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MORE JATAKA TALES


Re-told by

Ellen C. Babbitt


With illustrations by

Ellsworth Young


[Illustration]


DEDICATED

to

RUDYARD KIPLING

in the name of all children
who troop to his call





FOREWORD


The continued success of the "Jataka Tales," as retold and published
ten years ago, has led to this second and companion volume. Who that
has read or told stories to children has not been lured on by the
subtle flattery of their cry for "more"?

Dr. Felix Adler, in his Foreword to "Jataka Tales," says that long ago
he was "captivated by the charm of the Jataka Tales." Little children
have not only felt this charm, but they have discovered that they can
read the stories to themselves. And so "More Jataka Tales" were found
in the volume translated from the Sanskrit into English by a group of
Cambridge scholars and published by the University Press.

The Jataka tales, regarded as historic in the Third Century B. C., are
the oldest collection of folk-lore extant. They come down to us from
that dim far-off time when our forebears told tales around the same
hearth fire on the roof of the world. Professor Rhys Davids speaks of
them as "a priceless record of the childhood of our race. The same
stories are found in Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, and in most
European languages. The Greek versions of the Jataka tales were
adapted and ascribed to the famous storyteller, Aesop, and under his
name handed down as a continual feast for the children in the
West,--tales first invented to please and instruct our far-off cousins
in the East." Here East, though East, meets West!

A "Guild of Jataka Translators," under Professor E. B. Cowell,
professor of Sanskrit in the University of Cambridge, brought out the
complete edition of the Jataka between 1895 and 1907. It is from this
source that "Jataka Tales" and "More Jataka Tales" have been retold.

Of these stories, spread over Europe through literary channels,
Professor Cowell says, "They are the stray waifs of literature, in the
course of their long wanderings coming to be recognized under widely
different aspects, as when they are used by Boccaccio, or Chaucer, or
La Fontaine."




CONTENTS


I THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS

II THE THREE FISHES

III THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS

IV THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER

V THE GOLDEN GOOSE

VI THE STUPID MONKEYS

VII THE CUNNING WOLF

VIII THE PENNY-WISE MONKEY

IX THE RED-BUD TREE

X THE WOODPECKER AND THE LION

XI THE OTTERS AND THE WOLF

XII HOW THE MONKEY SAVED HIS TROOP

XIII THE HAWKS AND THEIR FRIENDS

XIV THE BRAVE LITTLE BOWMAN

XV THE FOOLHARDY WOLF

XVI THE STOLEN PLOW

XVII THE LION IN BAD COMPANY

XVIII THE WISE GOAT AND THE WOLF

XIX PRINCE WICKED AND THE GRATEFUL ANIMALS

XX BEAUTY AND BROWNIE

XXI THE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG





I

THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS


One day the king went for a long walk in the woods. When he came back
to his own garden, he sent for his family to come down to the lake
for a swim.

When they were all ready to go into the water, the queen and her
ladies left their jewels in charge of the servants, and then went down
into the lake.

As the queen put her string of pearls away in a box, she was watched
by a Girl Monkey who sat in the branches of a tree near-by. This Girl
Monkey wanted to get the queen's string of pearls, so she sat still
and watched, hoping that the servant in charge of the pearls would go
to sleep.

At first the servant kept her eyes on the jewel-box. But by and by she
began to nod, and then she fell fast asleep.

As soon as the Monkey saw this, quick as the wind she jumped down,
opened the box, picked up the string of pearls, and quick as the wind
she was up in the tree again, holding the pearls very carefully. She
put the string of pearls on, and then, for fear the guards in the
garden would see the pearls, the Monkey hid them in a hole in the
tree. Then she sat near-by looking as if nothing had happened.

By and by the servant awoke. She looked in the box, and finding that
the string of pearls was not there, she cried, "A man has run off with
the queen's string of pearls."

Up ran the guards from every side.

The servant said: "I sat right here beside the box where the queen put
her string of pearls. I did not move from the place. But the day is
hot, and I was tired. I must have fallen asleep. The pearls were gone
when I awoke."

The guards told the king that the pearls were gone.

"Find the man who stole the pearls," said the king. Away went the
guards looking high and low for the thief.

After the king had gone, the chief guard said to himself:

"There is something strange here. These pearls," thought he, "were
lost in the garden. There was a strong guard at the gates, so that no
one from the outside could get into the garden. On the other hand,
there are hundreds of Monkeys here in the garden. Perhaps one of the
Girl Monkeys took the string of pearls."

Then the chief guard thought of a trick that would tell whether a Girl
Monkey had taken the pearls. So he bought a number of strings of
bright-colored glass beads.

After dark that night the guards hung the strings of glass beads here
and there on the low bushes in the garden. When the Monkeys saw the
strings of bright-colored beads the next morning, each Monkey ran for
a string.

But the Girl Monkey who had taken the queen's string of pearls did not
come down. She sat near the hole where she had hidden the pearls.

The other Monkeys were greatly pleased with their strings of beads.
They chattered to one another about them. "It is too bad you did not
get one," they said to her as she sat quietly, saying nothing. At last
she could stand it no longer. She put on the queen's string of pearls
and came down, saying proudly: "You have only strings of glass beads.
See my string of pearls!"

Then the chief of the guards, who had been hiding nearby, caught the
Girl Monkey. He took her at once to the king.

"It was this Girl Monkey, your Majesty, who took the pearls."

The king was glad enough to get the pearls, but he asked the chief
guard how he had found out who took them.

The chief guard told the king that he knew no one could have come into
the garden and so he thought they must have been taken by one of the
Monkeys in the garden. Then he told the king about the trick he had
played with the beads.

"You are the right man in the right place," said the king, and he
thanked the chief of the guards over and over again.


[Illustration]


II.

THE THREE FISHES


Once upon a time three Fishes lived in a far-away river. They were
named Thoughtful, Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless.

One day they left the wild country where no men lived, and came down
the river to live near a town.

Very-Thoughtful said to the other two: "There is danger all about us
here. Fishermen come to the river here to catch fish with all sorts of
nets and lines. Let us go back again to the wild country where we used
to live."

But the other two Fishes were so lazy and so greedy that they kept
putting off their going from day to day.

But one day Thoughtful and Thoughtless went swimming on ahead of
Very-Thoughtful and they did not see the fisherman's net and rushed
into it. Very-Thoughtful saw them rush into the net.

"I must save them," said Very-Thoughtful.

So swimming around the net, he splashed in the water in front of it,
like a Fish that had broken through the net and gone up the river.
Then he swam back of the net and splashed about there like a Fish that
had broken through and gone down the river.

[Illustration]

The fisherman saw the splashing water and thought the Fishes had
broken through the net and that one had gone up the river, the other
down, so he pulled in the net by one corner. That let the two Fishes
out of the net and away they went to find Very-Thoughtful.

"You saved our lives, Very-Thoughtful," they said, "and now we are
willing to go back to the wild country."

So back they all went to their old home where they lived safely ever
after.




III

THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS


Once upon a time a Big Rat lived in the forest, and many hundreds of
other Rats called him their Chief.

A Tricky Wolf saw this troop of Rats, and began to plan how he could
catch them. He wanted to eat them, but how was he to get them? At last
he thought of a plan. He went to a corner near the home of the Rats
and waited until he saw one of them coming. Then he stood up on his
hind legs.

The Chief of the Rats said to the Wolf, "Wolf, why do you stand on
your hind legs?"

"Because I am lame," said the Tricky Wolf. "It hurts me to stand on my
front legs."

"And why do you keep your mouth open?" asked the Rat.

"I keep my mouth open so that I may drink in all the air I can," said
the Wolf. "I live on air; it is my only food day after day. I can not
run or walk, so I stay here. I try not to complain." When the Rats
went away the Wolf lay down.

The Chief of the Rats was sorry for the Wolf, and he went each night
and morning with all the other Rats to talk with the Wolf, who seemed
so poor, and who did not complain.

[Illustration]

Each time as the Rats were leaving, the Wolf caught and ate the last
one. Then he wiped his lips, and looked as if nothing had happened.

Each night there were fewer Rats at bedtime. Then they asked the Chief
of the Rats what the trouble was. He could not be sure, but he thought
the Wolf was to blame.

So the next day the Chief said to the other Rats, "You go first this
time and I will go last."

They did so, and as the Chief of the Rats went by, the Wolf made a
spring at him. But the Wolf was not quick enough, and the Chief of the
Rats got away.

"So this is the food you eat. Your legs are not so lame as they were.
You have played your last trick, Wolf," said the Chief of the Rats,
springing at the Wolf's throat. He bit the Wolf, so that he died.

And ever after the Rats lived happily in peace and quiet.




IV

THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER


Once upon a time a Deer lived in a forest near a lake. Not far from
the same lake, a Woodpecker had a nest in the top of a tree; and in
the lake lived a Turtle. The three were friends, and lived together
happily.

A hunter, wandering about in the wood, saw the footprints of the Deer
near the edge of the lake. "I must trap the Deer, going down into the
water," he said, and setting a strong trap of leather, he went his
way.

Early that night when the Deer went down to drink, he was caught in
the trap, and he cried the cry of capture.

At once the Woodpecker flew down from her tree-top, and the Turtle
came out of the water to see what could be done.

Said the Woodpecker to the Turtle: "Friend, you have teeth; you gnaw
through the leather trap. I will go and see to it that the hunter
keeps away. If we both do our best our friend will not lose his life."

So the Turtle began to gnaw the leather, and the Woodpecker flew to
the hunter's house.

At dawn the hunter came, knife in hand, to the front door of his
house.

[Illustration]

The Woodpecker, flapping her wings, flew at the hunter and struck him
in the face.

[Illustration]

The hunter turned back into the house and lay down for a little while.
Then he rose up again, and took his knife. He said to himself: "When I
went out by the front door, a Bird flew in my face; now I will go out
by the back door." So he did.

The Woodpecker thought: "The hunter went out by the front door before,
so now he will leave by the back door." So the Woodpecker sat in a
tree near the back door.

When the hunter came out the bird flew at him again, flapping her
wings in the hunter's face.

Then the hunter turned back and lay down again. When the sun arose, he
took his knife, and started out once more.

This time the Woodpecker flew back as fast as she could fly to her
friends, crying, "Here comes the hunter!"

By this time the Turtle had gnawed through all the pieces of the trap
but one. The leather was so hard that it made his teeth feel as if
they would fall out. His mouth was all covered with blood. The Deer
heard the Woodpecker, and saw the hunter, knife in hand, coming on.
With a strong pull the Deer broke this last piece of the trap, and ran
into the woods.

The Woodpecker flew up to her nest in the tree-top.

But the Turtle was so weak he could not get away. He lay where he was.
The hunter picked him up and threw him into a bag, tying it to a tree.

The Deer saw that the Turtle was taken, and made up his mind to save
his friend's life. So the Deer let the hunter see him.

The hunter seized his knife and started after the Deer. The Deer,
keeping just out of his reach, led the hunter into the forest.

When the Deer saw that they had gone far into the forest he slipped
away from the hunter, and swift as the wind, he went by another way to
where he had left the Turtle.

But the Turtle was not there. The Deer called, "Turtle, Turtle!"; and
the Turtle called out, "Here I am in a bag hanging on this tree."

Then the Deer lifted the bag with his horns, and throwing it upon the
ground, he tore the bag open, and let the Turtle out.

The Woodpecker flew down from her nest, and the Deer said to them:
"You two friends saved my life, but if we stay here talking, the
hunter will find us, and we may not get away. So do you, Friend
Woodpecker, fly away. And you, Friend Turtle, dive into the water. I
will hide in the forest."

The hunter did come back, but neither the Deer, nor the Turtle, nor
the Woodpecker was to be seen. He found his torn bag, and picking that
up he went back to his home.

The three friends lived together all the rest of their lives.




V

THE GOLDEN GOOSE


Once upon a time there was a Goose who had beautiful golden feathers.
Not far away from this Goose lived a poor, a very poor woman, who had
two daughters. The Goose saw that they had a hard time to get along
and said he to himself:

"If I give them one after another of my golden feathers, the mother
can sell them, and with the money they bring she and her daughters can
then live in comfort."

So away the Goose flew to the poor woman's house.

Seeing the Goose, the woman said: "Why do you come here? We have
nothing to give you."

"But I have something to give you," said the Goose. "I will give my
feathers, one by one, and you can sell them for enough so that you and
your daughters can live in comfort."

So saying the Goose gave her one of his feathers, and then flew away.
From time to time he came back, each time leaving another feather.

The mother and her daughters sold the beautiful feathers for enough
money to keep them in comfort. But one day the mother said to her
daughters: "Let us not trust this Goose. Some day he may fly away and
never come back. Then we should be poor again. Let us get all of his
feathers the very next time he comes."

[Illustration]

The daughters said: "This will hurt the Goose. We will not do such a
thing."

But the mother was greedy. The next time the Golden Goose came she
took hold of him with both hands, and pulled out every one of his
feathers.

Now the Golden Goose has strange feathers. If his feathers are plucked
out against his wish, they no longer remain golden but turn white and
are of no more value than chicken-feathers. The new ones that come in
are not golden, but plain white.

[Illustration]

As time went on his feathers grew again, and then he flew away to his
home and never came back again.




VI

THE STUPID MONKEYS


Once upon a time a king gave a holiday to all the people in one of his
cities.

The king's gardener thought to himself: "All my friends are having a
holiday in the city. I could go into the city and enjoy myself with
them if I did not have to water the trees here in this garden. I know
what I will do. I will get the Monkeys to water the young trees for
me." In those days, a tribe of Monkeys lived in the king's garden.

So the gardener went to the Chief of the Monkeys, and said: "You are
lucky Monkeys to be living in the king's garden. You have a fine place
to play in. You have the best of food--nuts, fruit, and the young
shoots of trees to eat. You have no work at all to do. You can play
all day, every day. To-day my friends are having a holiday in the
city, and I want to enjoy myself with them. Will you water the young
trees so that I can go away?"

"Oh, yes!" said the Chief of the Monkeys. "We shall be glad to do
that."

"Do not forget to water the trees when the sun goes down. See they
have plenty of water, but not too much," said the gardener. Then he
showed them where the watering-pots were kept, and went away.

[Illustration]

When the sun went down the Monkeys took the watering-pots, and began
to water the young trees. "See that each tree has enough water," said
the Chief of the Monkeys.

"How shall we know when each tree has enough?" they asked. The Chief
of the Monkeys had no good answer, so he said: "Pull up each young
tree and look at the length of its roots. Give a great deal of water
to those with long roots, but only a little to those trees that have
short roots."

Then those stupid Monkeys pulled up all the young trees to see which
trees had long roots and which had short roots.

When the gardener came back the next day, the poor young trees were
all dead.




VII

THE CUNNING WOLF


Once upon a time the people in a certain town went out into the woods
for a holiday. They took baskets full of good things to eat. But when
noontime came they ate all the meat they had brought with them, not
leaving any for supper.

"I will get some fresh meat. We will make a fire here and roast it,"
said one of the men.

So taking a club, he went to the lake where the animals came to drink.
He lay down, club in hand, pretending to be dead.

When the animals came down to the lake they saw the man lying there
and they watched him for some time.

"That man is playing a trick on us, I believe," said the King of the
Wolves. "The rest of you stay here while I will see whether he is
really dead, or whether he is pretending to be dead."

Then the cunning King of the Wolves crept up to the man and slyly
pulled at his club.

At once the man pulled back on his club.

Then the King of the Wolves ran off saying: "If you had been dead, you
would not have pulled back on your club when I tried to pull it away.
I see your trick. You pretend you are dead so that you may kill one of
us for your supper."

[Illustration]

The man jumped up and threw his club at the King of the Wolves. But he
missed his aim. He looked for the other animals but there was not one
in sight. They had all run away.


Then the man went back to his friends, saying: "I tried to get fresh
meat by playing a trick on the animals, but the cunning Wolf played a
better trick on me, and I could not get one of them."

[Illustration]




VIII

THE PENNY-WISE MONKEY


Once upon a time the king of a large and rich country gathered
together his army to take a faraway little country. The king and his
soldiers marched all morning long and then went into camp in the
forest.

When they fed the horses they gave them some peas to eat. One of the
Monkeys living in the forest saw the peas and jumped down to get some
of them. He filled his mouth and hands with them, and up into the tree
he went again, and sat down to eat the peas.

As he sat there eating the peas, one pea fell from his hand to the
ground. At once the greedy Monkey dropped all the peas he had in his
hands, and ran down to hunt for the lost pea. But he could not find
that one pea. He climbed up into his tree again, and sat still looking
very glum. "To get more, I threw away what I had," he said to himself.

The king had watched the Monkey, and he said to himself: "I will not
be like this foolish Monkey, who lost much to gain a little. I will go
back to my own country and enjoy what I now have."

So he and his men marched back home.




IX

THE RED-BUD TREE


Once upon a time four young princes heard a story about a certain
wonderful tree, called the Red-Bud Tree. No one of them had ever seen
a Red-Bud Tree, and each prince wished to be the first to see one. So
the eldest prince asked the driver of the king's chariot to take him
deep into the woods where this tree grew. It was still very early in
the spring and the tree had no leaves, nor buds. It was black and bare
like a dead tree. The prince could not understand why this was called
a Red-Bud Tree, but he asked no questions.

Later in the spring, the next son went with the driver of the king's
chariot to see the Red-Bud Tree. At this time it was covered with red
buds.

The tree was all covered with green leaves when the third son went
into the woods a little later to see it. He asked no questions about
it, but he could see no reason for calling it the Red-Bud Tree.

Some time after this the youngest prince begged to be taken to see the
Red-Bud Tree. By this time it was covered with little bean-pods.

When he came back from the woods he ran into the garden where his
brothers were playing, crying, "I have seen the Red-Bud Tree."

[Illustration]

"So have I," said the eldest prince. "It did not look like much of a
tree to me," said he; "it looked like a dead tree. It was black and
bare."

"What makes you say that?" said the second son. "The tree has hundreds
of beautiful red buds. This is why it is called the Red-Bud Tree."

The third prince said: "Red buds, did you say? Why do you say it has
red buds? It is covered with green leaves."

The prince who had seen the tree last laughed at his brothers, saying:
"I have just seen that tree, and it is not like a dead tree. It has
neither red buds nor green leaves on it. It is covered with little
bean-pods."

The king heard them and waited until they stopped talking. Then he
said: "My sons, you have all four seen the same tree, but each of you
saw it at a different time of the year."




X

THE WOODPECKER AND THE LION


One day while a Lion was eating his dinner a bone stuck in his throat.
It hurt so that he could not finish his dinner. He walked up and down,
up and down, roaring with pain.

A Woodpecker lit on a branch of a tree near-by, and hearing the Lion,
she said, "Friend, what ails you?" The Lion told the Woodpecker what
the matter was, and the Woodpecker said: "I would take the bone out of
your throat, friend, but I do not dare to put my head into your mouth,
for fear I might never get it out again. I am afraid you might eat me."

"O Woodpecker, do not be afraid," the Lion said. "I will not eat you.
Save my life if you can!"

"I will see what I can do for you," said the Woodpecker. "Open your
mouth wide." The Lion did as he was told, but the Woodpecker said to
himself: "Who knows what this Lion will do? I think I will be
careful."

So the Woodpecker put a stick between the Lion's upper and lower jaws
so that he could not shut his mouth.

Then the Woodpecker hopped into the Lion's mouth and hit the end of
the bone with his beak. The second time he hit it, the bone fell out.

[Illustration]

The Woodpecker hopped out of the Lion's mouth, and hit the stick so
that it too fell out. Then the Lion could shut his mouth.

At once the Lion felt very much better, but not one word of thanks did
he say to the Woodpecker.

One day later in the summer, the Woodpecker said to the Lion, "I want
you to do something for me."

"Do something for you?" said the Lion. "You mean you want me to do
something more for you. I have already done a great deal for you. You
cannot expect me to do anything more for you. Do not forget that once
I had you in my mouth, and I let you go. That is all that you can ever
expect me to do for you."

The Woodpecker said no more, but he kept away from the Lion from that
day on.




XI

THE OTTERS AND THE WOLF


One day a Wolf said to her mate, "A longing has come upon me to eat
fresh fish."

"I will go and get some for you," said he and he went down to the
river.

There he saw two Otters standing on the bank looking for fish. Soon
one of the Otters saw a great fish, and entering the water with a
bound, he caught hold of the tail of the fish.

But the fish was strong and swam away, dragging the Otter after him.
"Come and help me," the Otter called back to his friend. "This great
fish will be enough for both of us!"

So the other Otter went into the water. The two together were able to
bring the fish to land. "Let us divide the fish into two parts."

"I want the half with the head on," said one.

"You cannot have that half. That is mine," said the other. "You take
the tail."

The Wolf heard the Otters and he went up to them.

Seeing the Wolf, the Otters said: "Lord of the gray-grass color, this
fish was caught by both of us together. We cannot agree about dividing
him. Will you divide him for us?"

The Wolf cut off the tail and gave it to one, giving the head to the
other. He took the large middle part for himself, saying to them, "You
can eat the head and the tail without quarreling." And away he ran
with the body of the fish. The Otters stood and looked at each other.
They had nothing to say, but each thought to himself that the Wolf had
run off with the best of the fish.

[Illustration]

The Wolf was pleased and said to himself, as he ran toward home, "Now
I have fresh fish for my mate."

His mate, seeing him coming, came to meet him, saying: "How did you
get fish? You live on land, not in the water."

Then he told her of the quarrel of the Otters. "I took the fish as pay
for settling their quarrel," said he.




XII

HOW THE MONKEY SAVED HIS TROOP


A mango-tree grew on the bank of a great river. The fruit fell from
some of the branches of this tree into the river, and from other
branches it fell on the ground.

Every night a troop of Monkeys gathered the fruit that lay on the
ground and climbed up into the tree to get the mangoes, which were
like large, juicy peaches.

One day the king of the country stood on the bank of this same river,
but many miles below where the mango-tree grew. The king was watching
the fishermen with their nets.

As they drew in their nets, the fishermen found not only fishes but a
strange fruit. They went to the king with the strange fruit. "What is
this?" asked the king. "We do not know, O King," they said.

"Call the foresters," said the king, "They will know what it is."

So they called the foresters and they said that it was a mango.

"Is it good to eat?" asked the king.

[Illustration]

The foresters said it was very good. So the king cut the mango and
giving some to the princes, he ate some of it himself. He liked it
very much, and they all liked it.

Then the king said to the foresters, "Where does the mango-tree grow?"

The foresters told him that it grew on the river bank many miles
farther up the river.

"Let us go and see the tree and get some mangoes," said the king.

So he had many rafts joined together, and they went up the river until
they came to the place where the mango-tree grew.

The foresters said, "O King, this is the mango-tree."

"We will land here," said the king, and they did so. The king and all
the men with him gathered the mangoes that lay on the ground under the
tree. They all liked them so well that the king said, "Let us stay
here to-night, and gather more fruit in the morning." So they had
their supper under the trees, and then lay down to sleep.

When all was quiet, the Chief of the Monkeys came with his troop. All
the mangoes on the ground had been eaten, so the monkeys jumped from
branch to branch, picking and eating mangoes, and chattering to one
another. They made so much noise that they woke up the king. He called
his archers saying: "Stand under the mango-tree and shoot the Monkeys
as they come down to the ground to get away. Then in the morning we
shall have Monkey's flesh as well as mangoes to eat."

The Monkeys saw the archers standing around with their arrows ready to
shoot. Fearing death, the Monkeys ran to their Chief, saying: "O
Chief, the archers stand around the tree ready to shoot us! What shall
we do?" They shook with fear.

The Chief said: "Do not fear; I will save you. Stay where you are
until I call you."

The Monkeys were comforted, for he had always helped them whenever
they had needed help.

Then the Chief of the Monkeys ran out on the branch of the mango-tree
that hung out over the river. The long branches of the tree across the
river did not quite meet the branch he stood on. The Chief said to
himself: "If the Monkeys try to jump across from this tree to that,
some of them will fall into the water and drown. I must save them, but
how am I to do it? I know what I shall do. I shall make a bridge of my
back."

So the Chief reached across and took hold of the longest branch of the
tree across the river. He called, "Come, Monkeys; run out on this
branch, step on my back, and then run along the branch of the other
tree."

The Monkeys did as the Chief told them to do. They ran along the
branch, stepped on his back, then ran along the branch of the other
tree. They swung themselves down to the ground, and away they went
back to their home.

The king saw all that was done by the Chief and his troop. "That big
Monkey," said the king to the archers, "saved the whole troop. I will
see to it that he is taken care of the rest of his life."

And the king kept his promise.




XIII

THE HAWKS AND THEIR FRIENDS


A family of Hawks lived on an island in a lake not far from the great
forest. On the northern shore of this lake lived a Lion, King of
Beasts. On the eastern shore lived a Kingfisher. On the southern shore
of the lake lived a Turtle.

"Have you many friends near here?" the Mother Hawk asked the Father
Hawk.

"No, not one in this part of the forest," he said.

"You must find some friends. We must have some one who can help us if
ever we are in danger, or in trouble," said the Mother Hawk.

"With whom shall I make friends?" asked the Father Hawk.

"With the Kingfisher, who lives on the eastern shore, and with the
Lion on the north," said the Mother Hawk, "and with the Turtle who
lives on the southern shore of this lake."

The Father Hawk did so.

One day men hunted in the great forest from morning until night, but
found nothing. Not wishing to go home empty-handed, they went to the
island to see what they could find there.

"Let us stay here to-night," they said, "and see what we can find in
the morning."

So they made beds of leaves for themselves and lay down to sleep. They
had made their beds under the tree in which the Hawks had their nest.

But the hunters could not go to sleep because they were bothered by
the flies and mosquitoes. At last the hunters got up and made a fire
on the shore of the lake, so that the smoke would drive away the flies
and mosquitoes. The smoke awoke the birds, and the young ones cried
out.

"Did you hear that?" said one of the hunters. "That was the cry of
birds! They will do very well for our breakfast. There are young ones
in that nest." And the hunters put more wood on the fire, and made it
blaze up.

Then the Mother bird said to the Father: "These men are planning to
eat our young ones. We must ask our friends to save us. Go to the
Kingfisher and tell him what danger we are in."

The Father Hawk flew with all speed to the Kingfisher's nest and woke
him with his cry.

"Why have you come?" asked the Kingfisher.

Then the Father Hawk told the Kingfisher what the hunters planned to
do.

"Fear not," said the Kingfisher. "I will help you. Go back quickly and
comfort my friend your mate, and say that I am coming."

So the Father Hawk flew back to his nest, and the Kingfisher flew to
the island and went into the lake near the place where the fire was
burning.

While the Father Hawk was away, one of the hunters had climbed up into
the tree. Just as he neared the nest, the Kingfisher, beating the
water with his wings, sprinkled water on the fire and put it out.

Down came the hunter to make another fire. When it was burning well he
climbed the tree again. Once more the Kingfisher put it out. As often
as a fire was made, the Kingfisher put it out. Midnight came and the
Kingfisher was now very tired.

The Mother Hawk noticed this and said to her mate: "The Kingfisher is
tired out. Go and ask the Turtle to help us so that the Kingfisher may
have a rest."

The Father Hawk flew down and said, "Rest awhile, Friend Kingfisher; I
will go and get the Turtle."

So the Father Hawk flew to the southern shore and wakened the Turtle.

"What is your errand, Friend?" asked the Turtle.

"Danger has come to us," said the Father Hawk, and he told the Turtle
about the hunters. "The Kingfisher has been working for hours, and now
he is very tired. That is why I have come to you."

The Turtle said, "I will help you at once."

Then the Turtle went to the island where the Hawks lived. He dived
into the water, collected some mud, and put out the fire with it. Then
he lay still.

The hunters cried: "Why should we bother to get the young Hawks? Let
us kill this Turtle. He will make a fine breakfast for all of us. We
must be careful or he will bite us. Let us throw a net over him and
turn him over."

They had no nets with them, so they took some vines, and tore their
clothes into strings and made a net.

But when they had put the net all over the Turtle, they could not roll
him over. Instead, the Turtle suddenly dived down into the deep water.
The men were so eager to get him that they did not let go of the net,
so down they went into the water. As they came out they said: "Half
the night a Kingfisher kept putting out our fires. Now we have torn
our clothes and got all wet trying to get this Turtle. We will build
another fire, and at sunrise we will eat those young Hawks." And they
began to build another fire.

The Mother Hawk heard them, and said to her mate: "Sooner or later
these men will get our young. Do go and tell our friend the Lion."

At once the Father Hawk flew to the Lion.

"Why do you come at this hour of the night?" asked the Lion.

The Hawk told him the whole story.

The Lion said: "I will come at once. You go back and comfort your mate
and the young ones." Soon the Lion came roaring.

When the hunters heard the Lion's roar they cried, "Now we shall all
be killed." And away they ran as fast as they could go.

When the Lion came to the foot of the tree, not one of the hunters was
to be seen. Then the Kingfisher and the Turtle came up, and the Hawks
said: "You have saved us. Friends in need are friends indeed."




XIV

THE BRAVE LITTLE BOWMAN


Once upon a time there was a little man with a crooked back who was
called the wise little bowman because he used his bow and arrow so
very well. This crooked little man said to himself: "If I go to the
king and ask him to let me join his army, he's sure to ask what a
little man like me is good for. I must find some great big man who
will take me as his page, and ask the king to take us." So the little
bowman went about the city looking for a big man.

One day he saw a big, strong man digging a ditch "What makes a fine
big man like you do such work?" asked the little man.

"I do this work because I can earn a living in no other way," said the
big man.

"Dig no more," said the bowman. "There is in this whole country no
such bowman as I am; but no king would let me join his army because I
am such a little man. I want you to ask the king to let you join the
army. He will take you because you are big and strong. I will do the
work that you are given to do, and we will divide the pay. In this way
we shall both of us earn a good living. Will you come with me and do
as I tell you?" asked the little bowman.

"Yes, I will go with you," said the big man.

So together they set out to go to the king. By and by they came to the
gates of the palace, and sent word to the king that a wonderful bowman
was there. The king sent for the bowman to come before him. Both the
big man and the little man went in and, bowing, stood before the king.

The king looked at the big man and asked, "What brings you here?"

"I want to be in your army," said the big man.

"Who is the little man with you?" asked the king.

"He is my page," said the big man.

"What pay do you want?" asked the king.

"A thousand pieces a month for me and my page, O King," said the big
man.

"I will take you and your page," said the king.

So the big man and the little bowman joined the king's army.

Now in those days there was a tiger in the forest who had carried off
many people. The king sent for the big man and told him to kill that
tiger.

The big man told the little bowman what the king said. They went into
the forest together, and soon the little bowman shot the tiger.

The king was glad to be rid of the tiger, and gave the big man rich
gifts and praised him.

Another day word came that a buffalo was running up and down a certain
road. The king told the big man to go and kill that buffalo. The big
man and the little man went to the road, and soon the little man shot
the buffalo. When they both went back to the king, he gave a bag of
money to the big man.

The king and all the people praised the big man, and so one day the
big man said to the little man: "I can get on without you. Do you
think there's no bowman but yourself?" Many other harsh and unkind
things did he say to the little man.

But a few days later a king from a far country marched upon the city
and sent a message to its king saying, "Give up your country, or do
battle."

The king at once sent his army. The big man was armed and mounted on a
war-elephant. But the little bowman knew that the big man could not
shoot, so he took his bow and seated himself behind the big man.

Then the war-elephant, at the head of the army, went out of the city.
At the first beat of the drums, the big man shook with fear. "Hold on
tight," said the little bowman. "If you fall off now, you will be
killed. You need not be afraid; I am here."

[Illustration]

But the big man was so afraid that he slipped down off the
war-elephant's back, and ran back into the city. He did not stop until
he reached his home.

"And now to win!" said the little bowman, as he drove the war-elephant
into the fight. The army broke into the camp of the king that came
from afar, and drove him back to his own country. Then the little
bowman led the army back into the city. The king and all the people
called him "the brave little bowman." The king made him the chief of
the army, giving him rich gifts.




XV

THE FOOLHARDY WOLF


A lion bounded forth from his lair one day, looking north, west,
south, and east. He saw a Buffalo and went to kill him.

The Lion ate all of the Buffalo-meat he wanted, and then went down to
the lake for a drink.

As the Lion turned to go toward his den for a nap, he came upon a
hungry Wolf.

The Wolf had no chance to get away, so he threw himself at the Lion's
feet.

"What do you want?" the Lion asked.

"O Lion, let me be your servant," said the Wolf. "Very well," said the
Lion, "serve me, and you shall have good food to eat."

So saying, the Lion went into his den for his nap. When he woke up,
the Lion said to the Wolf: "Each day you must go to the mountain top,
and see whether there are any elephants, or ponies, or buffaloes
about. If you see any, come to me and say: 'Great Lion, come forth in
thy might. Food is in sight.' Then I will kill and eat, and give part
of the meat to you."

So day after day the Wolf climbed to the mountain top, and seeing a
pony, or a buffalo, or an elephant, he went back to the den, and
falling at the Lion's feet he said: "Great Lion, come forth in thy
might. Food is in sight."

[Illustration]

Then the Lion would bound forth and kill whichever beast it was,
sharing the meat with the Wolf.

Now this Wolf had never had such fine meat to eat, nor so much. So as
time went on, the Wolf grew bigger and bigger, and stronger and
stronger, until he was really proud of his great size and strength.

"See how big and strong I am," he said to himself.

"Why am I living day after day on food given me by another? I will
kill for my own eating. I'll kill an elephant for myself."

So the Wolf went to the Lion, and said: "I want to eat an elephant of
my own killing. Will you let me lie in your corner in the den, while
you climb the mountain to look out for an elephant? Then when you see
one, you come to the den and say, 'Great Wolf, come forth in thy
might. Food is in sight.' Then I will kill the elephant."

Said the Lion: "Wolf, only Lions can kill elephants. The world has
never seen a Wolf that could kill an elephant. Give up this notion of
yours, and eat what I kill."

But no matter what the Lion said, the Wolf would not give way. So at
last the Lion said: "Well, have your own way. Lie down in the den, and
I will climb to the top of the mountain."

When he saw an elephant the Lion went back to the mouth of the cave,
and said: "Great Wolf, come forth in thy might. Food is in sight."

Then from the den the Wolf nimbly bounded forth, ran to where the
elephant was, and, howling three times, he sprang at the elephant.

But the Wolf missed his aim, and fell down at the elephant's feet. The
elephant raised his right foot and killed the Wolf.

Seeing all this, the Lion said, "You will no more come forth in your
might, you foolhardy Wolf."




XVI

THE STOLEN PLOW


At one time there were two traders who were great friends. One of them
lived in a small village, and one lived in a large town near-by.

One day the village trader took his plow to the large town to have it
mended. Then he left it with the trader who lived there. After some
time the town trader sold the plow, and kept the money.

When the trader from the village came to get his plow the town trader
said, "The mice have eaten your plow."

"That is strange! How could mice eat such a thing?" said the village
trader.

That afternoon when all the children went down to the river to go
swimming, the village trader took the town trader's little son to the
house of a friend saying, "Please keep this little boy here until I
come back for him."

By and by the villager went back to the town trader's house.

"Where is my son? He went away with you. Why didn't you bring him
back?" asked the town trader.

"I took him with me and left him on the bank of the river while I went
down into the water," said the villager. "While I was swimming about a
big bird seized your son, and flew up into the air with him. I
shouted, but I could not make the bird let go," he said.

"That cannot be true," cried the town trader. "No bird could carry off
a boy. I will go to the court, and you will have to go there, and tell
the judge."

The villager said, "As you please"; and they both went to the court.
The town trader said to the judge:

"This fellow took my son with him to the river, and when I asked where
the boy was, he said that a bird had carried him off."

"What have you to say?" said the judge to the village trader.

"I told the father that I took the boy with me, and that a bird had
carried him off," said the village trader.

"But where in the world are there birds strong enough to carry off
boys?" said the judge.

"I have a question to ask you," answered the village trader. "If birds
cannot carry off boys, can mice eat plows?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked the judge.

"I left my good plow with this man. When I came for it he told me that
the mice had eaten it. If mice eat plows, then birds carry off boys;
but if mice cannot do this, neither can birds carry off boys. This man
says the mice ate my plow."

[Illustration]

The judge said to the town trader, "Give back the plow to this man,
and he will give your son back to you."

And the two traders went out of the court, and by night-time one had
his son back again, and the other had his plow.




XVII

THE LION IN BAD COMPANY


One day a young Lion came suddenly upon a Wolf. The Wolf was not able
to get away, so he said to the Lion: "Please, Great Lion, could you
take me to your den, and let me live with you and your mate? I will
work for you all my days."

This young Lion had been told by his father and mother not to make
friends with any Wolf. But when this Wolf called him "Great Lion," he
said to himself: "This Wolf is not bad. This Wolf is not like other
Wolves." So he took the Wolf to the den where he lived with his father
and mother.

Now this Lion's father was a fine old Lion, and he told his son that
he did not like having this Wolf there. But the young Lion thought he
knew better than his father, so the Wolf stayed in the den.

One day the Wolf wanted horse-flesh to eat, so he said to the young
Lion, "Sir, there is nothing we have not eaten except horse-meat; let
us take a horse."

"But where are there horses?" asked the Lion.

"There are small ponies on the river bank," said the Wolf.

So the young Lion went with the Wolf to the river bank when the ponies
were bathing. The Lion caught a small pony, and throwing it on his
back, he ran back to his den.

[Illustration]

His father said: "My son, those ponies belong to the king. Kings have
many skilful archers. Lions do not live long who eat ponies belonging
to the king. Do not take another pony."

But the young Lion liked the taste of horse-meat, and he caught and
killed pony after pony.

Soon the king heard that a Lion was killing the ponies when they went
to bathe in the river. "Build a tank inside the town," said the king.
"The lion will not get the ponies there." But the Lion killed the
ponies as they bathed in the tank.

[Illustration]

Then the king said the ponies must be kept in the stables. But the
Lion went over the wall, and killed the ponies in their stables.

At last the king called an archer, who shot like lightning. "Do you
think you can shoot this Lion?" the king asked him. The archer said
that he was sure he could. "Very well," said the king, "take your
place in the tower on the wall, and shoot him." So the archer waited
there in the tower.

By and by the Lion and the Wolf came to the wall. The Wolf did not go
over the wall but waited to see what would happen. The Lion sprang
over the wall. Very soon he caught and killed a pony. Then the archer
let fly an arrow.

The Lion roared, "I am shot."

Then the Wolf said to himself: "The Lion has been shot, and soon he
will die. I will now go back to my old home in the woods." And so he
did.

The Lion fell down dead.




XVIII

THE WISE GOAT AND THE WOLF


Once upon a time, many, many wild Goats lived in a cave in the side of
a hill. A Wolf lived with his mate not far from this cave. Like all
Wolves they liked the taste of Goat-meat. So they caught the Goats,
one after another, and ate them all but one who was wiser than all the
others. Try as they might, the Wolves could not catch her.

One day the Wolf said to his mate: "My dear, let us play a trick on
that wise Goat. I will lie down here pretending to be dead. You go
alone to the cave where the Goat lives, and looking very sad, say to
her: 'My dear, do you see my mate lying there dead? I am so sad; I
have no friends. Will you be good to me? Will you come and help me
bury the body of my mate?' The Goat will be sorry for you and I think
she will come here with you. When she stands beside me I will spring
upon her and bite her in the neck. Then she will fall over dead, and
we shall have good meat to eat."

The Wolf then lay down, and his mate went to the Goat, saying what she
had been told to say.

But the wise Goat said: "My dear, all my family and friends have been
eaten by your mate I am afraid to go one step with you. I am far safer
here than I would be there."

"Do not be afraid," said the Wolf. "What harm can a dead Wolf do to
you?"

These and many more words the Wolf said to the Goat, so that at last
the Goat said she would go with the Wolf.

But as they went up the hill side by side, the Goat said to herself:
"Who knows what will happen? How do I know the Wolf is dead?" She said
to the Wolf, "I think it will be better if you go on in front of me."

The Wolf thought he heard them coming. He was hungry and he raised up
his head to see if he could see them The Goat saw him raise his head,
and she turned and ran back to her cave.

"Why did you raise your head when you were pretending to be dead?" the
Wolf asked her mate. He had no good answer.

By and by the Wolves were both so very hungry that the Wolf asked his
mate to try once more to catch the Goat.

This time the Wolf went to the Goat and said: "My friend, your coming
helped us, for as soon as you came, my mate felt better. He is now
very much better. Come and talk to him. Let us be friends and have a
good time together."

[Illustration]

The wise Goat thought: "These wicked Wolves want to play another trick
on me. But I have thought of a trick to play on them." So the Goat
said: "I will go to see your mate, and I will take my friends with me.
You go back and get ready for us. Let us all have a good time
together."

Then the Wolf was afraid, and she asked: "Who are the friends who will
come with you? Tell me their names."

The wise Goat said: "I will bring the two Hounds, Old Gray and Young
Tan, and that fine big dog called Four-Eyes. And I will ask each of
them to bring his mate."

The Wolf waited to hear no more. She turned, and away she ran back to
her mate. The Goat never saw either of them again.




XIX

PRINCE WICKED AND THE GRATEFUL ANIMALS


Once upon a time a king had a son named Prince Wicked. He was fierce
and cruel, and he spoke to nobody without abuse, or blows. Like grit
in the eye, was Prince Wicked to every one, both in the palace and out
of it.

His people said to one another, "If he acts this way while he is a
prince, how will he act when he is king?"

One day when the prince was swimming in the river, suddenly a great
storm came on, and it grew very dark.

In the darkness the servants who were with the prince swam from him,
saying to themselves, "Let us leave him alone in the river, and he may
drown."

When they reached the shore, some of the servants who had not gone
into the river said, "Where is Prince Wicked?"

"Isn't he here?" they asked. "Perhaps he came out of the river in the
darkness and went home." Then the servants all went back to the
palace.

The king asked where his son was, and again the servants said: "Isn't
he here, O King? A great storm came on soon after we went into the
water. It grew very dark. When we came out of the water the prince was
not with us."

At once the king had the gates thrown open. He and all his men
searched up and down the banks of the river for the missing prince.
But no trace of him could be found.

In the darkness the prince had been swept down the river. He was
crying for fear he would drown when he came across a log. He climbed
upon the log, and floated farther down the river.

When the great storm arose, the water rushed into the homes of a Rat
and a Snake who lived on the river bank. The Rat and the Snake swam
out into the river and found the same log the prince had found. The
Snake climbed upon one end of the log, and the Rat climbed upon the
other.

On the river's bank a cottonwood-tree grew, and a young Parrot lived
in its branches. The storm pulled up this tree, and it fell into the
river. The heavy rain beat down the Parrot when it tried to fly, and
it could not go far. Looking down it saw the log and flew down to
rest. Now there were four on the log floating down stream together.

Just around the bend in the river a certain poor man had built himself
a hut. As he walked to and fro late at night listening to the storm,
he heard the loud cries of the prince. The poor man said to himself:
"I must get that man out of the water. I must save his life." So he
shouted: "I will save you! I will save you!" as he swam out in the
river.

[Illustration]

Soon he reached the log, and pushing it by one end, he soon pushed it
into the bank. The prince jumped up and down, he was so glad to be
safe and sound on dry land.

Then the poor man saw the Snake, the Rat, and the Parrot, and carried
them to his hut. He built a fire, putting the animals near it so they
could get dry. He took care of them first, because they were the
weaker, and afterwards he looked after the comfort of the prince.

Then the poor man brought food and set it before them, looking after
the animals first and the prince afterwards. This made the young
prince angry, and he said to himself: "This poor man does not treat me
like a prince. He takes care of the animals before taking care of me."
Then the prince began to hate the poor man.

[Illustration]

A few days later, when the prince, and the Snake, the Rat, and the
Parrot were rested, and the storm was all over, the Snake said good-by
to the poor man with these words:

"Father, you have been very kind to me. I know where there is some
buried gold. If ever you want gold, you have only to come to my home
and call, 'Snake!' and I will show you the buried gold. It shall all
be yours."

Next the Rat said good-by to the poor man. "If ever you want money,"
said the Rat, "come to my home, and call out, 'Rat!' and I will show
you where a great deal of money is buried near my home. It shall all
be yours."

Then the Parrot came, saying: "Father, silver and gold have I none,
but if you ever want choice rice, come to where I live and call,
'Parrot!' and I will call all my family and friends together, and we
will gather the choicest rice in the fields for you."

Last came the prince. In his heart he hated the poor man who had saved
his life. But he pretended to be as thankful as the animals had been,
saying, "Come to me when I am king, and I will give you great riches."
So saying, he went away.

Not long after this the prince's father died, and Prince Wicked was
made king. He was then very rich.

By and by the poor man said to himself: "Each of the four whose lives
I saved made a promise to me. I will see if they will keep their
promises."

First of all he went to the Snake, and standing near his hole, the
poor man called out, "Snake!"

At once the Snake darted forth, and with every mark of respect he
said: "Father, in this place there is much gold. Dig it up and take it
all."

"Very well," said the poor man. "When I need it, I will not forget."

After visiting for a while, the poor man said good-by to the Snake,
and went to where the Rat lived, calling out, "Rat!"

The Rat came at once, and did as the Snake had done, showing the poor
man where the money was buried.

"When I need it, I will come for it," said the poor man.

Going next to the Parrot, he called out, "Parrot!" and the bird flew
down from the tree-top as soon as he heard the call.

"O Father," said the Parrot, "shall I call together all my family and
friends to gather choice rice for you?"

The poor man, seeing that the Parrot was willing and ready to keep his
promise, said: "I do not need rice now. If ever I do, I will not
forget your offer."

Last of all, the poor man went into the city where the king lived. The
king, seated on his great white elephant, was riding through the city.
The king saw the poor man, and said to himself: "That poor man has
come to ask me for the great riches I promised to give him. I must
have his head cut off before he can tell the people how he saved my
life when I was the prince."

So the king called his servants to him and said: "You see that poor
man over there? Seize him and bind him, beat him at every corner of
the street as you march him out of the city, and then chop off his
head."

The servants had to obey their king. So they seized and bound the poor
man. They beat him at every corner of the street. The poor man did not
cry out, but he said, over and over again, "It is better to save poor,
weak animals than to save a prince."

At last some wise men among the crowds along the street asked the poor
man what prince he had saved. Then the poor man told the whole story,
ending with the words, "By saving your king, I brought all this pain
upon myself."

The wise men and all the rest of the crowd cried out: "This poor man
saved the life of our king, and now the king has ordered him to be
killed. How can we be sure that he will not have any, or all, of us
killed? Let us kill him." And in their anger they rushed from every
side upon the king as he rode on his elephant, and with arrows and
stones they killed him then and there.

Then they made the poor man king, and set him to rule over them.

The poor man ruled his people well. One day he decided once more to
try the Snake, the Rat, and the Parrot. So, followed by many servants,
the king went to where the Snake lived.

At the call of "Snake!" out came the Snake from his hole, saying,
"Here, O King, is your treasure; take it."

"I will," said the king. "And I want you to come with me."

Then the king had his servants dig up the gold.

Going to where the Rat lived, the king called, "Rat!" Out came the
Rat, and bowing low to the king, the Rat said, "Take all the money
buried here and have your servants carry it away."

"I will," said the king, and he asked the Rat to go with him and the
Snake.

Then the king went to where the Parrot lived, and called, "Parrot!"
The Parrot flew down to the king's feet and said, "O King, shall I and
my family and my friends gather choice rice for you?"

"Not now, not until rice is needed," said the king. "Will you come
with us?" The Parrot was glad to join them.

[Illustration]

So with the gold, and the money, and with the Snake, the Rat, and the
Parrot as well, the king went back to the city.

The king had the gold and the money hidden away in the palace. He had
a tube of gold made for the Snake to live in. He had a glass box made
for the Rat's home, and a cage of gold for the Parrot. Each had the
food he liked best of all to eat every day, and so these four lived
happily all their lives.




XX

BEAUTY AND BROWNIE


Two Deer named Beauty and Brownie lived with their father and mother
and great herds of Deer in a forest. One day their father called them
to him and said: "The Deer in the forest are always in danger when the
corn is ripening in the fields. It will be best for you to go away for
a while, and you must each take your own herd of Deer with you."

"What is the danger, Father?" they asked.

"When the Deer go into the fields to eat the corn they get caught in
the traps the men set there," the father said. "Many Deer are caught
in these traps every year."

"Shall you go away with us?" Brownie said.

"No, your mother and I, and some of the other old Deer will stay here
in the forest," said the father. "There will be food enough for us,
but there is not enough for you and your herds. You must lead your
herds up into the high hills where there is plenty of food for you,
and stay there until the crops are all cut. Then you can bring your
herds back here. But you must be careful.

"You must travel by night, because the hunters will see you if you go
by day. And you must not take your herd near the villages where
hunters live."

So Beauty and Brownie and their herds set out. Beauty traveled at
night and did not go near any villages, and at last brought his herd
safely to the high hills. Not a single Deer did Beauty lose.

But Brownie forgot what his father had said. Early each morning he
started off with his herd, going along all through the day. When he
saw a village, he led his herd right past it. Again and again hunters
saw the herd, and they killed many, many of the Deer in Brownie's
herd.

When crops had been cut, the Deer started back to the forest. Beauty
led all his herd back, but stupid Brownie traveled in the daytime, and
again he took his herd past the villages. When he reached the forest
only a few were left of all Brownie's herd.




XXI

THE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG


Once upon a time a Dog used to go into the stable where the king's
Elephant lived. At first the Dog went there to get the food that was
left after the Elephant had finished eating.

Day after day the Dog went to the stable, waiting around for bits to
eat. But by and by the Elephant and the Dog came to be great friends.
Then the Elephant began to share his food with the Dog, and they ate
together. When the Elephant slept, his friend the Dog slept beside
him. When the Elephant felt like playing, he would catch the Dog in
his trunk and swing him to and fro. Neither the Dog nor the Elephant
was quite happy unless the other was nearby.

One day a farmer saw the Dog and said to the Elephant-keeper: "I will
buy that Dog. He looks good-tempered, and I see that he is smart. How
much do you want for the Dog?"

The Elephant-keeper did not care for the Dog, and he did want some
money just then. So he asked a fair price, and the fanner paid it and
took the Dog away to the country.

[Illustration]

The king's Elephant missed the Dog and did not care to eat when his
friend was not there to share the food. When the time came for the
Elephant to bathe, he would not bathe. The next day again the Elephant
would not eat, and he would not bathe. The third day, when the
Elephant would neither eat nor bathe, the king was told about it.

The king sent for his chief servant, saying, "Go to the stable and
find out why the Elephant is acting in this way."

[Illustration]

The chief servant went to the stable and looked the Elephant all over.
Then he said to the Elephant-keeper: "There seems to be nothing the
matter with this Elephant's body, but why does he look so sad? Has he
lost a playmate?"

"Yes," said the keeper, "there was a Dog who ate and slept and played
with the Elephant. The Dog went away three days ago."

[Illustration]

"Do you know where the Dog is now?" asked the chief servant.

"No, I do not," said the keeper.

Then the chief servant went back to the king and said, "The Elephant
is not sick, but he is lonely without his friend, the Dog."

"Where is the Dog?" asked the king.

"A farmer took him away, so the Elephant-keeper says," said the chief
servant. "No one knows where the farmer lives."

"Very well," said the king. "I will send word all over the country,
asking the man who bought this Dog to turn him loose. I will give him
back as much as he paid for the Dog."

When the farmer who had bought the Dog heard this, he turned him
loose. The Dog ran back as fast as ever he could go to the Elephant's
stable. The Elephant was so glad to see the Dog that he picked him up
with his trunk and put him on his head. Then he put him down again.

When the Elephant-keeper brought food, the Elephant watched the Dog as
he ate, and then took his own food.

All the rest of their lives the Elephant and the Dog lived together.










End of Project Gutenberg's More Jataka Tales, by Re-told by Ellen C. Babbitt

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