The Stolen Jewels

Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in
Benares, the Bodhisatta, having perfected his education,
became one of the king's ministers. One day the king
with a large following went into his pleasaunce, and, after
walking about the woods, felt a desire to disport himself
in the water. So he went down into the royal tank and
sent for his harem. The women of the harem, removing
the jewels from their heads and necks and so forth, laid
them aside with their upper garments in boxes under the
charge of female slaves, and then went down into the
water. Now, as the queen was taking off her jewels and
ornaments, and laying them with her upper robe on a.
box, she was watched by a female monkey, which was
hidden in the branches of a tree hard by. Conceiving a
longing to wear the queen's pearl necklace, this monkey
watched for the slave in charge to be off' her guard. At
first the girl kept looking all about her in order to keep
the jewels safe ; but as time wore on, she began to nod.
As soon as the monkey saw this, quick as the wind she
jumped down, and quick as the wind she was up the tree
again, with the pearls round her own neck. Then, for
fear the other monkeys should see it, she hid the string
of pearls in a hole in the tree and sat on guard over her
spoils as demurely as though nothing had happened. By
and by the slave awoke, and, terrified at finding the jewels
gone, saw nothing else to do but to scream out, "A man
has run off with the queen's pearl necklace." Up ran the
guards from every side, and hearing this story told it to
the king. "Catch the thief," said his majesty; and away
went the guards searching high and low for the thief in
the pleasaunce. Hearing the din, a poor superstitious
rustic 1 took to his heels in alarm. " There he goes," cried
the guards, catching sight of the runaway; and they
followed him up till they caught him, and with blows
demanded what he meant by stealing such precious
jewels.

Thought he, "If I deny the charge, I shall die with
the beating I shall get from these ruffians. I'd better say
I took it." So he confessed to the theft and was hauled
off a prisoner to the king. " Did you take those precious
jewels?" asked the king. "Yes, your majesty." "Where
are they now?" "Please, your majesty, I'm a poor man;
I've never in my life owned anything, even a bed or a
chair, of any value, much less a jewel. It was the gild-
master who made me take that valuable necklace; and
I took it and gave it to him. He knows all about it."

Then the king sent for the gildmaster, and asked
whether the rustic had passed the necklace on to him.
" Yes, sire," was the answer. " Where is it then ? " "I gave
it to your majesty's family priest." Then the priest was
sent for, and interrogated in the same way. And he said
he had given it to the chief musician, who in his turn
said he had given it to a courtesan as a present. But she,
being brought before the king, utterly denied ever having
received it.

Whilst the five were thus being questioned, the sun
set. " It's too late now," said the king ; " we will look into
this to-morrow." So he handed the five over to his
ministers and went back into the city. Hereupon the
Bodhisatta fell a-thinking. "These jewels," thought he,
"were lost inside the grounds, whilst the rustic was
outside. There was a strong guard at the gates, and it
was impossible for anyone inside to get away with the
necklace. I do not see how anyone, whether inside or
out, could have managed to secure it. The truth is this
poor wretched fellow must have said he gave it to the
gildmaster merely in order to save his own skin ; and the
gildmaster must have said he gave it to the priest, in
the hope that he would get off if he could mix the priest
up in the matter. Further, the priest must have said he
gave it to the chief musician, because he thought the
latter would make the time pass merrily in prison ; whilst
the chief musician's object in implicating the courtesan,
w r as simply to solace himself w r ith her company during
imprisonment. Not one of the whole five has anything
to do with the theft. On the other hand, the grounds
swarm with monkeys, and the necklace must have got
into the hands of one of the female monkeys."

When he had arrived at this conclusion, the Bodhisatta
went to the king with the request that the suspects might
be handed over to him and that he might be allowed to
examine personally into the matter. "By all means, my
wise friend," said the king ; " examine into it."

Then the Bodhisatta sent for his servants and told
them where to lodge the five prisoners, saying, "Keep
strict watch over them ; listen to everything they say, and
report it all to me." And his servants did as he bade
them. As the prisoners sat together, the gildmaster said
to the rustic, " Tell me, you wretch, where you and I ever
met before this day: tell me when you gave me that
necklace." "Worshipful sir," said the other, "it has never
been mine to own aught so valuable even as a stool or
bedstead that wasn't rickety. I thought that with your
help I should get out of this trouble, and that's why I said
what I did. Be not angry with me, my lord." Said the
priest in his turn to the gildmaster, " How then came you
to pass on to me what this fellow had never given to
you ? " "I only said so because I thought that if you and
I, both high officers of state, stand together, we can soon
put the matter right." "Brahmin," now said the chief
musician to the priest, "when, pray, did you give the
jewel to me?" "I only said I did/' answered the priest,
"because I thought you would help to make the time
pass more agreeably." Lastly the courtesan said, "Oh,
you wretch of a musician, you know you never visited
me, nor I you. So when could you have given me the
necklace, as you say ? " " Why be angry, my dear ? " said
the musician ; " we five have got to keep house together
for a bit ; so let us put a cheerful face on it and be happy
together."

This conversation being reported to the Bodhisatta by
his agents, he felt convinced the five were all innocent of
the robbery, and that a female monkey had taken the
necklace. " And I must find a means to make her drop
it," said he to himself. So he had a number of bead
necklaces made. Next he had a number of monkeys
caught and turned loose again, with strings of beads on
their necks, wrists and ancles. Meantime, the guilty
monkey kept sitting in the trees watching her treasure.
Then the Bodhisatta ordered a number of men to observe
every monkey in the grounds carefully, till they saw one
wearing the missing pearl necklace, and then frighten her
into dropping it.

Tricked out in their new splendour, the other monkeys
strutted about till they came to the real thief, to whom
they said, "See our necklaces." Jealousy overcoming
her prudence, she exclaimed, " They're only beads ! " and
put on her own necklace of real pearls. This was at once
seen by the watchers, who promptly made her drop the
necklace, which they picked up and brought to the
Bodhisatta. He took it to the king, saying, " Here, sire,
is the necklace. The five prisoners are innocent; it was
a female monkey in the pleasaunce that took it." " How
came you to find that out?" asked the king; "and how
did you manage to get possession of it again?" Then
the Bodhisatta told the whole story, and the king thanked
the Bodhisatta, saying, "You are the right man in the
right place." And he uttered this stanza in praise of the
Bodhisatta :

For war men crave the hero's might,
For counsel sage sobriety,
Boon comrades for their jollity,

But judgment when in parlous plight.

Over and above these words of praise and gratitude, the
king showered treasures upon the Bodhisatta like a
storm-cloud pouring rain from the heavens. After
following the Bodhisatta's counsels through a long life
spent in charity and good works, the king passed away
to fare thereafter according to his deserts.