The Grateful Animals

Once on a time Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares.
He had a son named Prince Wicked. Fierce and cruel
was he, like a scotched snake ; he spoke to nobody without
abuse or blows. Like grit in the eye was this prince to all
folk both within and without the palace, or like a ravening
ogre, so dreaded and fell was he.

One day, wishing to disport himself in the river, he
went with a large retinue to the water side. And a great
storm came on, and utter darkness set in. " Hi there ! "
cried he to his servants ; " take me into mid-stream, bathe
me there, and then bring me back again." So they took
him into mid-stream and there took counsel together,
saying, " What will he do to us when king ? Let us kill the
wicked wretch here and now ! So in you go, you pest ! "
they cried, as they flung him into the water. When they
made their way ashore, they were asked where the prince
was, and replied, "We don't see him; finding the storm
come on, he must have come out of the river and gone
home ahead of us."

The courtiers went into the king's presence, and the
king asked where his son was. "We do not know, sire,"
said they ; " a storm came on, and we came away in the
belief that he must have gone on ahead." At once the
king had the gates thrown open ; down to the riverside he
went and bade diligent search be made up and down for
the missing prince. But no trace of him could be found.
For, in the darkness of the storm, he had been swept away
by the current, and, coming across a tree-trunk, had
climbed on to it, and so floated down stream, crying
lustily in the agony of his fear of drowning.

Now there had been a gild-merchant living in those
days at Benares, who had died, leaving forty crores buried
in the banks of that same river. And because of his
craving for riches, he was re-born as a snake at the spot
under which lay his dear treasure. And also in the self-
same spot another man had hidden thirty crores, and
because of his craving for riches 1 , was re-born as a rat at
the same spot. In rushed the water into their dwelling-
place ; and the two creatures, escaping by the way by
which the water rushed in, were making their w r ay athwart
the stream, when they chanced upon the tree-trunk to
which the prince was clinging. The snake climbed up at
one end, and the rat at the other; and so both got a
footing with the prince on the trunk.

Also there grew on the river's bank a Silk-cotton tree,
in which lived a young parrot; and this tree, being up-
rooted by the swollen waters, fell into the river. The
heavy rain beat down the parrot when it tried to fly, and
it alighted in its fall upon this same tree-trunk. And so
there were now these four floating down stream together
upon the tree.

Now the Bodhisatta had been re-born in those days as
a brahmin in the North-West country. Renouncing the
world for the hermit's life on reaching manhood, he had
built himself a hermitage by a bend of the river; and
there he was now living. As he was pacing to and fro, at
midnight, he heard the loud cries of the prince, and
thought thus within himself: "This fellow-creature must
not perish thus before the eyes of so merciful and com-
passionate a hermit as I am. I will rescue him from the
water, and save his life." So he shouted cheerily, " Be not
afraid ! Be not afraid ! " and plunging across stream,
seized hold of the tree by one end, and, being as strong
as an elephant, drew it in to the bank with one long pull,
and set the prince safe and sound upon the shore. Then
becoming aware of the snake and the rat and the parrot,
he carried them to his hermitage, and there lighting a fire,
warmed the animals first, as being the weaker, and after-
wards the prince. This done, he brought fruits of various
kinds and set them before his guests, looking after the
animals first and the prince afterwards. This enraged the
young prince, who said within himself, "This rascally hermit
pays no respect to my royal birth, but actually gives brute
beasts precedence over me." And he conceived hatred
against the Bodhisatta.

A few days later, when all four had recovered their
strength and the waters had subsided, the snake bade
farewell to the hermit with these words, "Father, you have
done me a great service. I am not poor, for I have forty
crores of gold hidden at a certain spot. Should you ever
want money, all my hoard shall be yours. You have only
to come to the spot and call ' Snake.' ' Next the rat took
his leave with a like promise to the hermit as to his
treasure, bidding the hermit come and call out " Rat."
Then the parrot bade farewell, saying, " Father, silver and
gold have I none; but should you ever want for choice
rice, come to where I dwell and call out 'Parrot'; and
I with the aid of my kinsfolk will give you many waggon-
loads of rice." Last came the prince. His heart was filled
with base ingratitude and with a determination to put his
benefactor to death, if the Bodhisatta should come to visit
him. But, concealing his intent, he said, "Come, father, to
me when I am king, and I will bestow on you the Four
Requisites." So saying, he took his departure, and not
long after succeeded to the throne.

The desire came on the Bodhisatta to put their pro-
fessions to the test ; and first of all he went to the snake
and standing hard by its abode, called out " Snake." At
the word the snake darted forth and with every mark of
respect said, " Father, in this place there are forty crores
in gold. Dig them up and take them all." " It is well,"
said the Bodhisatta ; "when I need them, I will not forget."
Then bidding adieu to the snake, he went on to where the
rat lived, and called out " Rat." And the rat did as the
snake had done. Going next to the parrot, and calling
out " Parrot," the bird at once flew down at his call from
the tree-top, and respectfully asked whether it was the
Bodhisatta's wish that he with the aid of his kinsfolk
should gather paddy for the Bodhisatta from the region
round the Himalayas. The Bodhisatta dismissed the
parrot also with a promise that, if need arose, he would
not forget the bird's offer. Last of all, being minded to
test the king in his turn, the Bodhisatta came to the royal
pleasaunce, and on the day after his arrival made his way,
carefully dressed, into the city on his round for alms.

Just at that moment, the ungrateful king, seated in all his
royal splendour on his elephant of state, was passing in
rightwise procession round the city followed by a vast
retinue. Seeing the Bodhisatta from afar, he thought to
himself, " Here's that rascally hermit come to quarter him-
self and his appetite on me. I must have his head off
before he can publish to the world the service he rendered
me." With this intent, he signed to his attendants, aud,
on their asking what was his pleasure, said, "Methinks
yonder rascally hermit is here to importune me. See that
the ill-omened ascetic does not look at me, but seize and
bind him ; flog him at every street-corner ; and then march
him out of the city, chop off his head at the place of
execution, and impale his body on a stake."

Obedient to their king's command, the attendants laid
the innocent Great Being in bonds and flogged him at
every street-corner on the way to the place of execution.
But all their floggings failed to move the Bodhisatta or to
wring from him any cry of " Oh, my mother and father ! "
All he did was to repeat this stanza :

They knew the world, who framed this proverb true
"A log pays better salvage than some men."

These lines he repeated wherever he was flogged, till at
last the wise among the bystanders asked the hermit what
service he had rendered to their king. Then the Bod-
hisatta told the whole story, ending with the words, "So
it comes to pass that by rescuing him from the torrent
I brought all this woe upon myself. And when I bethink
me how I have left unheeded the words of the wise of old,
I exclaim as you have heard."

Filled with indignation at the recital, the nobles and
brahmins and all classes with one accord cried out, " This
ungrateful king does not recognise even the goodness of
this good man who saved his majesty's life. How can we
have any profit from this king ? Seize the tyrant ! " And
in their anger they rushed upon the king from every side,
and slew him there and then, as he rode on his elephant,
with arrows and javelins and stones and clubs and any
weapons that came to hand. The corpse they dragged by
the heels to a ditch and flung it in. Then they anointed
the Bodhisatta king and set him to rule over them.

As he was ruling in righteousness, one day the desire
came on him again to try the snake and the rat and the
parrot ; and followed by a large retinue, he came to where
the snake dwelt. At the call of "Snake," out came the
snake from his hole and with every mark of respect said,
" Here, my lord, is your treasure ; take it." Then the king
delivered the forty crores of gold to his attendants, and
proceeding to where the rat dwelt, called "Rat." Out
came the rat, and saluted the king, and gave up its thirty
crores. Placing this treasure too in the hands of his
attendants, the king went on to where the parrot dwelt,
and called " Parrot." And in like manner the bird came,
and bowing down at the king's feet asked whether it
should collect rice for his majesty. " We will not trouble
you," said the king, "till rice is needed. Now let us be
going/' So with the seventy crores of gold, and with the
rat, the snake, and the parrot as well, the king journeyed
back to the city. Here, in a noble palace, to the state-
story of which he mounted, he caused the treasure to be
lodged and guarded ; he had a golden tube made for the
snake to dwell in, a crystal casket to house the rat, and
a cage of gold for the parrot. Every day too by the king's
command food was served to the three creatures in vessels
of gold, sweet parched-corn for the parrot and snake,
and scented rice for the rat. And the king abounded
in charity and all good works. Thus in harmony and
goodwill one with another, these four lived their lives ; and
when their end came, they passed away to fare according
to their deserts.