Page:Buddhist Birth Stories, or, Jātaka Tales.djvu/440

324 The young master made as though he had not heard the abuse; and simply saying, "Come along, then," took him back again. But two or three days after he went to the spot again; when Nanda, however, abused him as before.

The young man gave him no harsh word in reply, but turned back, saying to himself, —

"This slave goes to the place fully intending to point out the treasure; but as soon as he gets there, he begins to be insolent. I don't understand the reason of this. But there's that squire, my father's friend. I'll ask him about it, and find out what it is."

So he went to the Bodisat, told him the whole matter, and asked him the reason of it.

Then said the Bodisat, "On the very spot, my young friend, where Nanda stands when he is insolent, there must your father's treasure be. So as soon as Nanda begins to abuse you, you should answer, "Come now, slave, who is it you're talking too?' drag him down, take the spade, dig into that spot, take out the treasure, and then make the slave lift it up and carry it home!" And so saying he uttered this verse —

"The golden heap, methinks, the jewelled gold, Is just where Nanda, the base-born, the slave, Thunders out swelling words of vanity!"

Then the young squire took leave of the Bodisat, went home, took Nanda with him to the place where the treasure was, acted exactly as he had been told, brought back the treasure, put the family estates into order; and following the exhortations of the Bodisat, gave gifts, and did other good works, and at the end of his life passed away according to his deeds.