. Not far from\nthe same lake, a Woodpecker had a nest in the top of a tree; and in\nthe lake lived a Turtle. The three were friends, and lived together\nhappily.\n\nA hunter, wandering about in the wood, saw the footprints of the Deer\nnear the edge of the lake. \"I must trap the Deer, going down into the\nwater,\" he said, and setting a strong trap of leather, he went his\nway.\n\nEarly that night when the Deer went down to drink, he was caught in\nthe trap, and he cried the cry of capture.\n\nAt once the Woodpecker flew down from her tree-top, and the Turtle\ncame out of the water to see what could be done.\n\nSaid the Woodpecker to the Turtle: \"Friend, you have teeth; you gnaw\nthrough the leather trap. I will go and see to it that the hunter\nkeeps away. If we both do our best our friend will not lose his life.\"\n\nSo the Turtle began to gnaw the leather, and the Woodpecker flew to\nthe hunter's house.\n\nAt dawn the hunter came, knife in hand, to the front door of his\nhouse.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Woodpecker, flapping her wings, flew at the hunter and struck him\nin the face.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe hunter turned back into the house and lay down for a little while.\nThen he rose up again, and took his knife. He said to himself: \"When I\nwent out by the front door, a Bird flew in my face; now I will go out\nby the back door.\" So he did.\n\nThe Woodpecker thought: \"The hunter went out by the front door before,\nso now he will leave by the back door.\" So the Woodpecker sat in a\ntree near the back door.\n\nWhen the hunter came out the bird flew at him again, flapping her\nwings in the hunter's face.\n\nThen the hunter turned back and lay down again. When the sun arose, he\ntook his knife, and started out once more.\n\nThis time the Woodpecker flew back as fast as she could fly to her\nfriends, crying, \"Here comes the hunter!\"\n\nBy this time the Turtle had gnawed through all the pieces of the trap\nbut one. The leather was so hard that it made his teeth feel as if\nthey would fall out. His mouth was all covered with blood. The Deer\nheard the Woodpecker, and saw the hunter, knife in hand, coming on.\nWith a strong pull the Deer broke this last piece of the trap, and ran\ninto the woods.\n\nThe Woodpecker flew up to her nest in the tree-top.\n\nBut the Turtle was so weak he could not get away. He lay where he was.\nThe hunter picked him up and threw him into a bag, tying it to a tree.\n\nThe Deer saw that the Turtle was taken, and made up his mind to save\nhis friend's life. So the Deer let the hunter see him.\n\nThe hunter seized his knife and started after the Deer. The Deer,\nkeeping just out of his reach, led the hunter into the forest.\n\nWhen the Deer saw that they had gone far into the forest he slipped\naway from the hunter, and swift as the wind, he went by another way to\nwhere he had left the Turtle.\n\nBut the Turtle was not there. The Deer called, \"Turtle, Turtle!\"; and\nthe Turtle called out, \"Here I am in a bag hanging on this tree.\"\n\nThen the Deer lifted the bag with his horns, and throwing it upon the\nground, he tore the bag open, and let the Turtle out.\n\nThe Woodpecker flew down from her nest, and the Deer said to them:\n\"You two friends saved my life, but if we stay here talking, the\nhunter will find us, and we may not get away. So do you, Friend\nWoodpecker, fly away. And you, Friend Turtle, dive into the water. I\nwill hide in the forest.\"\n\nThe hunter did come back, but neither the Deer, nor the Turtle, nor\nthe Woodpecker was to be seen. He found his torn bag, and picking that\nup he went back to his home.\n\nThe three friends lived together all the rest of their lives.\n\n\n\n\nV\n\nTHE GOLDEN GOOSE\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a Goose who had beautiful golden feathers.\nNot far away from this Goose lived a poor, a very poor woman, who had\ntwo daughters. The Goose saw that they had a hard time to get along\nand said he to himself:\n\n\"If I give them one after another of my golden feathers, the mother\ncan sell them, and with the money they bring she and her daughters can\nthen live in comfort.\"\n\nSo away the Goose flew to the poor woman's house.\n\nSeeing the Goose, the woman said: \"Why do you come here? We have\nnothing to give you.\"\n\n\"But I have something to give you,\" said the Goose. \"I will give my\nfeathers, one by one, and you can sell them for enough so that you and\nyour daughters can live in comfort.\"\n\nSo saying the Goose gave her one of his feathers, and then flew away.\nFrom time to time he came back, each time leaving another feather.\n\nThe mother and her daughters sold the beautiful feathers for enough\nmoney to keep them in comfort. But one day the mother said to her\ndaughters: \"Let us not trust this Goose. Some day he may fly away and\nnever come back. Then we should be poor again. Let us get all of his\nfeathers the very next time he comes.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe daughters said: \"This will hurt the Goose. We will not do such a\nthing.\"\n\nBut the mother was greedy. The next time the Golden Goose came she\ntook hold of him with both hands, and pulled out every one of his\nfeathers.\n\nNow the Golden Goose has strange feathers. If his feathers are plucked\nout against his wish, they no longer remain golden but turn white and\nare of no more value than chicken-feathers. The new ones that come in\nare not golden, but plain white.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAs time went on his feathers grew again, and then he flew away to his\nhome and never came back again.\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\nTHE STUPID MONKEYS\n\n\nOnce upon a time a king gave a holiday to all the people in one of his\ncities.\n\nThe king's gardener thought to himself: \"All my friends are having a\nholiday in the city. I could go into the city and enjoy myself with\nthem if I did not have to water the trees here in this garden. I know\nwhat I will do. I will get the Monkeys to water the young trees for\nme.\" In those days, a tribe of Monkeys lived in the king's garden.\n\nSo the gardener went to the Chief of the Monkeys, and said: \"You are\nlucky Monkeys to be living in the king's garden. You have a fine place\nto play in. You have the best of food--nuts, fruit, and the young\nshoots of trees to eat. You have no work at all to do. You can play\nall day, every day. To-day my friends are having a holiday in the\ncity, and I want to enjoy myself with them. Will you water the young\ntrees so that I can go away?\"\n\n\"Oh, yes!\" said the Chief of the Monkeys. \"We shall be glad to do\nthat.\"\n\n\"Do not forget to water the trees when the sun goes down. See they\nhave plenty of water, but not too much,\" said the gardener. Then he\nshowed them where the watering-pots were kept, and went away.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the sun went down the Monkeys took the watering-pots, and began\nto water the young trees. \"See that each tree has enough water,\" said\nthe Chief of the Monkeys.\n\n\"How shall we know when each tree has enough?\" they asked. The Chief\nof the Monkeys had no good answer, so he said: \"Pull up each young\ntree and look at the length of its roots. Give a great deal of water\nto those with long roots, but only a little to those trees that have\nshort roots.\"\n\nThen those stupid Monkeys pulled up all the young trees to see which\ntrees had long roots and which had short roots.\n\nWhen the gardener came back the next day, the poor young trees were\nall dead.\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\nTHE CUNNING WOLF\n\n\nOnce upon a time the people in a certain town went out into the woods\nfor a holiday. They took baskets full of good things to eat. But when\nnoontime came they ate all the meat they had brought with them, not\nleaving any for supper.\n\n\"I will get some fresh meat. We will make a fire here and roast it,\"\nsaid one of the men.\n\nSo taking a club, he went to the lake where the animals came to drink.\nHe lay down, club in hand, pretending to be dead.\n\nWhen the animals came down to the lake they saw the man lying there\nand they watched him for some time.\n\n\"That man is playing a trick on us, I believe,\" said the King of the\nWolves. \"The rest of you stay here while I will see whether he is\nreally dead, or whether he is pretending to be dead.\"\n\nThen the cunning King of the Wolves crept up to the man and slyly\npulled at his club.\n\nAt once the man pulled back on his club.\n\nThen the King of the Wolves ran off saying: \"If you had been dead, you\nwould not have pulled back on your club when I tried to pull it away.\nI see your trick. You pretend you are dead so that you may kill one of\nus for your supper.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe man jumped up and threw his club at the King of the Wolves. But he\nmissed his aim. He looked for the other animals but there was not one\nin sight. They had all run away.\n\n\nThen the man went back to his friends, saying: \"I tried to get fresh\nmeat by playing a trick on the animals, but the cunning Wolf played a\nbetter trick on me, and I could not get one of them.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\nTHE PENNY-WISE MONKEY\n\n\nOnce upon a time the king of a large and rich country gathered\ntogether his army to take a faraway little country. The king and his\nsoldiers marched all morning long and then went into camp in the\nforest.\n\nWhen they fed the horses they gave them some peas to eat. One of the\nMonkeys living in the forest saw the peas and jumped down to get some\nof them. He filled his mouth and hands with them, and up into the tree\nhe went again, and sat down to eat the peas.\n\nAs he sat there eating the peas, one pea fell from his hand to the\nground. At once the greedy Monkey dropped all the peas he had in his\nhands, and ran down to hunt for the lost pea. But he could not find\nthat one pea. He climbed up into his tree again, and sat still looking\nvery glum. \"To get more, I threw away what I had,\" he said to himself.\n\nThe king had watched the Monkey, and he said to himself: \"I will not\nbe like this foolish Monkey, who lost much to gain a little. I will go\nback to my own country and enjoy what I now have.\"\n\nSo he and his men marched back home.\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\nTHE RED-BUD TREE\n\n\nOnce upon a time four young princes heard a story about a certain\nwonderful tree, called the Red-Bud Tree. No one of them had ever seen\na Red-Bud Tree, and each prince wished to be the first to see one. So\nthe eldest prince asked the driver of the king's chariot to take him\ndeep into the woods where this tree grew. It was still very early in\nthe spring and the tree had no leaves, nor buds. It was black and bare\nlike a dead tree. The prince could not understand why this was called\na Red-Bud Tree, but he asked no questions.\n\nLater in the spring, the next son went with the driver of the king's\nchariot to see the Red-Bud Tree. At this time it was covered with red\nbuds.\n\nThe tree was all covered with green leaves when the third son went\ninto the woods a little later to see it. He asked no questions about\nit, but he could see no reason for calling it the Red-Bud Tree.\n\nSome time after this the youngest prince begged to be taken to see the\nRed-Bud Tree. By this time it was covered with little bean-pods.\n\nWhen he came back from the woods he ran into the garden where his\nbrothers were playing, crying, \"I have seen the Red-Bud Tree.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"So have I,\" said the eldest prince. \"It did not look like much of a\ntree to me,\" said he; \"it looked like a dead tree. It was black and\nbare.\"\n\n\"What makes you say that?\" said the second son. \"The tree has hundreds\nof beautiful red buds. This is why it is called the Red-Bud Tree.\"\n\nThe third prince said: \"Red buds, did you say? Why do you say it has\nred buds? It is covered with green leaves.\"\n\nThe prince who had seen the tree last laughed at his brothers, saying:\n\"I have just seen that tree, and it is not like a dead tree. It has\nneither red buds nor green leaves on it. It is covered with little\nbean-pods.\"\n\nThe king heard them and waited until they stopped talking. Then he\nsaid: \"My sons, you have all four seen the same tree, but each of you\nsaw it at a different time of the year.\"\n\n\n\n\nX\n\nTHE WOODPECKER AND THE LION\n\n\nOne day while a Lion was eating his dinner a bone stuck in his throat.\nIt hurt so that he could not finish his dinner. He walked up and down,\nup and down, roaring with pain.\n\nA Woodpecker lit on a branch of a tree near-by, and hearing the Lion,\nshe said, \"Friend, what ails you?\" The Lion told the Woodpecker what\nthe matter was, and the Woodpecker said: \"I would take the bone out of\nyour throat, friend, but I do not dare to put my head into your mouth,\nfor fear I might never get it out again. I am afraid you might eat me.\"\n\n\"O Woodpecker, do not be afraid,\" the Lion said. \"I will not eat you.\nSave my life if you can!\"\n\n\"I will see what I can do for you,\" said the Woodpecker. \"Open your\nmouth wide.\" The Lion did as he was told, but the Woodpecker said to\nhimself: \"Who knows what this Lion will do? I think I will be\ncareful.\"\n\nSo the Woodpecker put a stick between the Lion's upper and lower jaws\nso that he could not shut his mouth.\n\nThen the Woodpecker hopped into the Lion's mouth and hit the end of\nthe bone with his beak. The second time he hit it, the bone fell out.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Woodpecker hopped out of the Lion's mouth, and hit the stick so\nthat it too fell out. Then the Lion could shut his mouth.\n\nAt once the Lion felt very much better, but not one word of thanks did\nhe say to the Woodpecker.\n\nOne day later in the summer, the Woodpecker said to the Lion, \"I want\nyou to do something for me.\"\n\n\"Do something for you?\" said the Lion. \"You mean you want me to do\nsomething more for you. I have already done a great deal for you. You\ncannot expect me to do anything more for you. Do not forget that once\nI had you in my mouth, and I let you go. That is all that you can ever\nexpect me to do for you.\"\n\nThe Woodpecker said no more, but he kept away from the Lion from that\nday on.\n\n\n\n\nXI\n\nTHE OTTERS AND THE WOLF\n\n\nOne day a Wolf said to her mate, \"A longing has come upon me to eat\nfresh fish.\"\n\n\"I will go and get some for you,\" said he and he went down to the\nriver.\n\nThere he saw two Otters standing on the bank looking for fish. Soon\none of the Otters saw a great fish, and entering the water with a\nbound, he caught hold of the tail of the fish.\n\nBut the fish was strong and swam away, dragging the Otter after him.\n\"Come and help me,\" the Otter called back to his friend. \"This great\nfish will be enough for both of us!\"\n\nSo the other Otter went into the water. The two together were able to\nbring the fish to land. \"Let us divide the fish into two parts.\"\n\n\"I want the half with the head on,\" said one.\n\n\"You cannot have that half. That is mine,\" said the other. \"You take\nthe tail.\"\n\nThe Wolf heard the Otters and he went up to them.\n\nSeeing the Wolf, the Otters said: \"Lord of the gray-grass color, this\nfish was caught by both of us together. We cannot agree about dividing\nhim. Will you divide him for us?\"\n\nThe Wolf cut off the tail and gave it to one, giving the head to the\nother. He took the large middle part for himself, saying to them, \"You\ncan eat the head and the tail without quarreling.\" And away he ran\nwith the body of the fish. The Otters stood and looked at each other.\nThey had nothing to say, but each thought to himself that the Wolf had\nrun off with the best of the fish.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Wolf was pleased and said to himself, as he ran toward home, \"Now\nI have fresh fish for my mate.\"\n\nHis mate, seeing him coming, came to meet him, saying: \"How did you\nget fish? You live on land, not in the water.\"\n\nThen he told her of the quarrel of the Otters. \"I took the fish as pay\nfor settling their quarrel,\" said he.\n\n\n\n\nXII\n\nHOW THE MONKEY SAVED HIS TROOP\n\n\nA mango-tree grew on the bank of a great river. The fruit fell from\nsome of the branches of this tree into the river, and from other\nbranches it fell on the ground.\n\nEvery night a troop of Monkeys gathered the fruit that lay on the\nground and climbed up into the tree to get the mangoes, which were\nlike large, juicy peaches.\n\nOne day the king of the country stood on the bank of this same river,\nbut many miles below where the mango-tree grew. The king was watching\nthe fishermen with their nets.\n\nAs they drew in their nets, the fishermen found not only fishes but a\nstrange fruit. They went to the king with the strange fruit. \"What is\nthis?\" asked the king. \"We do not know, O King,\" they said.\n\n\"Call the foresters,\" said the king, \"They will know what it is.\"\n\nSo they called the foresters and they said that it was a mango.\n\n\"Is it good to eat?\" asked the king.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe foresters said it was very good. So the king cut the mango and\ngiving some to the princes, he ate some of it himself. He liked it\nvery much, and they all liked it.\n\nThen the king said to the foresters, \"Where does the mango-tree grow?\"\n\nThe foresters told him that it grew on the river bank many miles\nfarther up the river.\n\n\"Let us go and see the tree and get some mangoes,\" said the king.\n\nSo he had many rafts joined together, and they went up the river until\nthey came to the place where the mango-tree grew.\n\nThe foresters said, \"O King, this is the mango-tree.\"\n\n\"We will land here,\" said the king, and they did so. The king and all\nthe men with him gathered the mangoes that lay on the ground under the\ntree. They all liked them so well that the king said, \"Let us stay\nhere to-night, and gather more fruit in the morning.\" So they had\ntheir supper under the trees, and then lay down to sleep.\n\nWhen all was quiet, the Chief of the Monkeys came with his troop. All\nthe mangoes on the ground had been eaten, so the monkeys jumped from\nbranch to branch, picking and eating mangoes, and chattering to one\nanother. They made so much noise that they woke up the king. He called\nhis archers saying: \"Stand under the mango-tree and shoot the Monkeys\nas they come down to the ground to get away. Then in the morning we\nshall have Monkey's flesh as well as mangoes to eat.\"\n\nThe Monkeys saw the archers standing around with their arrows ready to\nshoot. Fearing death, the Monkeys ran to their Chief, saying: \"O\nChief, the archers stand around the tree ready to shoot us! What shall\nwe do?\" They shook with fear.\n\nThe Chief said: \"Do not fear; I will save you. Stay where you are\nuntil I call you.\"\n\nThe Monkeys were comforted, for he had always helped them whenever\nthey had needed help.\n\nThen the Chief of the Monkeys ran out on the branch of the mango-tree\nthat hung out over the river. The long branches of the tree across the\nriver did not quite meet the branch he stood on. The Chief said to\nhimself: \"If the Monkeys try to jump across from this tree to that,\nsome of them will fall into the water and drown. I must save them, but\nhow am I to do it? I know what I shall do. I shall make a bridge of my\nback.\"\n\nSo the Chief reached across and took hold of the longest branch of the\ntree across the river. He called, \"Come, Monkeys; run out on this\nbranch, step on my back, and then run along the branch of the other\ntree.\"\n\nThe Monkeys did as the Chief told them to do. They ran along the\nbranch, stepped on his back, then ran along the branch of the other\ntree. They swung themselves down to the ground, and away they went\nback to their home.\n\nThe king saw all that was done by the Chief and his troop. \"That big\nMonkey,\" said the king to the archers, \"saved the whole troop. I will\nsee to it that he is taken care of the rest of his life.\"\n\nAnd the king kept his promise.\n\n\n\n\nXIII\n\nTHE HAWKS AND THEIR FRIENDS\n\n\nA family of Hawks lived on an island in a lake not far from the great\nforest. On the northern shore of this lake lived a Lion, King of\nBeasts. On the eastern shore lived a Kingfisher. On the southern shore\nof the lake lived a Turtle.\n\n\"Have you many friends near here?\" the Mother Hawk asked the Father\nHawk.\n\n\"No, not one in this part of the forest,\" he said.\n\n\"You must find some friends. We must have some one who can help us if\never we are in danger, or in trouble,\" said the Mother Hawk.\n\n\"With whom shall I make friends?\" asked the Father Hawk.\n\n\"With the Kingfisher, who lives on the eastern shore, and with the\nLion on the north,\" said the Mother Hawk, \"and with the Turtle who\nlives on the southern shore of this lake.\"\n\nThe Father Hawk did so.\n\nOne day men hunted in the great forest from morning until night, but\nfound nothing. Not wishing to go home empty-handed, they went to the\nisland to see what they could find there.\n\n\"Let us stay here to-night,\" they said, \"and see what we can find in\nthe morning.\"\n\nSo they made beds of leaves for themselves and lay down to sleep. They\nhad made their beds under the tree in which the Hawks had their nest.\n\nBut the hunters could not go to sleep because they were bothered by\nthe flies and mosquitoes. At last the hunters got up and made a fire\non the shore of the lake, so that the smoke would drive away the flies\nand mosquitoes. The smoke awoke the birds, and the young ones cried\nout.\n\n\"Did you hear that?\" said one of the hunters. \"That was the cry of\nbirds! They will do very well for our breakfast. There are young ones\nin that nest.\" And the hunters put more wood on the fire, and made it\nblaze up.\n\nThen the Mother bird said to the Father: \"These men are planning to\neat our young ones. We must ask our friends to save us. Go to the\nKingfisher and tell him what danger we are in.\"\n\nThe Father Hawk flew with all speed to the Kingfisher's nest and woke\nhim with his cry.\n\n\"Why have you come?\" asked the Kingfisher.\n\nThen the Father Hawk told the Kingfisher what the hunters planned to\ndo.\n\n\"Fear not,\" said the Kingfisher. \"I will help you. Go back quickly and\ncomfort my friend your mate, and say that I am coming.\"\n\nSo the Father Hawk flew back to his nest, and the Kingfisher flew to\nthe island and went into the lake near the place where the fire was\nburning.\n\nWhile the Father Hawk was away, one of the hunters had climbed up into\nthe tree. Just as he neared the nest, the Kingfisher, beating the\nwater with his wings, sprinkled water on the fire and put it out.\n\nDown came the hunter to make another fire. When it was burning well he\nclimbed the tree again. Once more the Kingfisher put it out. As often\nas a fire was made, the Kingfisher put it out. Midnight came and the\nKingfisher was now very tired.\n\nThe Mother Hawk noticed this and said to her mate: \"The Kingfisher is\ntired out. Go and ask the Turtle to help us so that the Kingfisher may\nhave a rest.\"\n\nThe Father Hawk flew down and said, \"Rest awhile, Friend Kingfisher; I\nwill go and get the Turtle.\"\n\nSo the Father Hawk flew to the southern shore and wakened the Turtle.\n\n\"What is your errand, Friend?\" asked the Turtle.\n\n\"Danger has come to us,\" said the Father Hawk, and he told the Turtle\nabout the hunters. \"The Kingfisher has been working for hours, and now\nhe is very tired. That is why I have come to you.\"\n\nThe Turtle said, \"I will help you at once.\"\n\nThen the Turtle went to the island where the Hawks lived. He dived\ninto the water, collected some mud, and put out the fire with it. Then\nhe lay still.\n\nThe hunters cried: \"Why should we bother to get the young Hawks? Let\nus kill this Turtle. He will make a fine breakfast for all of us. We\nmust be careful or he will bite us. Let us throw a net over him and\nturn him over.\"\n\nThey had no nets with them, so they took some vines, and tore their\nclothes into strings and made a net.\n\nBut when they had put the net all over the Turtle, they could not roll\nhim over. Instead, the Turtle suddenly dived down into the deep water.\nThe men were so eager to get him that they did not let go of the net,\nso down they went into the water. As they came out they said: \"Half\nthe night a Kingfisher kept putting out our fires. Now we have torn\nour clothes and got all wet trying to get this Turtle. We will build\nanother fire, and at sunrise we will eat those young Hawks.\" And they\nbegan to build another fire.\n\nThe Mother Hawk heard them, and said to her mate: \"Sooner or later\nthese men will get our young. Do go and tell our friend the Lion.\"\n\nAt once the Father Hawk flew to the Lion.\n\n\"Why do you come at this hour of the night?\" asked the Lion.\n\nThe Hawk told him the whole story.\n\nThe Lion said: \"I will come at once. You go back and comfort your mate\nand the young ones.\" Soon the Lion came roaring.\n\nWhen the hunters heard the Lion's roar they cried, \"Now we shall all\nbe killed.\" And away they ran as fast as they could go.\n\nWhen the Lion came to the foot of the tree, not one of the hunters was\nto be seen. Then the Kingfisher and the Turtle came up, and the Hawks\nsaid: \"You have saved us. Friends in need are friends indeed.\"\n\n\n\n\nXIV\n\nTHE BRAVE LITTLE BOWMAN\n\n\nOnce upon a time there was a little man with a crooked back who was\ncalled the wise little bowman because he used his bow and arrow so\nvery well. This crooked little man said to himself: \"If I go to the\nking and ask him to let me join his army, he's sure to ask what a\nlittle man like me is good for. I must find some great big man who\nwill take me as his page, and ask the king to take us.\" So the little\nbowman went about the city looking for a big man.\n\nOne day he saw a big, strong man digging a ditch \"What makes a fine\nbig man like you do such work?\" asked the little man.\n\n\"I do this work because I can earn a living in no other way,\" said the\nbig man.\n\n\"Dig no more,\" said the bowman. \"There is in this whole country no\nsuch bowman as I am; but no king would let me join his army because I\nam such a little man. I want you to ask the king to let you join the\narmy. He will take you because you are big and strong. I will do the\nwork that you are given to do, and we will divide the pay. In this way\nwe shall both of us earn a good living. Will you come with me and do\nas I tell you?\" asked the little bowman.\n\n\"Yes, I will go with you,\" said the big man.\n\nSo together they set out to go to the king. By and by they came to the\ngates of the palace, and sent word to the king that a wonderful bowman\nwas there. The king sent for the bowman to come before him. Both the\nbig man and the little man went in and, bowing, stood before the king.\n\nThe king looked at the big man and asked, \"What brings you here?\"\n\n\"I want to be in your army,\" said the big man.\n\n\"Who is the little man with you?\" asked the king.\n\n\"He is my page,\" said the big man.\n\n\"What pay do you want?\" asked the king.\n\n\"A thousand pieces a month for me and my page, O King,\" said the big\nman.\n\n\"I will take you and your page,\" said the king.\n\nSo the big man and the little bowman joined the king's army.\n\nNow in those days there was a tiger in the forest who had carried off\nmany people. The king sent for the big man and told him to kill that\ntiger.\n\nThe big man told the little bowman what the king said. They went into\nthe forest together, and soon the little bowman shot the tiger.\n\nThe king was glad to be rid of the tiger, and gave the big man rich\ngifts and praised him.\n\nAnother day word came that a buffalo was running up and down a certain\nroad. The king told the big man to go and kill that buffalo. The big\nman and the little man went to the road, and soon the little man shot\nthe buffalo. When they both went back to the king, he gave a bag of\nmoney to the big man.\n\nThe king and all the people praised the big man, and so one day the\nbig man said to the little man: \"I can get on without you. Do you\nthink there's no bowman but yourself?\" Many other harsh and unkind\nthings did he say to the little man.\n\nBut a few days later a king from a far country marched upon the city\nand sent a message to its king saying, \"Give up your country, or do\nbattle.\"\n\nThe king at once sent his army. The big man was armed and mounted on a\nwar-elephant. But the little bowman knew that the big man could not\nshoot, so he took his bow and seated himself behind the big man.\n\nThen the war-elephant, at the head of the army, went out of the city.\nAt the first beat of the drums, the big man shook with fear. \"Hold on\ntight,\" said the little bowman. \"If you fall off now, you will be\nkilled. You need not be afraid; I am here.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut the big man was so afraid that he slipped down off the\nwar-elephant's back, and ran back into the city. He did not stop until\nhe reached his home.\n\n\"And now to win!\" said the little bowman, as he drove the war-elephant\ninto the fight. The army broke into the camp of the king that came\nfrom afar, and drove him back to his own country. Then the little\nbowman led the army back into the city. The king and all the people\ncalled him \"the brave little bowman.\" The king made him the chief of\nthe army, giving him rich gifts.\n\n\n\n\nXV\n\nTHE FOOLHARDY WOLF\n\n\nA lion bounded forth from his lair one day, looking north, west,\nsouth, and east. He saw a Buffalo and went to kill him.\n\nThe Lion ate all of the Buffalo-meat he wanted, and then went down to\nthe lake for a drink.\n\nAs the Lion turned to go toward his den for a nap, he came upon a\nhungry Wolf.\n\nThe Wolf had no chance to get away, so he threw himself at the Lion's\nfeet.\n\n\"What do you want?\" the Lion asked.\n\n\"O Lion, let me be your servant,\" said the Wolf. \"Very well,\" said the\nLion, \"serve me, and you shall have good food to eat.\"\n\nSo saying, the Lion went into his den for his nap. When he woke up,\nthe Lion said to the Wolf: \"Each day you must go to the mountain top,\nand see whether there are any elephants, or ponies, or buffaloes\nabout. If you see any, come to me and say: 'Great Lion, come forth in\nthy might. Food is in sight.' Then I will kill and eat, and give part\nof the meat to you.\"\n\nSo day after day the Wolf climbed to the mountain top, and seeing a\npony, or a buffalo, or an elephant, he went back to the den, and\nfalling at the Lion's feet he said: \"Great Lion, come forth in thy\nmight. Food is in sight.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen the Lion would bound forth and kill whichever beast it was,\nsharing the meat with the Wolf.\n\nNow this Wolf had never had such fine meat to eat, nor so much. So as\ntime went on, the Wolf grew bigger and bigger, and stronger and\nstronger, until he was really proud of his great size and strength.\n\n\"See how big and strong I am,\" he said to himself.\n\n\"Why am I living day after day on food given me by another? I will\nkill for my own eating. I'll kill an elephant for myself.\"\n\nSo the Wolf went to the Lion, and said: \"I want to eat an elephant of\nmy own killing. Will you let me lie in your corner in the den, while\nyou climb the mountain to look out for an elephant? Then when you see\none, you come to the den and say, 'Great Wolf, come forth in thy\nmight. Food is in sight.' Then I will kill the elephant.\"\n\nSaid the Lion: \"Wolf, only Lions can kill elephants. The world has\nnever seen a Wolf that could kill an elephant. Give up this notion of\nyours, and eat what I kill.\"\n\nBut no matter what the Lion said, the Wolf would not give way. So at\nlast the Lion said: \"Well, have your own way. Lie down in the den, and\nI will climb to the top of the mountain.\"\n\nWhen he saw an elephant the Lion went back to the mouth of the cave,\nand said: \"Great Wolf, come forth in thy might. Food is in sight.\"\n\nThen from the den the Wolf nimbly bounded forth, ran to where the\nelephant was, and, howling three times, he sprang at the elephant.\n\nBut the Wolf missed his aim, and fell down at the elephant's feet. The\nelephant raised his right foot and killed the Wolf.\n\nSeeing all this, the Lion said, \"You will no more come forth in your\nmight, you foolhardy Wolf.\"\n\n\n\n\nXVI\n\nTHE STOLEN PLOW\n\n\nAt one time there were two traders who were great friends. One of them\nlived in a small village, and one lived in a large town near-by.\n\nOne day the village trader took his plow to the large town to have it\nmended. Then he left it with the trader who lived there. After some\ntime the town trader sold the plow, and kept the money.\n\nWhen the trader from the village came to get his plow the town trader\nsaid, \"The mice have eaten your plow.\"\n\n\"That is strange! How could mice eat such a thing?\" said the village\ntrader.\n\nThat afternoon when all the children went down to the river to go\nswimming, the village trader took the town trader's little son to the\nhouse of a friend saying, \"Please keep this little boy here until I\ncome back for him.\"\n\nBy and by the villager went back to the town trader's house.\n\n\"Where is my son? He went away with you. Why didn't you bring him\nback?\" asked the town trader.\n\n\"I took him with me and left him on the bank of the river while I went\ndown into the water,\" said the villager. \"While I was swimming about a\nbig bird seized your son, and flew up into the air with him. I\nshouted, but I could not make the bird let go,\" he said.\n\n\"That cannot be true,\" cried the town trader. \"No bird could carry off\na boy. I will go to the court, and you will have to go there, and tell\nthe judge.\"\n\nThe villager said, \"As you please\"; and they both went to the court.\nThe town trader said to the judge:\n\n\"This fellow took my son with him to the river, and when I asked where\nthe boy was, he said that a bird had carried him off.\"\n\n\"What have you to say?\" said the judge to the village trader.\n\n\"I told the father that I took the boy with me, and that a bird had\ncarried him off,\" said the village trader.\n\n\"But where in the world are there birds strong enough to carry off\nboys?\" said the judge.\n\n\"I have a question to ask you,\" answered the village trader. \"If birds\ncannot carry off boys, can mice eat plows?\"\n\n\"What do you mean by that?\" asked the judge.\n\n\"I left my good plow with this man. When I came for it he told me that\nthe mice had eaten it. If mice eat plows, then birds carry off boys;\nbut if mice cannot do this, neither can birds carry off boys. This man\nsays the mice ate my plow.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe judge said to the town trader, \"Give back the plow to this man,\nand he will give your son back to you.\"\n\nAnd the two traders went out of the court, and by night-time one had\nhis son back again, and the other had his plow.\n\n\n\n\nXVII\n\nTHE LION IN BAD COMPANY\n\n\nOne day a young Lion came suddenly upon a Wolf. The Wolf was not able\nto get away, so he said to the Lion: \"Please, Great Lion, could you\ntake me to your den, and let me live with you and your mate? I will\nwork for you all my days.\"\n\nThis young Lion had been told by his father and mother not to make\nfriends with any Wolf. But when this Wolf called him \"Great Lion,\" he\nsaid to himself: \"This Wolf is not bad. This Wolf is not like other\nWolves.\" So he took the Wolf to the den where he lived with his father\nand mother.\n\nNow this Lion's father was a fine old Lion, and he told his son that\nhe did not like having this Wolf there. But the young Lion thought he\nknew better than his father, so the Wolf stayed in the den.\n\nOne day the Wolf wanted horse-flesh to eat, so he said to the young\nLion, \"Sir, there is nothing we have not eaten except horse-meat; let\nus take a horse.\"\n\n\"But where are there horses?\" asked the Lion.\n\n\"There are small ponies on the river bank,\" said the Wolf.\n\nSo the young Lion went with the Wolf to the river bank when the ponies\nwere bathing. The Lion caught a small pony, and throwing it on his\nback, he ran back to his den.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHis father said: \"My son, those ponies belong to the king. Kings have\nmany skilful archers. Lions do not live long who eat ponies belonging\nto the king. Do not take another pony.\"\n\nBut the young Lion liked the taste of horse-meat, and he caught and\nkilled pony after pony.\n\nSoon the king heard that a Lion was killing the ponies when they went\nto bathe in the river. \"Build a tank inside the town,\" said the king.\n\"The lion will not get the ponies there.\" But the Lion killed the\nponies as they bathed in the tank.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen the king said the ponies must be kept in the stables. But the\nLion went over the wall, and killed the ponies in their stables.\n\nAt last the king called an archer, who shot like lightning. \"Do you\nthink you can shoot this Lion?\" the king asked him. The archer said\nthat he was sure he could. \"Very well,\" said the king, \"take your\nplace in the tower on the wall, and shoot him.\" So the archer waited\nthere in the tower.\n\nBy and by the Lion and the Wolf came to the wall. The Wolf did not go\nover the wall but waited to see what would happen. The Lion sprang\nover the wall. Very soon he caught and killed a pony. Then the archer\nlet fly an arrow.\n\nThe Lion roared, \"I am shot.\"\n\nThen the Wolf said to himself: \"The Lion has been shot, and soon he\nwill die. I will now go back to my old home in the woods.\" And so he\ndid.\n\nThe Lion fell down dead.\n\n\n\n\nXVIII\n\nTHE WISE GOAT AND THE WOLF\n\n\nOnce upon a time, many, many wild Goats lived in a cave in the side of\na hill. A Wolf lived with his mate not far from this cave. Like all\nWolves they liked the taste of Goat-meat. So they caught the Goats,\none after another, and ate them all but one who was wiser than all the\nothers. Try as they might, the Wolves could not catch her.\n\nOne day the Wolf said to his mate: \"My dear, let us play a trick on\nthat wise Goat. I will lie down here pretending to be dead. You go\nalone to the cave where the Goat lives, and looking very sad, say to\nher: 'My dear, do you see my mate lying there dead? I am so sad; I\nhave no friends. Will you be good to me? Will you come and help me\nbury the body of my mate?' The Goat will be sorry for you and I think\nshe will come here with you. When she stands beside me I will spring\nupon her and bite her in the neck. Then she will fall over dead, and\nwe shall have good meat to eat.\"\n\nThe Wolf then lay down, and his mate went to the Goat, saying what she\nhad been told to say.\n\nBut the wise Goat said: \"My dear, all my family and friends have been\neaten by your mate I am afraid to go one step with you. I am far safer\nhere than I would be there.\"\n\n\"Do not be afraid,\" said the Wolf. \"What harm can a dead Wolf do to\nyou?\"\n\nThese and many more words the Wolf said to the Goat, so that at last\nthe Goat said she would go with the Wolf.\n\nBut as they went up the hill side by side, the Goat said to herself:\n\"Who knows what will happen? How do I know the Wolf is dead?\" She said\nto the Wolf, \"I think it will be better if you go on in front of me.\"\n\nThe Wolf thought he heard them coming. He was hungry and he raised up\nhis head to see if he could see them The Goat saw him raise his head,\nand she turned and ran back to her cave.\n\n\"Why did you raise your head when you were pretending to be dead?\" the\nWolf asked her mate. He had no good answer.\n\nBy and by the Wolves were both so very hungry that the Wolf asked his\nmate to try once more to catch the Goat.\n\nThis time the Wolf went to the Goat and said: \"My friend, your coming\nhelped us, for as soon as you came, my mate felt better. He is now\nvery much better. Come and talk to him. Let us be friends and have a\ngood time together.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe wise Goat thought: \"These wicked Wolves want to play another trick\non me. But I have thought of a trick to play on them.\" So the Goat\nsaid: \"I will go to see your mate, and I will take my friends with me.\nYou go back and get ready for us. Let us all have a good time\ntogether.\"\n\nThen the Wolf was afraid, and she asked: \"Who are the friends who will\ncome with you? Tell me their names.\"\n\nThe wise Goat said: \"I will bring the two Hounds, Old Gray and Young\nTan, and that fine big dog called Four-Eyes. And I will ask each of\nthem to bring his mate.\"\n\nThe Wolf waited to hear no more. She turned, and away she ran back to\nher mate. The Goat never saw either of them again.\n\n\n\n\nXIX\n\nPRINCE WICKED AND THE GRATEFUL ANIMALS\n\n\nOnce upon a time a king had a son named Prince Wicked. He was fierce\nand cruel, and he spoke to nobody without abuse, or blows. Like grit\nin the eye, was Prince Wicked to every one, both in the palace and out\nof it.\n\nHis people said to one another, \"If he acts this way while he is a\nprince, how will he act when he is king?\"\n\nOne day when the prince was swimming in the river, suddenly a great\nstorm came on, and it grew very dark.\n\nIn the darkness the servants who were with the prince swam from him,\nsaying to themselves, \"Let us leave him alone in the river, and he may\ndrown.\"\n\nWhen they reached the shore, some of the servants who had not gone\ninto the river said, \"Where is Prince Wicked?\"\n\n\"Isn't he here?\" they asked. \"Perhaps he came out of the river in the\ndarkness and went home.\" Then the servants all went back to the\npalace.\n\nThe king asked where his son was, and again the servants said: \"Isn't\nhe here, O King? A great storm came on soon after we went into the\nwater. It grew very dark. When we came out of the water the prince was\nnot with us.\"\n\nAt once the king had the gates thrown open. He and all his men\nsearched up and down the banks of the river for the missing prince.\nBut no trace of him could be found.\n\nIn the darkness the prince had been swept down the river. He was\ncrying for fear he would drown when he came across a log. He climbed\nupon the log, and floated farther down the river.\n\nWhen the great storm arose, the water rushed into the homes of a Rat\nand a Snake who lived on the river bank. The Rat and the Snake swam\nout into the river and found the same log the prince had found. The\nSnake climbed upon one end of the log, and the Rat climbed upon the\nother.\n\nOn the river's bank a cottonwood-tree grew, and a young Parrot lived\nin its branches. The storm pulled up this tree, and it fell into the\nriver. The heavy rain beat down the Parrot when it tried to fly, and\nit could not go far. Looking down it saw the log and flew down to\nrest. Now there were four on the log floating down stream together.\n\nJust around the bend in the river a certain poor man had built himself\na hut. As he walked to and fro late at night listening to the storm,\nhe heard the loud cries of the prince. The poor man said to himself:\n\"I must get that man out of the water. I must save his life.\" So he\nshouted: \"I will save you! I will save you!\" as he swam out in the\nriver.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSoon he reached the log, and pushing it by one end, he soon pushed it\ninto the bank. The prince jumped up and down, he was so glad to be\nsafe and sound on dry land.\n\nThen the poor man saw the Snake, the Rat, and the Parrot, and carried\nthem to his hut. He built a fire, putting the animals near it so they\ncould get dry. He took care of them first, because they were the\nweaker, and afterwards he looked after the comfort of the prince.\n\nThen the poor man brought food and set it before them, looking after\nthe animals first and the prince afterwards. This made the young\nprince angry, and he said to himself: \"This poor man does not treat me\nlike a prince. He takes care of the animals before taking care of me.\"\nThen the prince began to hate the poor man.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nA few days later, when the prince, and the Snake, the Rat, and the\nParrot were rested, and the storm was all over, the Snake said good-by\nto the poor man with these words:\n\n\"Father, you have been very kind to me. I know where there is some\nburied gold. If ever you want gold, you have only to come to my home\nand call, 'Snake!' and I will show you the buried gold. It shall all\nbe yours.\"\n\nNext the Rat said good-by to the poor man. \"If ever you want money,\"\nsaid the Rat, \"come to my home, and call out, 'Rat!' and I will show\nyou where a great deal of money is buried near my home. It shall all\nbe yours.\"\n\nThen the Parrot came, saying: \"Father, silver and gold have I none,\nbut if you ever want choice rice, come to where I live and call,\n'Parrot!' and I will call all my family and friends together, and we\nwill gather the choicest rice in the fields for you.\"\n\nLast came the prince. In his heart he hated the poor man who had saved\nhis life. But he pretended to be as thankful as the animals had been,\nsaying, \"Come to me when I am king, and I will give you great riches.\"\nSo saying, he went away.\n\nNot long after this the prince's father died, and Prince Wicked was\nmade king. He was then very rich.\n\nBy and by the poor man said to himself: \"Each of the four whose lives\nI saved made a promise to me. I will see if they will keep their\npromises.\"\n\nFirst of all he went to the Snake, and standing near his hole, the\npoor man called out, \"Snake!\"\n\nAt once the Snake darted forth, and with every mark of respect he\nsaid: \"Father, in this place there is much gold. Dig it up and take it\nall.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the poor man. \"When I need it, I will not forget.\"\n\nAfter visiting for a while, the poor man said good-by to the Snake,\nand went to where the Rat lived, calling out, \"Rat!\"\n\nThe Rat came at once, and did as the Snake had done, showing the poor\nman where the money was buried.\n\n\"When I need it, I will come for it,\" said the poor man.\n\nGoing next to the Parrot, he called out, \"Parrot!\" and the bird flew\ndown from the tree-top as soon as he heard the call.\n\n\"O Father,\" said the Parrot, \"shall I call together all my family and\nfriends to gather choice rice for you?\"\n\nThe poor man, seeing that the Parrot was willing and ready to keep his\npromise, said: \"I do not need rice now. If ever I do, I will not\nforget your offer.\"\n\nLast of all, the poor man went into the city where the king lived. The\nking, seated on his great white elephant, was riding through the city.\nThe king saw the poor man, and said to himself: \"That poor man has\ncome to ask me for the great riches I promised to give him. I must\nhave his head cut off before he can tell the people how he saved my\nlife when I was the prince.\"\n\nSo the king called his servants to him and said: \"You see that poor\nman over there? Seize him and bind him, beat him at every corner of\nthe street as you march him out of the city, and then chop off his\nhead.\"\n\nThe servants had to obey their king. So they seized and bound the poor\nman. They beat him at every corner of the street. The poor man did not\ncry out, but he said, over and over again, \"It is better to save poor,\nweak animals than to save a prince.\"\n\nAt last some wise men among the crowds along the street asked the poor\nman what prince he had saved. Then the poor man told the whole story,\nending with the words, \"By saving your king, I brought all this pain\nupon myself.\"\n\nThe wise men and all the rest of the crowd cried out: \"This poor man\nsaved the life of our king, and now the king has ordered him to be\nkilled. How can we be sure that he will not have any, or all, of us\nkilled? Let us kill him.\" And in their anger they rushed from every\nside upon the king as he rode on his elephant, and with arrows and\nstones they killed him then and there.\n\nThen they made the poor man king, and set him to rule over them.\n\nThe poor man ruled his people well. One day he decided once more to\ntry the Snake, the Rat, and the Parrot. So, followed by many servants,\nthe king went to where the Snake lived.\n\nAt the call of \"Snake!\" out came the Snake from his hole, saying,\n\"Here, O King, is your treasure; take it.\"\n\n\"I will,\" said the king. \"And I want you to come with me.\"\n\nThen the king had his servants dig up the gold.\n\nGoing to where the Rat lived, the king called, \"Rat!\" Out came the\nRat, and bowing low to the king, the Rat said, \"Take all the money\nburied here and have your servants carry it away.\"\n\n\"I will,\" said the king, and he asked the Rat to go with him and the\nSnake.\n\nThen the king went to where the Parrot lived, and called, \"Parrot!\"\nThe Parrot flew down to the king's feet and said, \"O King, shall I and\nmy family and my friends gather choice rice for you?\"\n\n\"Not now, not until rice is needed,\" said the king. \"Will you come\nwith us?\" The Parrot was glad to join them.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo with the gold, and the money, and with the Snake, the Rat, and the\nParrot as well, the king went back to the city.\n\nThe king had the gold and the money hidden away in the palace. He had\na tube of gold made for the Snake to live in. He had a glass box made\nfor the Rat's home, and a cage of gold for the Parrot. Each had the\nfood he liked best of all to eat every day, and so these four lived\nhappily all their lives.\n\n\n\n\nXX\n\nBEAUTY AND BROWNIE\n\n\nTwo Deer named Beauty and Brownie lived with their father and mother\nand great herds of Deer in a forest. One day their father called them\nto him and said: \"The Deer in the forest are always in danger when the\ncorn is ripening in the fields. It will be best for you to go away for\na while, and you must each take your own herd of Deer with you.\"\n\n\"What is the danger, Father?\" they asked.\n\n\"When the Deer go into the fields to eat the corn they get caught in\nthe traps the men set there,\" the father said. \"Many Deer are caught\nin these traps every year.\"\n\n\"Shall you go away with us?\" Brownie said.\n\n\"No, your mother and I, and some of the other old Deer will stay here\nin the forest,\" said the father. \"There will be food enough for us,\nbut there is not enough for you and your herds. You must lead your\nherds up into the high hills where there is plenty of food for you,\nand stay there until the crops are all cut. Then you can bring your\nherds back here. But you must be careful.\n\n\"You must travel by night, because the hunters will see you if you go\nby day. And you must not take your herd near the villages where\nhunters live.\"\n\nSo Beauty and Brownie and their herds set out. Beauty traveled at\nnight and did not go near any villages, and at last brought his herd\nsafely to the high hills. Not a single Deer did Beauty lose.\n\nBut Brownie forgot what his father had said. Early each morning he\nstarted off with his herd, going along all through the day. When he\nsaw a village, he led his herd right past it. Again and again hunters\nsaw the herd, and they killed many, many of the Deer in Brownie's\nherd.\n\nWhen crops had been cut, the Deer started back to the forest. Beauty\nled all his herd back, but stupid Brownie traveled in the daytime, and\nagain he took his herd past the villages. When he reached the forest\nonly a few were left of all Brownie's herd.\n\n\n\n\nXXI\n\nTHE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Dog used to go into the stable where the king's\nElephant lived. At first the Dog went there to get the food that was\nleft after the Elephant had finished eating.\n\nDay after day the Dog went to the stable, waiting around for bits to\neat. But by and by the Elephant and the Dog came to be great friends.\nThen the Elephant began to share his food with the Dog, and they ate\ntogether. When the Elephant slept, his friend the Dog slept beside\nhim. When the Elephant felt like playing, he would catch the Dog in\nhis trunk and swing him to and fro. Neither the Dog nor the Elephant\nwas quite happy unless the other was nearby.\n\nOne day a farmer saw the Dog and said to the Elephant-keeper: \"I will\nbuy that Dog. He looks good-tempered, and I see that he is smart. How\nmuch do you want for the Dog?\"\n\nThe Elephant-keeper did not care for the Dog, and he did want some\nmoney just then. So he asked a fair price, and the fanner paid it and\ntook the Dog away to the country.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe king's Elephant missed the Dog and did not care to eat when his\nfriend was not there to share the food. When the time came for the\nElephant to bathe, he would not bathe. The next day again the Elephant\nwould not eat, and he would not bathe. The third day, when the\nElephant would neither eat nor bathe, the king was told about it.\n\nThe king sent for his chief servant, saying, \"Go to the stable and\nfind out why the Elephant is acting in this way.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe chief servant went to the stable and looked the Elephant all over.\nThen he said to the Elephant-keeper: \"There seems to be nothing the\nmatter with this Elephant's body, but why does he look so sad? Has he\nlost a playmate?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the keeper, \"there was a Dog who ate and slept and played\nwith the Elephant. The Dog went away three days ago.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"Do you know where the Dog is now?\" asked the chief servant.\n\n\"No, I do not,\" said the keeper.\n\nThen the chief servant went back to the king and said, \"The Elephant\nis not sick, but he is lonely without his friend, the Dog.\"\n\n\"Where is the Dog?\" asked the king.\n\n\"A farmer took him away, so the Elephant-keeper says,\" said the chief\nservant. \"No one knows where the farmer lives.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the king. \"I will send word all over the country,\nasking the man who bought this Dog to turn him loose. I will give him\nback as much as he paid for the Dog.\"\n\nWhen the farmer who had bought the Dog heard this, he turned him\nloose. The Dog ran back as fast as ever he could go to the Elephant's\nstable. The Elephant was so glad to see the Dog that he picked him up\nwith his trunk and put him on his head. Then he put him down again.\n\nWhen the Elephant-keeper brought food, the Elephant watched the Dog as\nhe ate, and then took his own food.\n\nAll the rest of their lives the Elephant and the Dog lived together.","title":"More Jataka Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":12337}