Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/65

 and was regaled on curry and other food, made saroury by salt. And that blockhead asked, " What makes this food so savoury?" His friend told him that its relish was principally due to salt. He came to the conclusion that salt was the proper thing to eat, so he took a handful of crushed salt and threw it into his mouth, and ate it; the powdered salt whitened the lips and beard of the foolish fellow, and so the people laughed at him till his face became white also. " You have heard, prince, the story of the devourer of salt, now hear the story of the man who had a milch-cow."

Story of the Fool and his Milch-cow.* :— There was once on a time a certain foolish villager, and he had one cow. And that cow gave him every day a hundred palas of milk. And once on a time it happened that a feast was approaching. So he thought; " I will take all the cow's milk at once on the feast-day, and so get very much." Accordingly the fool did not milk his cow for a whole month. And when the feast came, and he did begin to milk it, he found its milk had failed, but to the people this was an unfailing source of amusement.

" You have beard of the fool who had a milch-cow, now hear the story of these other two fools."

Story of the Foolish Bald Man and the Fool who pelted him.:— There was a certain bald man with a head like a copper pot. Once on a time a young man, who, being hungry, had gathered wood-apples, as he was coming along his path, saw him sitting at the foot of a tree. In fun he hit him on the head with a wood-apple; the bald man took it patiently and said nothing to him. Then he hit his head with all the rest of the wood-apples that he had, throwing them at him one after another, and the bald man remained silent, even though the blood flowed. So the foolish young fellow had to go home hungry without his wood-apples, which he had broken to pieces in his useless and childish pastime of pelting the bald man; and the foolish bald man went home with his head streaming with blood, saying to himself; " Why should I not submit to being pelted with such delicious wood-apples?" And everybody there laughed, when they saw him with his head covered with blood, looking like the diadem with which he had been crowned king of fools.

" Thus you see, prince, that foolish persons become the objects of ridicule in the world, and do not succeed in their objects; but wise persons are honoured."

When Naraváhanadatta had heard from Gomukha these elegant and amusing anecdotes, he rose up and performed his day's duties. And when