The Stolen Ploughshares

Once upon a time, while Brahmadatta was king of
Benares, the Bodhisatta came into this world as the son of
one in the king's court. When he grew up he was made a
Lord Justice.

At that time, two traders, one from a village and one
of the town, were friends together. The villager deposited
with the townsman five hundred ploughshares. The other
sold these, and kept the price, and in the place where
they were he scattered mouse dung. By and by came
the villager, and asked for his ploughshare. " The mice
have eaten them up 1 !" said the cheat, and pointed out
the mouse dung to him.

" Well, well, so be it," replied the other : " what can be
done with things which the mice have eaten ? '

Now at the time of bathing he took the other trader's
son, and set him in a friend's house, in an inner chamber,
bidding them not suffer him to go out any whither. And
having washed himself he went to his friend's house.

" Where is my son ? " asked the cheat.

"Dear friend," he replied, "I took him with me and
left him on the river-side ; and when I was gone down
into the water, there came an osprey, and seized your son
in his extended claws, and flew up into the air. I beat
the water, shouted, struggled but could not make him
let go."

" Lies ! " cried the rogue. " No osprey could carry off
a boy ! "

" Let be, dear friend : if things happen that should not,
how can I help it ? Your son has been carried off by an
osprey, as I say."

The other reviled him. " Ah, you scoundrel ! you
murderer! Now I will go to the judge, and have you
dragged before him ! " And he departed. The villager
said, "As you please," and went to the court of justice.
The rogue addressed the Bodhisatta thus:

" My lord, this fellow took my son with him to bathe,
and when I asked where he was, he answered, that an
osprey had carried him oif. Judge my cause ! "

" Tell the truth," said the Bodhisatta, asking the other.

" Indeed, my lord," he answered, " I took him with me,
and a hawk has carried him off."

" But where in the world are there ospreys which carry
off boys ? "

" My lord," he answered, " I have a question to ask you.
If ospreys cannot carry off boys into the air, can mice
eat iron ploughshares ? "

" What do vou mean bv that ? "

" My lord, I deposited in this man's house five hundred
ploughshares. The man told me that the mice had de-
voured them, and shewed me the droppings of the mice
that had done it. My lord, if mice eat ploughshares, then
ospreys carry off boys : but if mice cannot do this, neither
will hawks carry the boy off. This man says the mice ate
my ploughshares. Give sentence whether they are eaten
or no. Judge my cause ! "

"He must have meant," thought the Bodhisatta, "to
fight the trickster with his own weapons. Well devised ! "
said he, and then he uttered these two verses :

Well planned indeed! The biter bit,
The trickster tricked a pretty hit!
If mice can eat a ploughshare, why,
Ospreys away with boys can fly!

A rogue out-rogued with tit for tat!
Give back the plough, and after that
Perhaps the man who lost the plough
M;iy give your son back to you now! 1

Thus he that had lost his son received him again, and
he received his ploughshare that had lost it ; and after-
wards both passed away to fare according to their deeds.