Chương Chương 7 · The Cruel Crane Outwitted

. The Cruel Crane Outwitted

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Long ago the Bodisat was born to a forest life as the Genius of a tree

standing near a certain lotus pond.

Now at that time the water used to run short at the dry season in a

certain pond, not over large, in which there were a good many fish.

And a crane thought on seeing the fish:

"I must outwit these fish somehow or other and make a prey of them."

And he went and sat down at the edge of the water, thinking how he

should do it.

When the fish saw him, they asked him, "What are you sitting there

for, lost in thought?"

"I am sitting thinking about you," said he.

"Oh, sir! what are you thinking about us?" said they.

"Why," he replied; "there is very little water in this pond, and but

little for you to eat; and the heat is so great! So I was thinking,

'What in the world will these fish do now?'"

"Yes, indeed, sir! what _are_ we to do?" said they.

"If you will only do as I bid you, I will take you in my beak to a

fine large pond, covered with all the kinds of lotuses, and put you

into it," answered the crane.

"That a crane should take thought for the fishes is a thing unheard

of, sir, since the world began. It's eating us, one after the other,

that you're aiming at."

"Not I! So long as you trust me, I won't eat you. But if you don't

believe me that there is such a pond, send one of you with me to go

and see it."

Then they trusted him, and handed over to him one of their number--a

big fellow, blind of one eye, whom they thought sharp enough in any

emergency, afloat or ashore.

Him the crane took with him, let him go in the pond, showed him the

whole of it, brought him back, and let him go again close to the other

fish. And he told them all the glories of the pond.

And when they heard what he said, they exclaimed, "All right, sir! You

may take us with you."

Then the crane took the old purblind fish first to the bank of the

other pond, and alighted in a Varana-tree growing on the bank there.

But he threw it into a fork of the tree, struck it with his beak, and

killed it; and then ate its flesh, and threw its bones away at the

foot of the tree. Then he went back and called out:

"I've thrown that fish in; let another one come."

And in that manner he took all the fish, one by one, and ate them,

till he came back and found no more!

But there was still a crab left behind there; and the crane thought he

would eat him too, and called out:

"I say, good crab, I've taken all the fish away, and put them into a

fine large pond. Come along. I'll take you too!"

"But how will you take hold of me to carry me along?"

"I'll bite hold of you with my beak."

"You'll let me fall if you carry me like that. I won't go with you!"

"Don't be afraid! I'll hold you quite tight all the way."

Then said the crab to himself, "If this fellow once got hold of fish,

he would never let them go in a pond! Now if he should really put me

into the pond, it would be capital; but if he doesn't--then I'll cut

his throat, and kill him!" So he said to him:

"Look here, friend, you won't be able to hold me tight enough; but we

crabs have a famous grip. If you let me catch hold of you round the

neck with my claws, I shall be glad to go with you."

And the other did not see that he was trying to outwit him, and

agreed. So the crab caught hold of his neck with his claws as securely

as with a pair of blacksmith's pincers, and called out, "Off with you,

now!"

And the crane took him and showed him the pond, and then turned off

towards the Varana-tree.

"Uncle!" cried the crab, "the pond lies that way, but you are taking

me this way!"

"Oh, that's it, is it?" answered the crane. "Your dear little uncle,

your very sweet nephew, you call me! You mean me to understand, I

suppose, that I am your slave, who has to lift you up and carry you

about with him! Now cast your eye upon the heap of fish-bones lying at

the root of yonder Varana-tree. Just as I have eaten those fish, every

one of them, just so I will devour you as well!"

"Ah! those fishes got eaten through their own stupidity," answered the

crab; "but I'm not going to let you eat _me_. On the contrary, is it

_you_ that I am going to destroy. For you in your folly have not seen

that I was outwitting you. If we die, we die both together; for I will

cut off this head of yours, and cast it to the ground!" And so saying,

he gave the crane's neck a grip with his claws, as with a vice.

Then gasping, and with tears trickling from his eyes, and trembling

with the fear of death, the crane beseeched him, saying, "O my Lord!

Indeed I did not intend to eat you. Grant me my life!"

"Well, well! step down into the pond, and put me in there."

And he turned round and stepped down into the pond, and placed the

crab on the mud at its edge. But the crab cut through its neck as

clean as one would cut a lotus-stalk with a hunting-knife, and then

only entered the water!

When the Genius who lived in the Varana-tree saw this strange affair,

he made the wood resound with his plaudits, uttering in a pleasant

voice the verse:

"The villain, though exceeding clever,

Shall prosper not by his villainy.

He may win indeed, sharp-witted in deceit,

But only as the Crane here from the Crab!"

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