0094. The Lion in Bad Company

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The Pali version is known as the Manoja-Jātaka; Manoja is the name of the young lion, and it is a jackal (not a wolf) who is the "bad company" of the title.

Summary: Despite good advice from his father, a young lion becomes friends with a wolf, and their friendship leads to disaster.

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THE LION IN BAD COMPANY

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

His father said: “My son, those ponies belong to the king. Kings have many skillful 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.

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.

0093. The Stolen Plow

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes.  This story also appears in the Panchatantra tradition, and it became famous in Europe by being included in La Fontaine's verse fables.  For a collection of different versions, see Dan Ashliman's website: The Iron-Eating Mice.

Summary: A trader cheats his friend, claiming that mice at the man's iron plow, but the friend finds a way to win in the end.

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THE STOLEN PLOW

(Ellsworth Young)

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.”

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.

0092. The Foolhardy Wolf

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. In the traditional Pali version, Virocana-Jātaka, it is a jackal, not a wolf, who becomes the lion's servant.

Summary: A wolf becomes the lion's servant, and this inspires him with dangerous ambitions.

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THE FOOLHARDY WOLF

(Ellsworth Young)

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.”

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.”

0091. The Brave Little Bowman

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The traditional Pali version of this story is called the Bhimasena Jataka, with Bhimasena being the name of the big man, just as Bhimasena (Bhima) is the name of the biggest and strongest of the five Pandava brothers in the Mahabharata.

Summary: A little bowman asks a big man to be his partner so that, together, they can join the king's army.

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THE BRAVE LITTLE BOWMAN

(Ellsworth Young)

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.”

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.

0090. The Hawks and their Friends

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. In the traditional Pali version, Mahā-Ukkusa-Jātaka (The Great Osprey Jataka), it is not a kingfisher but an osprey who is one of the hawks' friends, and as the Buddha explains the births, he declares that he was the lion in this story.

Summary: The hawks call upon their friends to protect their nest from dangerous humans.

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THE HAWKS AND THEIR FRIENDS

(Ellsworth Young)

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 someone 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.”

0089. How the Monkey Saved His Troop

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The Pali version of the story is called Mahākapi-Jātaka,
and in that version of the story the monkey-king dies in the end, and the king builds a shrine in his honor.

Summary: Seeking mangoes, a king finds his way to a forest where monkeys live; can the monkey-king save the troop before the king's archers kill them?

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HOW THE MONKEY SAVED HIS TROOP

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

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 tonight, 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.

0088. The Otters and the Wolf

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The traditional name of this story is Dabbhapuppha-Jātaka, and it is about a jackal, not a wolf. The jackal's wife wants to eat a rohita fish.

Summary: Two otters foolishly trust a wolf to be a judge in their quarrel.

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THE OTTERS AND THE WOLF

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

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.

0087. The Red-Bud Tree

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The Pali title of this story is the Kiṃsukopama-Jātaka, which means the Jataka of the Kimsuka tree. You can read more about this flowering Indian tree at Wikipedia.

Summary: Four princes see a tree at different times of the year, so that it seems like a different tree.

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THE RED-BUD TREE

(Kimsuka blossoms)

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.”

“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.”

0086. The Penny-Wise Monkey

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The traditional Buddhist version of this story is called Kalāya-Muṭṭhi-Jātaka. Here are the verses in Rouse's translation of that traditional version:

"A foolish monkey, living in the trees,
O king, when both his hands were full of peas,
     Has thrown them all away to look for one:
There is no wisdom, Sire, in such as these."

And:

"Such are we, O mighty monarch, such all those that greedy be;
Losing much to gain a little, like the monkey and the pea."

Summary: A king learns a lesson by watching a monkey who is greedy for peas.

Read the story below:

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THE PENNY-WISE MONKEY

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

0085. The Cunning Wolf

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. In the traditional Buddhist version, the wise animal is a jackal: Sigala Jataka.

Summary: A man is lying in wait to catch and kill an animal, but the King of the Wolves outwits him.

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THE CUNNING WOLF

(Ellsworth Young)

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.”

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.”

0084. The Stupid Monkeys

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. Here is the moral of the story in Chalmers' translation of the Pali version:

’Tis knowledge crowns endeavour with success,
For fools are thwarted by their foolishness,
--Witness the ape that killed the garden trees.

Summary: A gardener thinks he can trust the monkeys to help him with the gardening; this was not a good idea.

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THE STUPID MONKEYS

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

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.

0083. The Golden Goose

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. In the traditional Buddhist version, Suvannahamsa Jataka, the golden goose in this story is the reincarnation of the father of the family (which adds to the drama!), and the bird is a hamsa. You can compare this story with the Aesop's fable about the goose that laid the golden egg.

Summary: A goose with golden feathers helps a poor woman and her daughters, but the mother is greedy.

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THE GOLDEN GOOSE

(Ellsworth Young)

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.”

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.

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

0082. The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. In the traditional version of this story, the Buddha identifies himself as being the deer (antelope): Kurunga-Miga Jataka.

Summary: Three animal friends cooperate to save one another from a hunter.

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THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER

(Ellsworth Young)

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

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.

0081. The Tricky Wolf and the Rats

From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The traditional jataka is about a jackal, not a wolf: Biḷāra-Jātaka.

Summary: A Wolf convinces the Rats that he is harmless, and so he begins to eat the rats one by one.

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THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

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.

0080. The Three Fishes

From From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The names of the three fish in Pali are Bahucinti, Appacinti and Mitacinti. The hero is Mitacinti, "Measured Thought," while the other too fish are "Too Much Thought" (Bahucinti) and "Too Little Thought" (Appacinti).

Summary: There are three fish: will the wise fish be able to save the other two from the fishermen's net?

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THE THREE FISHES

(Ellsworth Young)

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.

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.

0079. The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls

From From More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. The traditional Buddhist jataka has a much more elaborate detective story involving not just monkeys but humans too; you can read that story here: Mahasara Jataka.

Summary: A monkey steals the queen's necklace, but how to find out which monkey is guilty of the crime?

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THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS

(Ellsworth Young)

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 nearby. 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.

0078. Why the Owl is not King of the Birds

From Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, online at: Sacred Texts Archive.

Notes. This is an "aetiological" story, explaining the origin of something; in this case, the story explains the origin of the enmity between crows and owls. In Rouse's translation of the traditional Pali version (Uluka Jataka), this is the rhyme that the crow speaks when he rejects the owl:

"I like not (with all deference be it said)
To have the Owl anointed as our Head.
Look at his face! if this good humour be,
What will he do when he looks angrily?"

Summary: When the animals and the fishes elect a king, the birds decide they need to choose a king also.

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WHY THE OWL IS NOT KING OF THE BIRDS

(Ellsworth Young)

Why is it that Crows torment the Owls as they sleep in the daytime? For the same reason that the Owls try to kill the Crows while they sleep at night. Listen to a tale of long ago and then you will see why.

Once upon a time, the people who lived together when the world was young took a certain man for their king. The four-footed animals also took one of their number for their king. The fish in the ocean chose a king to rule over them.

Then the birds gathered together on a great flat rock, crying: "Among men there is a king, and among the beasts, and the fish have one, too; but we birds have none. We ought to have a king. Let us choose one now."

And so the birds talked the matter over and at last they all said, "Let us have the Owl for our king."

No, not all, for one old Crow rose up and said, "For my part, I don't want the Owl to be our king. Look at him now while you are all crying that you want him for your king. See how sour he looks right now. If that's the cross look he wears when he is happy, how will he look when he is angry? I, for one, want no such sour-looking king!"

Then the Crow flew up into the air crying, "I don't like it! I don't like it!"

The Owl rose and followed him. From that time on the Crows and the Owls have been enemies. The birds chose a Turtle Dove to be their king, and then flew to their homes.

0077. The Crab and the Crane

From Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, online at: Sacred Texts Archive.

Notes. This story is found in the Panchatantra tradition also, where the story is told of a crab and a heron.

Summary: A deceitful crane manages to fool the fish into putting their trust in the crane's help; the crab is not so easily fooled.

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THE CRAB AND THE CRANE

(Ellsworth Young)

In the Long Ago there was a summer when very little rain fell. All the Animals suffered for want of water, but the Fishes suffered most of all. In one pond full of Fishes, the water was very low indeed.

A Crane sat on the bank watching the Fishes.

"What are you doing?" asked a little Fish.

"I am thinking about you Fishes there in the pond. It is so nearly dry," answered the Crane.

"Yes," the Crane went on, "I was wishing I might do something for you. I know of a pond in the deep woods where there is plenty of water."

"I declare," said the little Fish, "you are the first Crane that ever offered to help a Fish."

"That may be," said the Crane, "but the water is so low in your pond. I could easily carry you one by one on my back to that other pond where there is plenty of water and food and cool shade."

"I don't believe there is any such pond," said the little Fish. "What you wish to do is to eat us, one by one."

"If you don't believe me," said the Crane, "send with me one of the Fishes whom you can believe. I'll show him the pond and bring him back to tell you all about it."

A big Fish heard the Crane and said, "I will go with you to see the pond--I may as well be eaten by the Crane as to die here."

So the Crane put the big Fish on his back and started for the deep woods. Soon the Crane showed the big Fish the pool of water. "See how cool and shady it is here," he said, "and how much larger the pond is, and how full it is!"

"Yes!" said the big Fish, "take me back to the little pond and I'll tell the other Fishes all about it." So back they went. The Fishes all wanted to go when they heard the big Fish talk about the fine pond which he had seen.

Then the Crane picked up another Fish and carried it away. Not to the pool, but into the woods where the other Fishes could not see them. Then the Crane put the Fish down and ate it. The Crane went back for another Fish. He carried it to the same place in the woods and ate it, too. This he did until he had eaten all the Fishes in the pond.

The next day the Crane went to the pond to see if he had left a Fish. There was not one left, but there was a Crab on the sand.

"Little Crab," said the Crane, "would you let me take you to the fine pond in the deep woods where I took the Fishes?"

"But how could you carry me?" asked the Crab.

"Oh, easily," answered the Crane. "I'll take you on my back as I did the Fishes."

"No, I thank you," said the Crab, "I can't go that way. I am afraid you might drop me. If I could take hold of your neck with my claws, I would go. You know we Crabs have a tight grip."

The Crane knew about the tight grip of the Crabs, and he did not like to have the Crab hold on with his claws. But he was hungry, so he said: "Very well, hold tight."

And off went the Crane with the Crab.

When they reached the place where the Crane had eaten the Fishes, the Crane said: "I think you can walk the rest of the way. Let go of my neck."

"I see no pond," said the Crab. "All I can see is a pile of Fish bones. Is that all that is left of the Fishes?"

"Yes," said the Crane, "and if you will let go of my neck, your shell will be all that will be left of you."

And the Crane put his head down near the ground so that the Crab could get off easily. But the Crab pinched the Crane's neck so that his head fell off.

"Not my shell, but your bones are left to dry with the bones of the Fishes," said the Crab.

0076. Grannie's Blackie

From Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, online at: Sacred Texts Archive.

Notes. The Pali name for this good-hearted creature is Ayyaka Kalaka, "Grandma's Blackie," although the traditional story is about a black bull, not a black elephant as here. You can see the traditional version here: Kanha Jataka.

Summary: A devoted elephant is able to do a good turn for his owner, while outwitting a greedy man's scheme.

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GRANNIE'S BLACKIE

(Ellsworth Young)

Once upon a time a rich man gave a baby Elephant to a woman. She took the best of care of this great baby and soon became very fond of him. The children in the village called her Granny, and they called the Elephant "Granny's Blackie."

The Elephant carried the children on his back all over the village. They shared their goodies with him and he played with them. "Please, Blackie, give us a swing," they said to him almost every day.

"Come on! Who is first?" Blackie answered and picked them up with his trunk, swung them high in the air, and then put them down again, carefully.

But Blackie never did any work. He ate and slept, played with the children, and visited with Granny.

One day Blackie wanted Granny to go off to the woods with him.

"I can't go, Blackie, dear. I have too much work to do."

Then Blackie looked at her and saw that she was growing old and feeble. "I am young and strong," he thought. "I'll see if I cannot find some work to do. If I could bring some money home to her, she would not have to work so hard."

So next morning, bright and early, he started down to the river bank. There he found a man who was in great trouble. There was a long line of wagons so heavily loaded that the oxen could not draw them through the shallow water.

When the man saw Blackie standing on the bank he asked, "Who owns this Elephant? I want to hire him to help my Oxen pull these wagons across the river."

A child standing near by said, "That is Granny's Blackie."

"Very well," said the man, "I'll pay two pieces of silver for each wagon this Elephant draws across the river."

Blackie was glad to hear this promise. He went into the river, and drew one wagon after another across to the other side. Then he went up to the man for the money.  The man counted out one piece of silver for each wagon.

When Blackie saw that the man had counted out but one piece of silver for each wagon, instead of two, he would not touch the money at all. He stood in the road and would not let the wagons pass him. The man tried to get Blackie out of the way, but not one step would he move.

Then the man went back and counted out another piece of silver for each of the wagons and put the silver in a bag tied around Blackie's neck. Then Blackie started for home, proud to think that he had a present for Granny.

The children had missed Blackie and had asked Granny where he was, but she said she did not know where he had gone. They all looked for him but it was nearly night before they heard him coming.

"Where have you been, Blackie? And what is that around your neck?" the children cried, running to meet their playmate.

But Blackie would not stop to talk with his playmates. He ran straight home to Granny.

"Oh, Blackie!" she said, "Where have you been? What is in that bag?" And she took the bag off his neck.

Blackie told her that he had earned some money for her.

"Oh, Blackie, Blackie," said Granny, "how hard you must have worked to earn these pieces of silver! What a good Blackie you are!"

And after that Blackie did all the hard work and Granny rested, and they were both very happy.

0075. The Ox Who Envied the Pig

From Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt, online at: Sacred Texts Archive.

Notes. The moral of this story is very similar to the Aesop's fable about the hard-working ox and the calf.

Summary: Two hard-working oxen contemplate the fate of the well fattened pig.

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THE OX WHO ENVIED THE PIG

(Ellsworth Young)

Once upon a time there was an Ox named Big Red. He had a younger brother named Little Red. These two brothers did all the carting on a large farm.

Now the farmer had an only daughter and she was soon to be married. Her mother gave orders that the Pig should be fattened for the wedding feast.

Little Red noticed that the Pig was fed on choice food. He said to his brother, "How is it, Big Red, that you and I are given only straw and grass to eat, while we do all the hard work on the farm? That lazy Pig does nothing but eat the choice food the farmer gives him."

Said his brother, "My dear Little Red, envy him not. That little Pig is eating the food of death! He is being fattened for the wedding feast. Eat your straw and grass and be content and live long."

Not long afterwards the fattened Pig was killed and cooked for the wedding feast.

Then Big Red said, "Did you see, Little Red, what became of the Pig after all his fine feeding?"

"Yes," said the little brother, "we can go on eating plain food for years, but the poor little Pig ate the food of death and now he is dead. His feed was good while it lasted, but it did not last long."

0074. Death and the Four Doors

From Told by the Ayah by Advena Hearle, online at: Internet Archive.

Notes. You can read more about Yama, the God of Death, at Wikipedia. For another story of bargaining with Death, see: Ruru and Pramadvara.

Summary: A young woman marries a man who will die young, but she uses her wits to try to save his life.

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DEATH AND THE FOUR DOORS

(Yama, the God of Death)

The Raja's ill-fated son

There was once a Raja who had great possessions but no son to inherit them, and he would have given half he owned for an heir. One night in a dream he was told that at last a son should be born to his house; but that the boy's life would be short, and as soon as he was grown up he must die.

The Raja's feelings were of mixed joy and sorrow, but when at last the prophecy came true, he loved his son all the more intensely, because he had waited for him so long and must lose him so soon.

He told no one of the secret sorrow in his heart, however, until his son was full grown and was of an age to marry. Then, much as he longed to see him united to one of the neighbouring Princesses, his conscience would hardly allow him to suggest an alliance which should so soon turn the bride into a widow, for in India the fate of a young widow is the very saddest that can happen to any girl.

Chandni, the Vizier's daughter

Luckily, the Raja had a very wise and trusted Vizier, and he at last took this man into his confidence, and asked his advice about his son's wedding. The Vizier had no advice to offer on the spot, but begged for twenty-four hours in which to consider the matter. He did this so frequently about affairs of State that the Raja thought nothing of it, nor did he suspect the real reason.

The Vizier had one daughter, called Chandni, who was as good as she was beautiful, and so gifted with wisdom that her father was accustomed to ask her advice about any question of diplomacy or State where he doubted his own judgment.

When he had laid the matter of the Prince and his wedding before Chandni, the girl was so filled with pity for the young man and his father, and so conscious of the dilemma the latter was in, that she considered a minute or two in silence; then she said: "Oh, my father, if it be your will, let me marry the Prince. It may be that some means will be found to stay the hand of Fate; but if it be written upon his forehead that he must die young and his wife be soon a widow, to me be granted the blessing of making his last few days happy."

At first her father would not hear of such a thing, for he loved his daughter intensely; but at last she so won upon him with her sweet insistence that he carried her proposal to the King.

The Raja, who knew of her beauty and wisdom, and was well aware that she came of noble blood, did not withhold his consent, and the Prince was delighted with all he heard about the bride-elect, so the marriage was speedily arranged, and the preparations carried out with as little delay as possible.

The bride's request

The bride made one peculiar request. She had a small pavilion or pleasure-house built in the jungle outside the city, in which to spend her honeymoon. This house stood in a garden on high ground near the main road, and was square, with one door in each of its four sides.

When the marriage ceremony was over, Chandni and her husband went to the pavilion in the jungle, and after a collation had been served to the newly-married pair, the bride dismissed all her servants, and herself waited upon the Prince. Before retiring, however, she carefully closed all four doors and set a guard at each.

On the threshold of the north door she laid some rice, and said: "Guard him well, O Grain!"

At the south door she set fire in a chirag, and said: "Guard him well, O Fire!"

At the east door she laid a handful of earth, and said: "Guard him well, O Earth!"

And on the west she poured water, and said: "Guard him well, O Water!"

Death at the north door

When the night was far spent, Death came to the north door and knocked for admittance, for he had come for the soul of the Raja's son.

But the rice that was on guard said: "You cannot enter here. If you pass this portal I will cause all my children to wither and be barren, and a great famine shall sweep over the land, and then heavy will be your work, O Death!"

Death at the east door

So Death turned away from that door, and sought entrance at the east. Here the earth was on guard, and this, too, spoke: "Pass not by here, or I will shake and heave throughout my length and breadth, and many shall fall by my quakings, and others shall need you for the pestilence which I will send abroad. Do you wish for so much work as that. Great Death?"

And Death, who was weary, did not wish it, and turned away.

Death at the south door

Next he came to the south door, and here the fire shot up and barred the way. "Back, O Death!" it said. "If you pass me by and enter, I will send forth my flames to devastate the earth and swallow up forests and men and beasts. Would so great work suit you?"

And Death turned aside.

Death at the west door

At the west door the water was on guard, and that, too, threatened Death with work from flood and tempest if an entrance was forced.

Soon the morning broke, and Death, leaving the attempt to gain the Prince's soul for the present, took his departure.

Chandni, listening within, heard all, but knew that she would still have to be very watchful, for Death would be sure to come again soon.

Death in disguise

One day, as she looked along the road, she saw an old and crippled woman coming through the heat and dust. She knew at once that this was Death come in disguise to try and effect an entrance into the pavilion. Without hesitating, she rose and went towards the old woman, carrying with heir cool, fresh water in a
basin.

"Mother," said the Princess, gently, "rest here in the shade while I bathe your feet from the dust of the road."

With her own soft little hands she poured the scented water over the tired feet, and the old woman looked down, refreshed, and blessed her.

"What can I give you in exchange for what you have done for me?" asked the old cripple, not suspecting that Chandni had seen through the disguise.

Then the young wife prostrated herself at the feet of Death and prayed for the life of her husband.

But Death was sad, for the boon was not his to give.

"I serve a higher Power," he said, "and do but obey orders. Where I am told to go, I go, being but a servant."

Chandni's prayer

"Then," said the Princess, growing bolder, "go back to that Great One and ask of Him this boon that I crave of you. Surely He will relent and grant that which is so little a thing in itself — the life of just one man."

Death rose and turned his back upon the pavilion.

"If I do not return tomorrow," he said, "you will know that your prayer has been granted;" and he passed away out of Chandni's sight.

And Death did not come back the next day, nor the next, nor the next ; and Chandni and her Prince lived to see their sons and daughters grow up to honour around them; and Chandni herself was held in higher and higher love and reverence by her father and her King, her husband and her children and her people.

0073. The Fish Prince

From The Magic Bed: A Book of East Indian Fairy-Tales by Hartwell James with illustrations by John R. Neill, online at: Project Gutenberg.

Notes. For an extended version of this folktale, see Muchie-Lal at Dan Ashliman's collection: Snake and Serpent Husbands.

Summary: The prince is turned into a fish, and after a series of adventures, he turns back into a prince again.

Read the story below:

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THE FISH PRINCE

(John R. Neill)

Matni's Plot

Once there were a king and queen who had two sons. The older of the two was a very short and ugly man with only one eye, and that was in the middle of his forehead. His brother was tall and handsome and carried himself like a prince.

Naturally the king preferred his handsome son and wished to make him his heir. "My people will never obey a dwarf with only one eye," he said.

This made Deesa, the older son, very angry. "The kingdom ought to be mine," he said, "or if I cannot have it all it should be divided."

"The kingdom ought to be mine"

He said this to his wife, whose name was Matni, and as she was an enchantress she determined to get the whole of the kingdom for her husband if possible. She thought it all over and then invited the younger brother to a banquet in that part of the palace where she lived.

Then she said to her husband, "After supper you must sit with your brother on the balcony overlooking the river. I will change him into a fish and then you can throw him into the water. In this way we shall hear no more of him."

The fish

Deesa agreed to this, and after supper invited his brother to sit with him on the balcony. Then Matni went up on the roof of the palace and threw down some powder on the younger Prince's head. Just as soon as she did this, the Prince was changed into a little fish, and his brother picked him up and threw him into the river.

All this was done so suddenly that the Prince hardly knew what had happened to him. Over and over he turned before he struck the water, but when it had closed over him he found that he had been changed into a fish and could swim very nicely underneath the water.

He seemed to know, too, that Matni had enchanted him, and he wanted to get out of her way; so he swam on and on until at the end of two days he was outside of his father's kingdom.

The fish and the Queen

Then one day he was caught in a net by some fishermen and taken to the palace of the king of that country to be served up for dinner. He was not very big, and one of the servants thought it would be much nicer to have him in a bowl than to cook him.

So the servant begged for the little fish. "I will take it to the Queen's room," she said. "She has no children and is sometimes very dull. This little fish may amuse her."

The Queen was very much pleased with the pretty little fish and became very fond of him. When he grew to be too large for the bowl, she had another one prepared for him, and fed him boiled rice twice every day. "He is such a dear," she said, "that he shall be called Athon-Rajah, the Fish Prince."

After a while the Fish Prince grew so big that the Queen had a tank made for him through which the clear water of the river flowed in and out.

Then one day the Queen feared that the Fish Prince was not comfortable in his tank and would prefer to be in the beautiful shining river which flowed past her windows. So she said to him one day, "Are you quite happy here, Athon-Rajah?"

The fish wants a wife

After a moment's thought the Fish Prince replied, "I am quite happy here, dear Queen-mother, but if you could get me a nice little wife I should be happier. It is really quite lonely here all by myself."

Now the Queen looked upon the Fish Prince as her own son, and never imagined that any girl would have the least objection to marrying him. So she said, "If you want a wife I can easily find one for you."

"I will find you a wife at once!"

"But would you not like to go and swim in the river?" she went on.

"Certainly not," replied the Fish Prince. "All I want is to have a nice little wife and live right here." The answer astonished the Queen, but then she did not know that he was a fish only in appearance.

"All right," she said. "I will find you a wife at once, and have a room built in the tank for her." She had the room built at once, but it was not an easy matter to find a wife for the Fish Prince!

Everybody knew that Athon-Rajah was a pet of the Queen's, but for all that, they said he was a monster of a fish, and that all he wanted of a wife was to devour her. But the Queen sent messengers far and wide, among the rich and the poor alike, but found no one who was willing to give his daughter as a wife to the Fish Prince.

Even the people who had eight or ten daughters were very polite about it, but said, "We cannot give one of our children to your Fish Prince." Then the Queen offered a great bag of gold to any father who would send his daughter to be the Fish Prince's wife, but nothing came of it for a long time.

The fakir's daughter

At last a fakir or beggar-man heard of the bag of gold and said to the messenger, "You may have my eldest daughter. She cannot be worse off than where she is now, and the gold will make me rich."

"You can take her and welcome"

"Tell me where she is!" asked the Queen's messenger.

"She is down by the river, washing," said the man. "She is my first wife's child, and her stepmother makes her do all the hard work, and will not give her enough to eat."

"She gets more than she deserves," cried the stepmother angrily. "Much more than she deserves. You can take her and welcome. We shall be well rid of her, and if the Fish Prince wants to eat her, he can do so."

So the messenger gave the bag of gold to the fakir, and went down to the river, where he found a very pretty girl washing clothes on the edge of the water. She cried very much when she heard what his errand was, and begged him to let her say good-bye to an old friend before he took her away.

"Tell me who is this friend," said the messenger. "The Queen said we were to lose no time."

The cobra's plan

And the girl replied, "It is a seven-headed cobra whom I have known ever since I was a little child."

Still crying, the girl, whose name was Maya, ran along the bank, and the cobra put his seven heads out of the hole where he lived.

"I know all about it," he said. "Don't cry. Pick up those three pebbles outside my hole and put them in your dress. When you see the Athon-Rajah coming, throw the first at him. If it hits him he will sink to the bottom of the tank."

Then the cobra went on. "When he rises to the surface, hit him with the second, and the same thing will happen. Throw the third pebble at him, and he will change from a fish into a handsome young prince."

"Then he isn't really a fish?" asked Maya.

"He is the son of a Rajah and is under an enchantment," replied the cobra. "But you can break the enchantment in the way I have told you."

So Maya dried her tears and went away with the messenger to the palace, where they showed her a beautiful little room that had been prepared for her inside the tank where the Fish Prince lived. Then the Queen kissed her and said, "You are just the dear little wife I want for my Athon-Rajah."

Maya and the pebbles

Maya would have been quite happy, for every one was very kind to her, if it had not been for the thought of the cold dark water, and her fear that she might not be able to hit the Fish Prince with the pebbles. But she let them put her into the little room, where she sat down and waited for a long time, with the pebbles in her hand.

Then there was a sound of rushing water and of waves dashing against the door. She looked out and there was a huge fish swimming towards her with his mouth wide open!

"I want to see my wife!" cried the Fish Prince. "Unfasten the door!"

Trembling from head to foot with fright, Maya opened the door and threw the first pebble, which went right down his throat. He sunk like a stone, but in a minute or two came up to the surface again.

Then Maya threw the second pebble, which hit the Fish Prince on the head, and he sunk the second time.

Maya was so nervous that she nearly missed hitting him with the third pebble, for it only touched the tip of his fin. This time he did not sink, but changed into a handsome prince, who took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly.

"You have broken my enchantment!" he cried. "Now we can enjoy sunshine and happiness in the world above, and need not live in a tank any longer."

So they were drawn up out of the water and taken to the palace, where no one could possibly live happier than Maya and the Fish Prince.