Consider me your faithful servant.'
'Very well,' said the Deer; and then, as the glorious King of Day, whose
diadem is the light, had withdrawn himself, the two went together to the
residence of the Deer. In that same spot, on a branch of Champak, dwelt
the Crow Sharp-sense, an old friend of the Deer. Seeing them approach
together, the Crow said,
'Who is this number two, friend Deer?'
'It is a Jackal,' answered the Deer, 'that desires our acquaintance.'
'You should not become friendly to a stranger without reason,' said
Sharp-sense. 'Don't you know?'
"To folks by no one known house-room deny:--
The Vulture housed the Cat, and thence did die."
'No! how was that?' said both.
'In this wise,' answered the Crow.
THE STORY OF THE VULTURE, THE CAT, AND THE BIRDS
"On the banks of the Ganges there is a cliff called Vulture-Crag, 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
subscriptions from their own store, out of sheer pity for the poor
fellow, and by that means he managed to live.
Pages:
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33