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16 that brought you so valuable a reward. You had better begin singing at once."

But the man protested. "I entreat you to spare me," he said. "Don't draw me away from my meditations."

"You can't escape me so easily," replied Budhi. "Remain silent a minute longer, and I will let go my hold. See, I am just on the point of doing so."

"Hear the song, then," exclaimed the unfortunate man, "and then go to the infernal regions."

Saying this, the man began to sing. After he had sung for about a minute, the foolish Budhi took his hands off the branch to clap them in approval, whereupon down fell both of them with a tremendous thud, and their souls were carried to the feet of Yama. Some of the blind man's friends in the palace chanced to be passing that way a little after the occurrence, and they removed his body to dispose of it with fitting funeral rites; but the body of the weaver, who was a perfect stranger to them, they left lying where they found it. A fool has no honour even in his death.