THE VULTURE AND THE CAT. On the banks of the Ganges there is a cliff called VultureCrag, and thereupon grew a great fig-tree. It was hollow, and within its shelter lived an old Vulture named Grey-pate, whose hard fortune it was to have lost both eyes and talons. The birds that roosted in the tree made contributions from their own store, out of sheer pity for the poor fellow, and by that means he managed to live. One day, when the old birds were gone, Long-ear, the Cat, came there to get a meal of the nestlings; and they, alarmed at perceiving him, set up a chirruping that roused Grey-pate. "Who comes there?" croaked Grey-pate. Now Long-ear, on espying the Vulture, thought himself undone; but as flight was impossible, he resolved to trust his destiny and approach. "My lord," said he, "I have the honor to salute thee." "Who is it?" said the Vulture. "I am a Cat." "Be off, Cat, or I shall slay thee," said the Vulture. "I am ready to die if I deserve death," answered the Cat; "but let what I have to say be heard." "Wherefore, then, comest thou?" said the Vulture. "I live," began Long-ear, "on the Ganges, bathing, and eating no flesh, practising the moon-penance. The birds that resort thither constantly praise your worship to me as one wholly given to the study of morality, and worthy of all trust; and so I came here to learn law from thee, Sir, whe art so deep gone in learning and in years. Dost thou, then, so read the law of strangers as to be ready to slay a guest? What say the books about the householder? 'Bar thy door not to the stranger, be he friend or be he foe, For the tree will shade the woodman while his axe doth lay it low.' And if means fail, what there is should be given with kind words; as 'Greeting fair, and room to rest in; fire, and water from the wellSimple gifts-are given freely in the house where good men dwell,' And without respect of person 'Young, or bent with many winters; rich, or poor, whate'er thy guest, Honor him for thine own honor-better is he than the best.' Else comes the rebuke 'Pity them that ask thy pity: who art thou to stint thy hoard, When the holy moon shines equal on the leper and the lord?' And that other, too,— 'When thy gate is roughly fastened, and the asker turns away, Thence he bears thy good deeds with him, and his sins on thee doth lay.' For verily, 'In the house the husband ruleth, men the Brahmans call; Agni is the Twice-born Master-but the guest is lord of all.'" To these weighty words Grey-pate answered: "Yes! but cats like meat, and there are young birds here, and therefore I said, go." "Sir," said the Cat (and as he spoke he touched the ground, and then his two ears, and called on Krishna to witness to his words), "I that have overcome passion, and practised the moon-penance, know the Scriptures; and howsoever they contend, in this primal duty of abstaining from injury they are unanimous. Which of them sayeth not, "He who does and thinks no wrong- And so, winning the old Vulture's confidence, Long-ear, the Cat, entered the hollow tree and lived there. And day after day he stole away some of the nestlings, and brought them down to the hollow to devour. Meantime the parent birds, whose little ones were being eaten, made search after them in all quarters; and the Cat, discovering this fact, slipped out from the hollow and made his escape. Afterwards, when the birds came to look closely, they found the bones of their young ones in the hollow of the tree where Grey-pate lived; and the birds at once concluded that their nestlings had been killed and eaten by the old Vulture, whom they accordingly executed. THE OLD JACKal and the ELEPHANT. IN the forest of Brahma lived an Elephant whose name was White-front. The Jackals knew him, and said among themselves, "If this great brute would but die, there would be four months' food for us, and plenty, out of his carcass." With that an old Jackal stood up and pledged himself to compass the death of the Elephant by his own wit. Accordingly he sought for White-front, and, going up to him, he made the reverential prostration of the eight members, gravely saluting him. "Divine creature," said he, "vouchsafe me the regard of one look." "Who art thou?" grunted the Elephant, "and whence comest thou?" "I am only a Jackal," said the other; "but the beasts of the forest are convinced that it is not expedient to live without a king, and they have met in full council and despatched me to acquaint your Royal Highness that on you, endowed with so many lordly qualities, their choice has fallen for a sovereign over the forest here. Let your Majesty, therefore, repair thither at once, that the moment of fortunate conjunction may not escape us." us." So saying he led the way, followed at a great pace by White-front, who was eager to commence his reign. Presently the Jackal brought him upon a deep slough, into which he plunged heavily before he could stop himself. "Good master Jackal," cried the Elephant, "what's to do now? I am up to my belly in this quagmire." "Perhaps your Majesty," said the Jackal, with an impudent laugh, "will condescend to take hold of the tip of my tail with your trunk, and so get out." Then White-front, the Elephant, knew that he had been deceived; and thus he sank in the slime and was devoured by the Jackals. THE FABLES OF BIDPAI. THE following fables are taken from the Arabic version, called in the original "Kalilah and Dimnah," from the two Jackals who are subjects of the Lion, but more commonly known as "The Fables of Bidpai," or Pilpay, according to the French. The stories are still closely connected and interwoven with each other, being told by the various actors, whether men or beasts, in illustration or defence of their actions. THE KING AND HIS TWO SONS. In the country of Ardos there lived an ancient King who had two sons, both covetous, yet given to debauchery. This monarch, finding the infirmities of age increase upon him, and that he was hasting to the other world, and considering the character of his two sons, was afraid that after his death. they would dissipate in idle expenses the vast treasure which he had heaped together, and therefore resolved to hide it. With this design he went to a religious Hermit who had retired from the world, and in whom he had a very great con THE VULTURE AND THE CAT. On the banks of the Ganges there is a cliff called VultureCrag, and thereupon grew a great fig-tree. It was hollow, and within its shelter lived an old Vulture named Grey-pate, whose hard fortune it was to have lost both eyes and talons. The birds that roosted in the tree made contributions from their own store, out of sheer pity for the poor fellow, and by that means he managed to live. One day, when the old birds were gone, Long-ear, the Cat, came there to get a meal of the nestlings; and they, alarmed at perceiving him, set up a chirruping that roused Grey-pate. "Who comes there?" croaked Grey-pate. Now Long-ear, on espying the Vulture, thought himself undone; but as flight was impossible, he resolved to trust his destiny and approach. "My lord," said he, "I have the honor to salute thee." "Who is it?" said the Vulture. "I am a Cat." "Be off, Cat, or I shall slay thee," said the Vulture. "I am ready to die if I deserve death," answered the Cat; "but let what I have to say be heard." "Wherefore, then, comest thou?" said the Vulture. "I live," began Long-ear, "on the Ganges, bathing, and eating no flesh, practising the moon-penance. The birds that resort thither constantly praise your worship to me as one wholly given to the study of morality, and worthy of all trust; and so I came here to learn law from thee, Sir, whe art so deep gone in learning and in years. Dost thou, then, so read the law of strangers as to be ready to slay a guest? What say the books about the householder?— 'Bar thy door not to the stranger, be he friend or be he foe, For the tree will shade the woodman while his axe doth lay it low.' And if means fail, what there is should be given with kind words; as |