The Cruel Crane Outwitted

A tailor who used to make robes for the brotherhood was wont to

cheat his customers, and thus prided himself on being smarter

than other men. But once, on entering upon an important business

transaction with a stranger, he found his master in fraudulent

practices, and suffered a heavy loss.



And the Blessed One said: "This is not an isolated incident in

the greedy tailor's fate in other incarnations he suffered

similar losses, and by trying to dupe others ultimately ruined

himself.



"This same greedy character lived many generations ago as a crane

near a pond, and when the dry season set in he said to the fishes

with a bland voice: 'Are you not anxious for your future welfare?

There is at present very little water and still less food in this

pond. What will you do should the whole pond become dry, in this

drought?'



'Yes, indeed' said the fishes, 'what should we do?'



"Replied the crane: 'I know a fine, large lake, which never

becomes dry. Would you not like me to carry you there in my

beak?' When the fishes began to distrust the honesty of the

crane, he proposed to have one of them sent over to the lake to

see it; and a big carp at last decided to take the risk for the

sake of the others, and the crane carried him to a beautiful lake

and brought him back in safety. Then all doubt vanished, and the

fishes gained confidence in the crane, and now the crane took

them one by one out of the pond and devoured them on a big

varana-tree.



"There was also a lobster in the pond, and when it listed the

crane to eat him too, he said: 'I have taken all the fishes away

and put them in a fine, large lake. Come along. I shall take

thee, too!'



'But how wilt thou hold me to carry me along?' asked the lobster.



'I shall take hold of thee with my beak,' said the crane.



'Thou wilt let me fall if thou carry me like that. I will not go

with thee!' replied the lobster.



'Thou needst not fear,' rejoined the crane; 'I shall hold thee

quite tight all the way.'



"Then said the lobster to himself: 'If this crane once gets hold

of a fish, he will certainly never let him go in a lake! Now if

he should really put me into the lake it would be splendid; but

if he does not, then I will cut his throat and kill him!' So he

said to the crane: 'Look here, friend, thou wilt not be able to

hold me tight enough; but we lobsters have a famous grip. If thou

wilt let me catch hold of thee round the neck with my claws, I

shall be glad to go with thee.'



"The crane did not see that the lobster was trying to outwit him,

and agreed. So the lobster caught hold of his neck with his claws

as securely as with a pair of blacksmith's pincers, and called

out: 'Ready, ready, go!'



"The crane took him and showed him the lake, and then turned off

toward the varana-tree. 'My dear uncle!' cried the lobster, 'The

lake lies that way, but thou art taking me this other way.'



"Answered the crane: 'Thinkest thou so? Am I thy dear uncle? Thou

meanest me to understand, I suppose, that I am thy slave, who has

to lift thee up and carry thee about with him, where thou

pleasest! Now cast thine eye upon that heap of fish-bones at the

root of yonder varana-tree. Just as I have eaten those fish,

every one of them, just so will I devour thee also!'



'Ah! those fishes got eaten through their own stupidity,'

answered the lobster, 'but I am not going to let thee kill me. On

the contrary, it is thou that I am going to destroy. For thou, in

thy folly, hast not seen that I have outwitted thee. If we die,

we both die together; for I will cut off this head of thine and

cast it to the ground!' So saying, he gave the crane's neck a

pinch with his claws as with a vise.



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

trembling with the fear of death, the crane besought the lobster,

saying: 'O, my Lord! Indeed I did not intend to eat thee. Grant

me my life!'



'Very well! fly down and put me into the lake,' replied the

lobster.



"And the crane turned round and stepped down into the lake, to

place the lobster on the mud at its edge. Then the lobster cut

the crane's neck through as clean as one would cut a lotus-stalk

with a hunting-knife, and then entered the water!"



When the Teacher had finished this discourse, he added: "Not now

only was this man outwitted in this way, but in other existences,

too, by his own intrigues."