0040. The Camel Driver, the Snake, and the Fox

From Tales within Tales adapted from the Fables of Pilpai by Arthur N. Wollaston, online at: Hathi Trust.

Notes. You will see that this story is a variant on the story of the brahmin, the tiger, and the jackal, which you can read here: The Brahmin and the Tiger, a much longer version with six judges of the dispute.

Summary: A camel-driver rescues a snake from a fire, and is surprised by the snake's ingratitude.

Read the story below:

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THE CAMEL DRIVER, THE SNAKE, AND THE FOX

(Indian fox)

A camel-driver, wandering across the desert, chanced to come to a spot where the people of a caravan had lighted a fire, which, after they had left, began by degrees to spread, till at length the whole locality round about became enveloped in flames. A huge serpent, finding himself in sore straits, begged of the camel-driver to save him. The kindly man consented, whereupon, with the basest ingratitude, the snake made ready to bite his deliverer, alleging in defence that he was only acting according to the custom of mankind.

The camel-driver questioned this contention, whereupon the snake, looking around and seeing a buffalo, begged of him to state his opinion. The creature readily assented, and, to the astonishment of the camel-driver, proclaimed that personal experience pointed to the assumption that men were always wont to return evil for good; at any rate, such had been his own experience.

The snake once again agreed to another arbitrator, and selected a tree, which proclaimed that base ingratitude on the part of mankind had been his fate, ever since he was a sapling.

A fox happening to pass by, joined in the conversation, and, hearing the man's account of what had occurred, incontinently accused him of deviating from the truth, inasmuch as a snake of such a size could not creep into a bag so utterly incapable of holding him.

"If you do not believe this,'" cried the snake, " I will at once re-enter the sack."

No sooner said than done; whereupon the crafty fox, turning round to the camel-driver, pointed out that his enemy was in his power. In a few moments the heel of his foe crushed out life from the unsuspecting and too confiding snake, who learned, but somewhat late, that it is never well to be deceived by the treachery of soft-speaking foes.