The Treacherous Chameleon

Once on a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in
Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a lizard. When he grew
up he dwelt in a big burrow in the river bank with a
following of many hundreds of other lizards. Now the
Bodhisatta had a son, a young lizard, who was great friends
with a chameleon, whom he used to clip and embrace.
This intimacy being reported to the lizard king, he sent
for his young son and said that such friendship was mis-
placed, for chameleons were low creatures, and that if the
intimacy was persisted in, calamity would befall the whole
of the tribe of lizards. And he enjoined his son to have
no more to do with the chameleon. But the son continued
in his intimacy. Again and again did the Bodhisatta
speak with his son, but finding his words of no avail, and
foreseeing danger to the lizards from the chameleon, he
had an outlet cut on one side of their burrow, so that there
might be a means of escape in time of need.

Now as time went on, the young lizard grew to a great
size, whilst the chameleon never grew any bigger. And as
these mountainous embraces of the young giant grew pain-
ful indeed, the chameleon foresaw that they would be the
death of him if they went on a few days longer, and he
resolved to combine with a hunter to destroy the whole
tribe of lizards.

One day in the summer the ants came out after a
thunder-storm, and the lizards darted hither and thither
catching them and eating them. Now there came into
the forest a lizard trapper with spade and dogs to dig
out lizards; and the chameleon thought what a haul he
would put in the trapper's way. So he went up to the
man, and, lying down before him, asked why he was about
in the forest. " To catch lizards," was the reply. " Well,
I know where there's a burrow of hundreds of them," said
the chameleon ; "bring fire and brushwood and follow me."
And he brought the trapper to where the lizards dwelt.
" Now," said the chameleon, " put your fuel in there and
smoke the lizards out. Meantime let your dogs be all
round and take a big stick in your hand. Then as the
lizards dash out, strike them down and make a pile of the
slain." So saying, the treacherous chameleon withdrew to
a spot hard by, where he lay down, with his head up, saying
to himself, " This day I shall see the back of my enemy."
The trapper set to work to smoke the lizards out ; and
fear for their lives drove them helter-skelter from their
burrow. As they came out, the trapper knocked them on
the head, and if he missed them, they fell a prey to his dogs.
And so there was great slaughter among the lizards.
Realising that this was the chameleon's doing, the
Bodhisatta cried, " One should never make friends of the
wicked, for such bring sorrow in their train. A single
wicked chameleon has proved the bane of all these lizards."
So saying, he escaped by the outlet he had provided,
uttering this stanza :

Bad company can never end in good.
Through friendship with one sole chameleon
The tribe of lizards met their end.