Jataka Tales and Realiz Ed the Excellent Use That Might Be Made of Them in the Teaching of Children

Home , Jataka tales

J a t a k a T a l e s

Re- told by

Ellen Babbi C . tt

W ith illustrations by Ell sworth ! ou ng

N ew ! ork T he C entu ry 1 9 1 2

! edic ated

to ! O

! OREWOR!

Long ago I was captivated by the charm of the Jataka Tales and realiz ed the excellent use that might be made of them in the teaching of children . The obvious lessons are many of them suitable for little

s people, and beneath the obvious there are depth and depths of meaning which they may learn to fathom

later on . The Oriental setting lends an additional I fascination . am glad that Miss Babbitt has under

a ut t ken to p together this collection, and commend it

freely to teachers and parents . ! E! IX ! ! ER A .

vii

C O NT ENT S

THE MONK E! AND THE CROCODILE How THE TURTLE SA! ED HIS OW N ! I! E THE MERC HANT O! SERI

’ THE TURTLE WHO COU LD N T STOP TALK ING THE Ox WHO WON THE ! OR! EIT THE SAND! ROAD THE ! UARREL O! THE ! UAILS THE MEASURE OP RICE

E ! OO IS IM I R BB IT TH L H , T D A

‘ THE WISE AND THE ! OOLISH MERC HANT THE ELEPHANT GIRL! -! ACE THE BAN! AN ! EER THE PRINCES AND THE WATER- SPRITE ’ THE KI NG S WHITE ELEPHANT THE Ox WHO EN! IED THE PIG ’ GRANNIE S BLACK IE THE CRAB AND THE CRANE

WH! THE OW! IS NOT KI NG O! THE BIR! S

PUBLISHER’ S NOTE

a a - r one e The J tak s , or Birth sto ies , form of the sacr d books of the Buddhists and relate to the adventures e of the Buddha in his former existenc s , the best char acter in any story being identiﬁed with the Master . These legends were continually introduced into the religious discourses of the Buddhist teachers to illus trate the doctrines of their faith or to magnify the as glory and sanctity of the Buddha, somewhat medi eval preac hers in Europe used to enliven their sermons by introducing fables and popular tales to rouse the

ﬂagging interest of their hearers . e o Sculptured sc nes from the Jatakas, found Up n the carved railings around the relic shrines of Sanchi and “ Amaravati and of Bharhut , indicate that the Birth ” stories were widely known in the third century

B . C . , and were then considered as part of the sacred history of the religion . At ﬁrst the tales were prob u n ably handed down orally, and it is ncertai when ut m r they were p together in syste atic fo m . XI ORIGIN O! THE JATAKAS

While some of the stories are Buddhistic and de pend for their point on some custom or idea peculiar to

- Buddhism, many are age old fables, the ﬂotsam and

- jetsam of folk lore, which have appeared under various r guises throughout the centu ies, as when they were P used by Boccaccio or oggio, merely as merry tales , or by Chaucer, who unwittingly puts a Jataka story into the mouth of his pardoners when he tells the tale of “ ” R o r the y tou es three . ! uaint humor and gentle earnestness distinguish these legends and they teach many wholesome lessons , among them the duty of kindness to animals . “ Dr . Felix Adler in his Moral Instruction of Chil ” ! dren, says

h a aka Ta s nta n e tr t s and are c al T e J t le c o i de p u h , la o m r ss essons of rea m ra b a t Th c u ted t i p e l g t o l e u y. e tale of the Merc han of Seri who ave u all hat he had in t , g p t exc han e for a o en ish embo ies muc h he same i ea g g ld d , d t d h r f h ric e ess P ar in h N s m n as t e a ab e o t e e t e ew Te a e . p l p l l , t t The tale of the Measures of Ric e illustrates the importanc e h f h B n n ! r of a true estima e of va ues . T e a e o t e a a ee t l t l y , whic h ffere its i to save a roe and her oun i us o d l fe y g, ll

- or Th f h trates self sac riﬁc e of the noblest s t. e tale o t e h Sandy Road is one of the ﬁnest in t e c ollec tion. X11 ORIGIN O! THE JATAKAS

“ And he adds that these tales are, as everyone must a admit, nobly conceived , lofty in meaning, and many ” n t be ea em t helpful sermo migh pr ched from th as tex s .

J a t a ka T a l e s

THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE

MONKEY lived in a great tree on a river

bank .

In the river there were many Crocodiles . r k A C ocodile watched the Mon eys for a long time, “ one ! and day she said to her son My son, get one of those Monkeys for me . I want the heart of a Monkey to eat . “How am I to catch a Monkey ! ” asked the little “ Crocodile . I do not travel on land , and the Monkey does not go into the water . “ ’ Put 11 your wits to work, and you ﬁnd a way, said the mother .

And the little Crocodile thought and thought. 3 JATAKA TALES

“ ’ At l I a I 11 do ast he said to himself know wh t . ’ I 11 get that Monkey that lives in a big tree on the

river bank. He wishes to go across the river to the i ” island where the fruit s so ripe . SO the Crocodile swam to the tree where the

Monkey lived . But he was a stupid Crocodile . “ “ al Oh, Monkey, he c led, come with me over to ” the island where the fruit is SO ripe . “ ” How can I go with you ! asked the Monkey.

do not swim . “ — t I o u . N b I do will take you over on my back,

said the Crocodile .

The Monkey was greedy, and wanted the ripe fruit, ’ SO he jumped down on the Crocodile s back. “ ff !” O we go said the Crocodile . This is a ﬁne ride you are giving me !” said the nk Mo ey . “ ! ! ” Do you think so Well, how do you like this

asked the Crocodile, diving. “ ’ 1” Oh, don t cried the Monkey, as he went under H was the water. e afraid to let go, and he did not know what to do under the water . on When the Crocodile came up, the M key sputtered 4

JATAKA TALES

and want my heart , we must go back to the tree get it! so But we are near the island where the ripe fruit is, ” please take me there ﬁrst. “ ” “ ’ I 11 ou No, Monkey, said the Crocodile, take y straight back to your tree . Never mind the ripe fruit .

Get your heart and bring it to me at once . Then ’ ” we 11 see about going to the island . “ ” Very well, said the Monkey. But no sooner had he jumped onto the bank of the — river than whisk ! up he ran into the tree . From the topmost branches he called down to the Crocodile in the water below “ ! ou e My heart is way up here If y want it, com ” for ! it, come for it

PART II

E Monkey soon moved away from that tree.

He wanted to get away from the Crocodile, O S that he might live in peace . n w But the Crocodile fou d him , far do n the river, living in another tree . In the middle of the river was an island covered

- with fruit trees . 6 THE MONKEY AN! THE CROCODILE

Half- way between the bank of the river and the f Mon island, a large rock rose out o the water . The key could jump to the rock, and then to the island . The Crocodile watched the Monkey crossing from

‘ of nd to the the bank the river to the rock, a then

island . a on He thought to himself, The Monkey will st y ’ 11 wa o the island all day, and I catch him on his y h me

at night . d e The Monkey had a ﬁne feast, while the Croco il

swam about, watching him all day. Toward night the Crocodile crawled out of the

on . water and lay the rock, perfectly still M n When it grew dark among the trees, the o key k . n n started for home He ran dow to the river ba , he and there stopped . “ ” What is the matter with the rock ! the Monkey “

so . thought to himself . I never saw it high before The Crocodile is lying on it !” But he went to the edge of the water and called R !” Hello , ock

NO answer . h ! T en he called again Hello, Rock a and he i Three times the Monkey c lled, then sa d 7 JATAKA TALES

h c not me W y is it, Friend Ro k, that you do answer to-night “ Oh, said the stupid Crocodile to himself , the ’ n roc k answers the Monkey at night . I ll have to a w ” s er for the rock this time . “ ” So ! ! he answered Yes , Monkey What is it “ ’ s The Monkey laughed , and said Oh , it you , ! ” Crocodile, is it “! ” es s o d . , aid the Cr co ile I am waiting here for

. . you I am going. to eat you “ the You have caught me in a trap this time , said “

n e . Mo k y. There is no other way for me to go home ” Open your mouth wide so I can jump right into it .

T he Monkey !umped. 8 THE MONKEY AN! THE CROCODILE Now the Monkey well knew that when Crocodiles

O t . pen heir mouths wide, they shut their eyes While the Crocodile lay on the rock with his mouth wide open and his eyes shut, the Monkey jumped . ! ! But not into his mouth Oh , no He landed on ’ the top of the Crocodile s head, and then sprang quickly to the bank. Up he whisked into his tree . When the Crocodile saw the trick the Monkey had “ ou played on him , he said Monkey, y have great ’1 . 1 cunning You know no fear . I let you alone after ” this . “ Thank you , Crocodile , but I shall be on the watch ” for u a e a the yo !ust the s m , s id II HOW THE TURTLE SA! ED HIS OWN LIFE

KING once had a lake made in the courtyard

for the young princes to play in . They swam

about in it, and sailed their boats and rafts ‘ on it. One day the king told them he had asked the men to put some fishes into the lake. Oflc the boys ran to see the fishes . Now, along with the fishes, there was a Turtle. The boys were de the but ur lighted with fishes, they had never seen a T of a tle , and they were afraid it, thinking it was demon . They ran back to their father, crying, ” n f There is a demon o the bank o the lake .

The king ordered his men to catch the demon, and to to bring it the palace. When the Turtle was

c . brought in, the boys ried and ran away was e The king v ry fond of his sons , so he ordered h the men w o had brought the Turtle to kill it . “ ” e ! How shall w kill it they asked. 1 0 HOW THE TURTLE SA! ED HIS LIFE P i . n ound it to powder, said some one Bake it ” hot coals , said another .

h ” Throw the thing into t e lake.

ne o an So o plan after another was sp ken of . Then old man who had always been afraid of the water “ said ! Throw the thing into the lake where it ﬂows out over the rocks into the river . Then it will surely be killed .

When the Turtle heard what the old man said, he ! e thrust out his head and asked Friend, what hav I I JATAKA TALES I done that you should do Such a dreadful thing as ! The that to me other plans were bad enough , but to throw me into the lake ! Don’ t speak of such a cruel thing !”

When the king heard what the Turtle said, he told his men to take the Turtle at once and throw it into

The Turtle laughed to himself as he slid away down i “ “ h s . the river to old home Good he said , those people do not know how safe I in the water

JATAKA TALES

the o stood on a shelf among other p ts and pans , and was not often used .

He rew the owl on the ro nd th b g u .

The greedy merchant passed this house , calling, ” Buy my water- jars ! Buy my pans ! The grand “ ! o daughter said Oh , Grandm ther , do buy some thing for me !” “ too My dear , said the old woman , we are poor to buy anything. I have not anything to trade, ” even . “ for Grandmother , see what the merchant will give use the old bowl . We do not that , and perhaps he 14 THE MERCHANT OF SERI

will take it and give us something we want for it . The Old woman called the merchant and showed “ him the bowl, saying, Will you take this, sir, and give the little girl here something for it ! ” The greedy man took the bowl and scratched its side with a needle . Thus he found that it was a golden bowl . He hoped he could get it for nothing, so “ he said ! What is this worth ! Not even a half

. t e penny He threw the bowl on h ground, and went away .

By and by the other merchant passed the house . For it was agreed that either merchant might go through any street which the other had left . He “ called ! Buy my water- jars ! Buy my tinware ! Buy my brass !”

The little girl heard him , and begged her grand e mother to s e what he would give for the bowl . “ ” “ My child, said the grandmother, the merchant who was just here threw the bowl on the ground ff and went away. I have nothing else to o er in ” trade . “ was But, Grandmother, said the girl, that a k n A . o e . s cross man . This looks pleasant him P ’ ” erhaps he 11 give some little tin dish . I S JATAKA TALES

and to Call him, then, Show it him, said the old woman . As th n his soon as e mercha t took the bowl in hands , f “ he knew it was o gold . He said All that I have o o here is not w rth s much as this bowl . It is a golden ” o b bowl . I amn t rich enough to uy it . “ sir But, , a merchant who passed here a few mo ments ago, threw it on the ground, saying it was not ” worth a halfpenny, and he went away, said the “

. as grandmother It w worth nothing to him . If you value it, take it, giving the little girl some dish ” h f r s e likes o it . H e But the merchant would not have it so. e gav the woman all the money he had, and all his wares . “ ” Give me but eight pennies , he said . k So he took the pennies , and left . Going quic ly to the river, he paid the boatman the eight pennies to take him across the river. Soon the greedy merchant went bac k to the house “ where he had seen the golden bowl , and said Bring

how! ou . that to me , and I will give y something for it “ ” “! o r . ou N , said the g andmother said the bowl was worthless, but another merchant has paid a great ”

k . price for it, and ta en it away I 6 THE MERCHANT OF SERI

It a old n owl is g e b .

out Then the greedy merchant was angry, crying , h T rough this other man I have lost a small fortune. ” That bowl was of gold . er He ran down to the riverside , and, seeing the oth a e ! merch nt in the boat out in the river, he call d “ ! !” Hallo , Boatman Stop your boat ’ But the man in the boa t said Don t stop ! So on of and he reached the city the other side the river, lived well for a time on the money the bowl brought

I 7 I! THE TURTLE WHO COUL! N’ T STOP TALKING R E TU TL lived in a pond at the foot of a hill . saw Two young wild Geese, looking for food ,

the Turtle , and talked with him . The next daythe Geese came again to visit the Turtle and they became very well acquainted . Soon they were great friends . “ Friend Turtle, the Geese said one day, we have o a beautiful home far away. We are g ing to ﬂy back to it to-morrow It will be a long but pleasant j our ney . Will you go with us

o ! . How c uld I I have no wings , said the Turtle ou Oh , we will take you , if only y can keep your m not to outh Shut , and say a word anybody , they S aid . “

c an . I do that , said the Turtle Do take me with

s . you . I will do exactly a you wish 18 THE TALKING TURTLE

So the next day the Geese brought a stic k and they “N held the ends of it . ow take the middle of this in

H ” ow could I go with you ! said the Turtle.

’ o your mouth , and d n t say a word until we reach ” home , they said .

The e ran n o the air Ge se sp g i t .

n u The Geese then spra g into the air , with the T rtle between them , holding fast to the stick . The village children saw the two Geese ﬂying along I 9 JATAKA TALES

“ see with the Turtle and cried out Oh , the Turtle up in the air ! Look at the Geese carrying a Turtle by a stick ! Did you ever see anything more ridic u lous in your life !” “ w sa The Turtle looked do n and began to y, Well, of and if my friends carry me, what business is that ” ! of yours when he let go, and fell dead at the feet C the hildren . i As the two Geese ﬂew on , they heard the people say, “ o when they came to see the po r Turtle, That fellow H to and could not keep his mouth shut. e had talk, ” so lost his life .

“ h T r O , see the urtle up in the ai . 20

JATAKA TALES

But the Ox had never been talked to in that way, and he stood still . Neither the blows nor the hard o names could make him m ve . o w At last the poor man paid his f rfeit , and ent sadly

Get alon ou ra l g, y sca .

home . There he threw himself on his bed and cried Why did that strong Ox act so ! Many a time he o has moved heavier l ads easily . Why did he shame me before all those people hi At last he got up and went about s work. When 22 THE OX WHO WON THE FORFEIT

he went to feed the Ox that night, the Ox turned to “ him and said ! Why did you whip me to- day P You never whipped me before . Why did you call me ‘wretch ’ and ‘rascal’ ! You never called me hard names before . Then the man said I will never treat you badly again . I am sorry I whipped you and called you ” names . I will never do so any more . Forgive me . “ - Very well, said the Ox. To morrow I will go into the village and draw the one hundred carts for you . You have always been a kind master until to ” d T - t a O . y. morrow you Shall gain what you los

The next morning the owner fed the Ox well, and . hung a garland of ﬂowers about his neck. When they went into the village the men laughed a t the man again. They said Did you come back to lose more money P” “ To-day I will pay a forfeit of two -thousand pieces of silver if my Ox is not str ong enough to pull the one hundred carts , said the owner SO again the carts were placed in a line, and the Ox o was yoked to the ﬁrst . A crowd came t watch again . “ The owner said Good Ox, Show how strong you 23 JATAKA TALES

A arland of ﬂ ower a o his nec g s b ut k.

! !” are You ﬁne, ﬁne creature And he patted his neck and stroked his sides .

At once the Ox pulled with all his strength . The carts moved on until the last cart stood where the ﬁrst had been .

Then the crowd shouted, and they paid back the “ forfeit the man had lost, saying Your Ox is the ” a strongest Ox we ever s w.

And the Ox and the man went home, happy. ! I THE SAND! ROA!

NCE upon a time a merchant, with his goods

d . packe in many carts, came to a desert He was on his way to the country on the other f side o the desert . sun th ﬁne i as The shone on e sand, mak ng it hot as the of N top a stove . O man could walk on it in the u n w s nlight . But at night, after the sun we t do n , the sand cooled, and then men could travel upon it .

So the merchant waited until after dark, and then

set . out Besides the goods that he was going to sell, so he took jars of water and of rice, and ﬁrewood, that the rice could be cooked. h s n an All night long he and i men rode o d on . One man was the pilot . He rode ﬁrst, for he knew the

u . stars, and by them he g ided the drivers un At daybreak they stopped and camped . They f ed . yoked the oxen , and them They built ﬁres and 25 JATAKA TALES

cooked the rice . Then they spread a great awning

over all the carts and the oxen, and the men lay down

under it to rest until sunset .

They built ﬁres and cooked the ric e.

ﬁ In the early evening, they again built res and w cooked rice . After Supper, they folded the a ning

and put it away. They yoked the oxen, and, as soon

as the sand was cool , they started again on their jour

ney across the desert . n e Night after ight they travel d in this way, resting a during the heat of the day. At l st one morning the “ pilot s aid In one more night we shall get out of 26 THE SANDY ROAD

for the sand . The men were glad to hear this, they were tired . After supper that night the merchant said You may as well throw away nearly all the water and the

- ﬁrewood . By to morrow we shall be in the city . ” Yoke the oxen and start on .

Then the pilot took his place at the head of the line . u But, instead of sitting p and guiding the drivers,

. n he lay down in the wagon o the cushions . Soon he was fast asleep, because he had not slept for many the nights , and the light had been so strong in day time that he had not slept well then .

All night long the oxen went on . Near daybreak, the pilot awoke and looked at the la st stars fading “ ” “

! . in the light. Halt he called to the drivers We r a e in the same place where we were yesterday. The i ” oxen must have turned about wh le I slept.

They unyoked the oxen, but there was no water for them to drink. They had thrown away the water that was left the night before. So the men spread a the awning over the c rts , and the oxen lay down, tired and thirsty. The men , too , lay down saying, “ — ” The wood and water are gone we are lost. “ But the merchant said to himself, This is no time 27 JATAKA TALES

n for me to sleep. I must ﬁnd water . The oxe can not go on if they do not have water to drink. The men must have water . They cannot cook the rice

. be unless they have water If I give up, we shall all lost l”

“ m w There ust be ater somewhere below.

on On and he walked, keeping close watch of the “ ground . At last he saw a tuft of grass . There or must be water somewhere below, that grass would ” not be there, he said.

He ran back, shouting to the men , Bring the spade and the hammer 28

! II THE ! UARREL O! THE ! UAILS

NCE upon a time many quails lived together l in a forest . The wisest of them a l was their

leader . A man lived near the forest and earned his living by catching ! uails and selling them. Day after day he listened to the note of the leader calling the quails . a By and by this man, the fowler , was ble to call the quails together . Hearing the note the quails thought it was their leader who called .

When they were crowded together , the fowler off threw his net over them and he went into the town , where he soon sold all the quails that he had caught . The wise leader saw the plan of the fowler for

catching the quails . He ca lled the birds to him and “ r said, This fowler is car ying away so many of us ,

we must put a stop to it . I have thought of a plan ! it is this ! The next time the fowler throws a net 30 THE ! UARREL O! THE ! UAILS

v ou t o er y , each of you must put your head hrough ne o of the little holes in the net. Then all of you

- together must ﬂy away to the nearest thorn bush . You c an leave the net on the thorn-bush and be free ” yourselves . The quails said that was a very good plan and they would try it the next time the fowler threw the net

over them . The very next day fowler came and called them “the h together . Then he t rew the net over them . The quails lifted the net and ﬂew away with it to the

- nearest thorn bush where they left it. They ﬂew back to their leader to tell him how well his plan had worked . The fowler was busy until evening getting his net f - o the thorns and he went home empty handed . The

‘ nex . day the same thing happened, and the next His wife was angry because he did not bring home “ any money, but the fowler said, The fact is those

quails are working together now . The moment my off v net is over them, they ﬂy with it , lea ing it on a

- thorn bush . As soon as the quails begin to quarrel I ” shall be able to catch them .

Not long after this , one of the quails in alighting 31 JATAKA TALES

’ ee d e on a on their f ding ground, tro by accid nt nother s “ ” ho P head . W trod on my head angrily cried the “ ’ ’ be to. second. I did ! but I didn t mean Don t

u h The ! ails lifted t e net and ﬂew away with it.

a ai angry, s id the ﬁrst quail, but the second ! u l was and m angry said ean things . 32 THE ! UARREL O! THE ! UAILS

Soon all the quails had taken sides in this quarrel . When the fowler came that day he ﬂung his net over of off one them, and this time instead ﬂying with it, “ ” ou net Side said, Now, y lift the , and the other Side “ ” said, Lift it yourself . “ ! ou to us on try make lift it all, said the quails “ ’ “ one the ou n Side. No, we don t said others, y begi ” and we will help, but neither side began . So the quails quarreled, and while they were quar k reling the fowler caught them all in his net . He too them to town and sold them for a good price .

The fowler a em all in s c ught th hi net.

33 ! III

THE MEASURE OF RICE

T one time a dishonest king had a man called

' the Valuer in his court . The Valuer set the

‘ price which ought to be paid for horses and ‘ the elephants and the other animals . He also set

r k n . price on jewel y and gold, and things of that i d

This man was honest and just , and set the proper

wner ~ f price to be paid to the o s o the goods . e The king was not pleased with this Valuer, b cause “ he was honest . If I had another sort of a man as ” Valuer, I might gain more riches , he thought.

One day the king saw a stupid, miserly peasant

come into the palace yard . The king sent for the

fellow and asked him if he would like to be the Valuer .

The peasant said he would like the position . So the king had him made Valuer . He sent the honest

Valuer away from the palace . Then the peasant began to set the prices on horses 34 THE MEASURE OF RICE

o e wen f r h in S th y t be o e t e k g.

and elephants , upon gold and jewels . He not

know their value , so he would say anything he chose .

As the king had made him Valuer, the people had to

sell their goods for the price he set . By and by a horse- dealer brought ﬁve hundred horses to the court of this king. The Valuer came

and said they were worth a mere measure of rice . So the king ordered the horse- dealer to be given the

measure of rice, and the horses to be put in the palace

stables . 35 JATAKA TALES

The horse-dealer went then to see the honest man e who had b en the Valuer , and told him what had hap pened . “ ” P - What shall I do asked the horse dealer . I think you can give a present to the Valuer which will make him do and say what you want him to do ” “ sa Go and y, said the man . to him and give him ‘ sa ! a ﬁne present, then y to him You said the horses w but now are orth a measure of rice, tell what a meas ure of rice is worth ! Can you value that standing ’ P c an in your place by the king If he says he , go ” e with him to the king, and I will be th re, too.

- The horse dealer thought this was a good idea. So he took a ﬁne present to the Valuer, and said what the other man had told him to say. o i ! es The Valuer to k the present, and sa d , I can go before the king with you and tell what a meas f ” ure c an . o rice is worth . I value that now “ ” - us d . Well, let go at once, said the horse ealer So they went before the king and his ministers in the palace . Th h -d e orse ealer bowed down before the king, and “ h of said O King, I ave learned that a measure But rice is the value of my ﬁve hundred horses . will 36

JATAKA TALES

r The ministe s clapped their hands , laughing, and “ o s ! saying, What a f oli h Valuer How can such a man hold that oﬂic e P We used to think this great c it y was beyond price , but this man says it is worth only a measure of rice . ol Then the king was ashamed, and drove out the fo is h fellow. I tried to please the king by setting a low price and on the horses , now see what has happened to ” me ! d ran sai the Valuer, as he away from the laugh ing crowd. BB THE FOOLISH , TIMID RA IT

NCE upon a time, a Rabbit was asleep

- under a palm tree .

All at once he woke up, “ and thought ! What if the world should break up ! What then would become of ” me P

At that moment, some Monkeys dropped a cocoa nut . It fell down on the ground just back of the

Rabbit . n Heari g the noise, the Rabbit said to himself The ” earth is a ll breaking up ! He m ed and ran !u p up . And he jumped Up and u a s n o bac k ran fast he could, without eve lo king j st o as to see what made the noise . 39 JATAKA TALES

Anot e a and c a e h r R bbit saw him running, lled aft r him “ P” , What are you running so fast for “ ’ ” n Do t ask me ! he cried . ran n to w But the other Rabbit after him, beggi g kno w hat was the matter.

The lion

’ the ﬁrst Rabbit said Don t you know! The ea rth is all breaking Up!

And on . he ran , and the second Rabbit ran with him The next Rabbit they met ran with them when he heard that the earth was all breaking Up. One Rabbit after another joined them, until there were hundreds of Rabbits running as fast as they could go . 40 I I I RABBI THE FOOL SH , T M D T

as e ee c out to him the They p s d a D r, alling that earth was all breaking up . The Deer then ran with them.

Saw the animals running.

The Deer ca lled to a Fox to come along because the earth was all breaking up .

on . On and they ran , and an Elephant joined them u At last the Lion saw the animals r nning, and heard r thei cry that the earth was all breaking up . so He thought there must be some mistake, he ran to the foot of a hill in front of them and roared three times . 41 AJATAKA TALES

n of th This stopped them , for they k ew the voice e of King Beasts, and they feared him . “ ” Why are you running so fast P asked the Lion . ” “ is Oh, King Lion , they answered him , the earth all breaking up “ ” Who P saw it breaking up asked the Lion . ’ ” n t ! ox—he I did , said the Elephant . Ask the i ” told me about t. “ ’ ” t ! x n o . I did , said the

o . The Rabbits told me ab ut it , said the Deer “ One after another of the Rabbits said I did not

see . it , but another Rabbit told me about it At last the Lion came to the Rabbit who had ﬁrst

said the earth was all breaking up . “ ” Is it true that the earth is all breaking upP the

Lion asked. “ ”

0 . Yes , Lion , it is , said the Rabbit I was asleep ‘ - U . nder a palm tree I woke up and thought, What ! ’ would become of me if the ea rth should all break up of At that very moment , I heard the sound the earth

u . breaking p, and I ran away “ ” “ and o Then , said the Lion , you I will g back to c a see the pla e where the earth began to bre k up , and ” what is the matter . 42 B B THE FOOLISH , TIMID RA IT

SO the Lion put the little Rabbit on his back, and h away they went like t e wind . The other animals f r O waited o them at the foot f the hill . The Rabbit told the Lion when they were near the w sa w place here he slept , and the Lion just where the

Rabbit had been sleeping. too He saw , , the cocoanut that had fallen to the r to g ound near by. Then the Lion said the Rabbit , “ It must have been the sound of the cocoanut falling ” to the ground that you heard . You foolish Rabbit !

And the Lion ran back to the other animals , and told them all about it . n for the s K n of If it had not bee wi e i g Beasts , they n n l might be run i g sti l .

a Aw y they went like the wind. 43 THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH MER CHANT

NGE upon a time in a certa in country a thrifty merchant visited a great city and of H e bought a great supply goods . e load d w in to agons with the goods, which he was go g sell as he traveled through the country. A stupid young merchant was buying goods in the

s . too t he o ame city He, , was going o sell what b ught as u r he traveled through the co nt y. i They were both ready to start at the same t me. The n l thrifty merchant thought, We ca not trave for men d together, the will ﬁnd it hard to get woo and e for and water , there will not be nough grass ”

. t r so many oxen Ei her he o I ought to go ﬁrst. So n to sa he we t the young man and told him this , y “ ” or me P ing, Will you go before come on after “ one be to The other thought, It will better for me v on not go ﬁrst . I shall then tra el a road that is u has c ut p. The oxen will eat grass that not been 44

JATAKA TALES So the demon went further along the road and changed himself into the likeness of a noble gentle m n a . a u f bv He c lled p a beauti ul carriage , drawn - e he milk white oxen . Th n called ten other demons , dres sed them like men and armed them with bows and ow w . a arr s , s ords and shields Seated in his c rriage, o ow to f ll ed by the ten demons , he rode back meet the merchant . He put mud on the carriage wheels , hung wa ter-lilies and wet grasses upon the oxen and the carriage . Then he made the clothes the demons wore o and their hair all wet . Dr ps of water trickled down over their faces just as if they had all come through a stream . As the demons neared the foolish merchant they one turned their carriage to Side of the way , saying “ ” ou P pleasantly, Where are y going “ The merchant replied, We have come from the great city back there and are going across the desert o ! ou t the villages beyond . come dripping with mud

e - i and carrying wat r l lies and grasses . Does it rain on the road you have come by ! Did you come through a stream P”

The demon answered , The dark streak across the O sky is a forest. In it there are ponds full f water 46

JATAKA TALES

. h i lilies The rains come often . W at have you n all those carts P” “ to Goods be sold, replied the merchant. But in that last big hea vy wagon what do you P” carry the demon asked . “ f of for n Jars ull water the journey, a swered the

merchant. on ! ou to n The dem said, have done well bri g

a s a s . water far this , but there is no need of it beyond ou w and n n Empty t all that ater go o easily. The “ ” he on added, But we have delayed too long. Drive l And he drove on until he was out of sight ofthe mer

chant. Then he returned to his home with his fol to t t lowers wai for the night o come. The foolish merc hant did a s the demon bade him and e ev n not c u l On and a . mptied ery jar, savi g even p on they traveled and the streak on the sky faded with

. e no n the sunset Ther was forest, the dark line bei g N0 u only clouds. water was to be fo nd . The men to and no to had no water drink food eat, for they a in to s had no w ter which cook their rice, o they went

and Su . too thirsty pperless to bed The oxen, , were hungry and thirsty and dropped down to Sleep here a e a n and there . L t t ight the demons fell upon them 48 WISE AND FOOLISH MERCHANT

and ff e easily carried o every man . They drov the n on oxe ahead of them , but the loaded carts they did to not care take away. A month and a half after this the wise merchant

followed over the same road . He , too, was met on the desert by the demon just as the other had been . But the wise man knew the man was a demon because the he cast no shadow . When demon told him of the ponds in the forest ahead and advised him to throw “ - away the water jars the wise merchant replied, We ’ don t throw away the water we have until we get to ” a place where we see there is more . h Then the demon drove on . But the men w o were “ ! with the merchant said , Sir those men told us that r t e r m yonde was h beginning of a g eat forest , and fro there onwards it was always raining. Their clothes and hair were dripping with water . Let us throw away the water-jars and go on faster with lighter carts ! Stopping all the carts the W ise merchant asked the men , Have you ever heard any one say that there was a lake or pond in this desert ! You have lived ” near here always . “ We never heard of a pond or lake , they said . 4 49 JATAKA TALES

Does any man feel a wind laden with dampness P” blowing against him he asked. “ ” o N , sir , they answered . ”

ou O P . Can y see a rain cloud , any f you said he ” No one , sir, not , they said . !” Those fellows were not men , they were demons h w said t e ise merchant. They must have come out

“ to make us throw away the water . Then when we were faint and weak they might have put an end to ’ Us . Go on at once and don t throw away a single ” - half pint Of water .

He himself with the head men stood on guard. 50 WISE AN! FOOLISH MERCHANT

So they drove on and before nightfall they came upon the loaded wagons belonging to the foolish mer chant. Then the thrifty merchant had his wagons drawn h up in a circle . In the middle of t e circle he had the of oxen lie down, and also some the men . He him On a self with the head men stood gu rd, swords in hand f r not and waited o the demons . But the demons did bother them . Early the next day the thrifty mer chant took the best of the wagons left by the foolish merchant and went on safely to the city across the desert . There he sold all the goods at a proﬁt and returned his his own c with Company to ity. THE ELEPHANT GIRLY-FACE

NCE upon a time a king had an Elephant

- named Girly face . The Elephant was called Girly-face because he wa s so gentle and good “ - and looked so kind . Girly face never hurts any ” b e ody, the keeper of the Elephants oft n said . Now one night some robbers came into the court yard and sat on the ground just outside the stall where - O Girly face slept . The talk f the robbers awoke Girly face. “ is to This the way break into a house, they said. h A Once inside the house kill any one w o wakens . n t A robber must o be afraid to kill . robber must be

no . cruel and have pity He must never be good, even ” f r o a moment.

- Girly face said to himself, Those men are teach

h . ing me ow I should act I will be cruel . I will n t d—n m show no pity . I will o be goo ot even for a o ” ment . 5 2 e i ed himU m i t r w th oor ee o the round p ck p h s runk and th e e p k per t g i 54 THE ELEPHANT GIRLY-FACE

So the next morning when the keeper came to feed Girly-face he picked him up in his trunk and threw u the poor keeper to the gro nd , killing him . to Another keeper ran see what the trouble was,

- and Girly face killed him, too . For days and days Girly- face was so ugly that no one for dared go near . The food was left him, but no man would go nea r him. By and by the king heard Of this and sent one ofhis ut - wise men to ﬁnd o what ailed Girly face .

- The wise man had known Girly face a long time . He looked the Elephant over carefully and could ﬁnd nothing that seemed to be the matter . “ - He thought at last, Girly face must have heard some bad men talking. Have there been any bad ” P e men talking about here ask d the wise man . “ ” “ one of Yes , the keepers said, a band of robbers were caught here a few weeks ago. They had met t in the yard o talk over their plans . They were talking ' together near the stall where Girly- face sleeps .

So the wise man went back to the king. Said he,

- I think Girly face has been listening to bad talk. If you will send some good men to talk where Girly 55

THE ELEPHANT GIRLY-FACE

face can hear them I think he will be a good Elephant ” once more . So that night the king sent a company of the best men to be found to sit and talk near the stall where “ - . s to one Girly face lived They aid another, It is wrong to hurt any one . It is wrong to kill. Every one should be gentle and good. “ e n Now thos men are teachi g me , thought Girly “

c e. no fa I must be gentle and good . I must hurt one i . I must not kill any one . And from that t me on Girly-face was tame and as good as ever an Ele an be ph t could . ‘ 7

THE BANYAN DEER

His ERE was once a Deer the color of gold. n eyes were like rou d jewels, his horns were a s his was white silver, mouth red like a

his o . He ﬂower , h ofs were bright and hard had a

large body and a ﬁne tail . He lived in a forest and was king of a herd of ﬁve hundred Banyan Deer . Near by lived another herd too of Deer, called the Monkey Deer . They, , had a king. The king of that country was fond of hunting the o Deer and eating deer meat . He did not like to g alone so he called the people of his town to go with him, day after day. The townspeople did not like this for while they one were gone no did their work. SO they decided

to make a park and drive the Deer into it. Then the king could go into the park and hunt and they could h go on with t eir daily work. 58 BANYAN DEER

They made a park, planted grass in it and provided the water for Deer, built a fence all around it and drove the Deer into it . Then they shut the gate and went to the king to tell him that in the park near by he could ﬁnd all the

Deer he wanted.

The king went at once to look at the Deer . First saw the he there two Deer kings , and granted them their lives . Then he looked at their great herds .

Some days the king would go to hunt the Deer, his u As as the sometimes cook wo ld go. soon any of

Deer saw them they would shake with fear and run . But when they had been hit once or twice they would drop down dead. The King of the Banyan Deer sent for the King of “ the Monkey Deer and said, Friend, many of the Deer are being killed . Many are wounded besides those who are killed . After this Suppose one from my herd U goes p to be killed one day , and the next day let one from your herd go up . Fewer Deer will be lost this ” way.

The Monkey Deer agreed . Each day the Deer ' it was n whose turn would go and lie dow , placing its 59

JATAKA TALES

Ris I an ou l f n e s. e up. gr t y r i e a d h r

King of the Banyan Deer ! I never saw such kind ness and mercy . Rise up . I grant your life and Nor o hers . will I hunt any m re the Deer in either park or forest . XIII

THE PRINCES AND THE WATER-SPRITE

N CE Upon a time a king had three sons . The P ﬁrst was called rince of the Stars . The next was called the Moon Prince and the third was P as r called the Sun rince . The king w so ve y happy when the third son was born that he promised to give o ask the queen any b on she might . o The queen kept the pr mise in mind, waiting until the third son was grown before asking the king to give her the boon . On the twenty-ﬁrst birthday of the Sun Prince she

said to the king, Great King, when our youngest child

was born you said you would give me a boon . Now ” a sk the P I you to give kingdom to Sun rince .

But the king refused , saying that the kingdom must

n . go to the oldest son , for it belo ged by right to him

Next it would belong by right to the second son , and not until they were both dead could the kingdom go to h s n the t ird o . 63 JATA‘ KA TALES

The queen went away, but the king saw that she was not pleased with his answer . He feared that she would do harm to the Older princes to get them out of of un P the way the S rince. SO he called his elder sons and told them that they “ must go and live in the forest until his death . Then ” come back and reign in the city that is yours by right, he said. And with tears he kissed them on the fore heads and sent them away.

As they were going down out of the palace , after - b P saying good y to their father, the Sun rince called “ ” e P to them, Wher are you going And when he heard where they were going and “ ” why, he said, I will go with you, my brothers . ff So O they started . They went on and on and by and by they reached the forest . There they sat down to rest in the shade of a pond . Then the eldest “ Sun P Go brother said to rince, down to the pond n and bathe a d drink. Then bring us a drink while ” we rest here . Now the King of the Fairies had given this pond

- to a water sprite . The Fairy King had said to the “ - ! OU water sprite , are to have in your power all who go down into the water except those who give the 64 PRINCES AND THE WATER- SPRITE

right answer to one question . Those who give the not right answer will be in your power. The question ‘ ’ is o , What are the Go d Fairies like !

The Sun Pr n e wen nt h d i c t i o t e pon .

When the Sun Prince went into the pond the water “ an sprite saw him d asked him the question , What are the Good Fairies like P” “ i the They are like the Sun and the Moon , sa d Sun P rince . “ ’ n o d You don t k ow what the G o Fairies are like, s 65 JATAKA TALES

- cried the water sprite, and he carried the poor boy w do n into his cave . P By and by the eldest brother said , Moon rince, go down and see why our brother stays so long in the pond !” ’ As soon as the Moon Prince reac hed the water s “ - edge the water sprite called to him and said, Tell me what the Good Fairies are like !” “ ” P e. Like the sky above us , replied the Moon rinc ’ ” - You don t know, either, said the water sprite, and dragged the Moon Prince down into the cave P sat where the Sun rince . “Something must have happened to those two ” brothers of mine, thought the eldest . So he went to the pond and saw the marks of the footsteps where n his brothers had gone down into the water . The

- he knew that a water sprite must live in that pond .

He girded on his sword, and stood with his bow in hi s hand . The water-sprite soon came along in the form of a woodsman . “ You seem tired, Friend , he said to the prince . “Why don ’ t you bathe in the lake and then lie on the bank and rest P” 66 PRINCES AND T HE WATER- SPRITE

The wa er- ri in th form of woodm n t sp te e a a .

But the prince knew that it was a water- sprite and “ ” ! ou off ! he said , have carried my brothers “ - Yes , said the water sprite . ” Why did you carry them offP not Because they did answer my question , said “ - and o e o the water sprite, I have p w r ver all who go down into the water except those who do give the ” right answer . 67 JATAKA TALES

I will answer your question, said the eldest An . d brother he did . The Good Fairies are like

The e in ear wh in pur h t o fea r to s , ” The ood kindl in w d an e g , y or d d ed.

O P of Wise rince , I will bring back to you one P” your brothers . Which shall I bring said the water

sprite . “ ! Bring me the younger one , said the prince. It

was on his account that our father sent us away . I could never go away with Moon Prince and lea ve P ” poor Sun rince here . “ P O Wise rince, you know what the good should

do and you are kind . I will bring back both your ” - brothers , said the water sprite . After that the three princes lived together in the

forest until the king died. Then they went back to

the palace. The eldest brother was made king and a he had his brothers rule with him . He also built f r h - home o t e water sprite in the palace grounds .

JATAKA TALES

He held up one foot and the carpenters saw that it was swollen n a d sore.

And Other times he brought their tools for them. on the carpenters used to feed him well morning, no and night . Now this Elephant had a son who was white all — a a . over be utiful , strong young one Said the old “ Elephant to himself, I will take my son to the place in the forest where I go to work each day so that he for n may learn to help the carpenters , I am o longer young and strong. 7o THE KING’ S WHITE ELEPHANT

’ SO the old Elephant told his son how the c arpené ters had taken good care of him when he was badly hurt and took him to them . The white Elephant did

n e The Elephant used to pull Up trees for the carpe t rs.

7 1 JATAKA TALES

as his father told him to do and helped the ca rpenters n a d they fed him well . When the work was done at night the young Ele ’ n phant went to play in the river . The carpe ters chil

dren played with him , in the water and on the bank . He liked to pick them up in his trunk and set them on the high branches of the trees and then let them

down on his back.

With a last look at his playmates the beautiful white Elephant went on wi h n th t e ki g. 72 THE KING’ S WHITE ELEPHANT

One day the king came down the river and saw this beautiful white Elephant working for the ca r nters n pe . The king at once wanted the Elepha t for m his own and pa id the c arpenters a great price for hi .

' e s t at his t the Th n with a la look playma es , children, the beautiful white Elephant went on with the king. The king was proud of his new Elephant and took a of o a the best c re him as l ng s he lived. X’!

THE OX WHO EN! IED THE PIG

NCE upon a time there was an Ox named Big

Red . He had a younger brother named Little two Red. These brothers did all the carting on a large farm . Now the farmer had an only daughter and she was be soon to married. Her mother gave orders that the Pi a g should be fattened for the wedding fe st. Little Red noticed that the Pig was fed on choice “ his H i . H ow s food e said to brother, it, Big Red, h ou s ea t t at y and I are given only straw and gras to , while we do all the hard work on the farm ! That lazy Pig does nothing but eat the choice food the i ” farmer g ves him . d v Said his brother, My ear Little Red, en y him not h Pi of a ! He . T at little g is eating the food de th n is being fatte ed for the wedding feast . Eat your ” n straw and grass and be content and live lo g.

JATAKA TALES

l r h The fattened Pig was kiled and cooked fo t e wedding feast.

Not long afterwards the fattened Pig was killed and cooked for the wedding feast . ou see Then Big Red said, Did y , Little Red , what ” became of the Pig after all his ﬁne feeding P “ ” “ the c a Yes , said little brother, we n go on eating l Pi the plain food for years , but the poor litt e g ate i His fee was oo food of death and now he s dead . d g d

w but n . hile it lasted , it did not last lo g 76

GRANNY ’ S B LACKIE

’ 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 . “ “ ’ o ll I am young and str ng, he thought . I see if I cannot ﬁnd some work to do . If I could bring some money home to her , she would not have to work ” o s 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 shal low 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 . ’ n A child standing near by said , That is Gran y s ” Blackie . “ “ ’ 11 Very well , said the man, I pay two pieces of silver for each wagon this Elephant draws across the river . a e Blackie w s glad to hear this promis . He went 79 JATAKA TALES

to the r v r and an in i e , drew one wagon after other h across to the ot er side . n h Then he we t Up to the man for t e money. The man counted out one piece of silver for ea ch wagon . When Blackie saw that the man had counted out but one of for of piece silver each wagon , instead

not the . two, he would touch money at all He stood in the road and would not let the wagons pass him . man to out The tried get Blackie of the way, but on not e step would he move . Then the man went back and counted out another piece of silver for ea ch of the wagons and put the sil ’ ver in a bag tied around Blackie s neck. to hi Then Blackie started for home , proud t nk that he had a present for Granny. The children had missed Blackie and had asked n was k Gra ny where he , but she said she did not now where he had gone . They all looked for him but it was nearly night be fore they heard him coming . “ e ou e ! is h Wh re have y b en , Blackie And what t at ” P n around your neck the childre cried, running to meet their playmate. 80

GRANNY ’ S B LACKIE

But Blackie would not stop to talk with his play

mates . He ran straight home to Granny. “ !” “ ! Oh , Blackie she said , Where have you been ” What is in that bag P And she took the bag off his

neck. Blackie told her that he had earned some money

for her . “ n how Oh, Blackie, Blackie, said Gran y, 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

r . G ranny rested , and they were both ve y happy X! II

THE CRAB AND THE CRANE

N the Long Ago there was a summer when very

little rain fell . ff All the Animals su ered for want of water , but ff the Fishes su ered most of all. one of was low In pond full Fishes , the water very indeed. sat n h A Crane o the bank watching t e Fishes . “ ” u P What are yo doing asked a little Fish .

I am thinking about you Fishes there in the pond . ” It is so nearly dry, answered the Crane . “ ” “ on wa s Yes , the Crane went , I wishing I might of do something for you . I know a pond in the deep d ” woo s where there is plenty of water. “ “ ou I declare, said the little Fish, y are the ﬁrst ff h ” Crane that ever o ered to help a Fis . “ ” “ be That may , said the Crane , but the water is so lo w in your pond. I could easily carry you one by 84

So the Crane put the big ! ish on his back and started for dee wood the p s . THE CRAB AND THE CRANE

. o o ried it away Not to the po l , but into the wo ds

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

ate . the same place in the woods and 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 ta ke you to the ﬁne pond in the deep woods where I took the Fishes P” “ ” But how could you ca rry me P asked the Crab . ” “ ’ ou Oh , easily, answered the Crane . I ll take y on a my back s I did the Fishes . “ ’ ou No, I thank y , said the Crab, I can t go that way. I am afraid you might drop me . If I could

of . take hold your neck with my claws , I would go ” ! ou n r k ow we Crabs have a tight g ip. n The Crane k ew about the tight grip of the Crabs , and he did not like to have the Crab hold on with his But i claws . he was hungry, so he sa d “ ” Very well , hold tight . 97 And off went the Crane with the Crab.

X! III

WHY THE OWL IS NOT KING OF THE B IRDS

Y 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. n who O ce upon a time, the people lived together when the world was young took a certain man for - of their king. The four footed animals also took one f r n ﬁsh their number o their ki g. The in the ocean t chose a king o rule over them . Then the birds gath r a ! ered together on a g e t ﬂat rock, crying “ men is a a Among there king, and among the be sts ,

ﬁsh one too . and the have , ! but we birds have none ”

ne . We ought to have a king. Let US choose o now And so the birds talked the matter over and at last “ ”

all a ! et us l for our . they s id, have the Ow king 90 WHY THE OWL IS NOT KING

Se how o h loo r t n w e s ur e ks igh o .

old No, not all , for one Crow rose Up and said, For ’

our . oo my part, I don t want the Owl to be king L k 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, ! one how will he look when he is angry I , for , want ” no such sour-looking king ! ’ c i Then the Crow ﬂew Up into the air ry ng, I don t 1 9 ! JATAKA TALES

’ ” like it ! I don t like it l The Owl rose and followed him . From that time on the Crows and the Owls e have been enemies . The birds chose a Turtle Dov k m be and . to their ing, then ﬂew to their ho es

THE EN!