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 Rh I am now, for they would make plenty of very nice currie.' But he could not do it, though he frequently tried; for the trunks of the trees were tall and straight, and very slippery, so that he no sooner climbed up a little way than he slid down again: however, he did not cease to look and long.

One day a heavy shower of rain drove all the parrots back earlier than usual to their tree, and there they found a thousand crows, who had come on their homeward flight to shelter themselves till the storm was over.

Then Vicram Maharajah Parrot said to the other parrots, 'Do you not see these crows have all sorts of seeds and fruits in their beaks, which they were carrying home to their little ones? Let us quickly drive them away, lest some of these fall down under our tree, which, being sown there, will spring up strong plants and twine round the trunks, and enable our enemy the hunter to climb up with ease and kill us all.'

But the other parrots answered, 'That is a very far-fetched idea! Do not let us hunt the poor birds away from shelter in this pouring rain, they will get so wet.' So the crows were not molested. It turned out, however, just as Vicram Maharajah had foretold; for some of the fruits and seeds they were taking home to their young ones fell under the tree, and the seeds took root and sprang up strong creeping plants, which twined all round the straight trunks of the banyan-tree, and made it very easy to climb.

Next time the hunter came by he noticed this, and saying, 'Ah, my fine friends, I've got you at last,' he, by the help of the creepers, climbed the tree, and set one thousand and one snares of fine thread among the branches, having done which he went away.

That night when the parrots flew down on the branches as usual, they found themselves all caught fast prisoners by the feet.

'Crick! crick! crick!' cried they, 'crick! crick! crick! O dear! O dear! what shall we do? what can we do? O Vicram Maharajah, you were right and we were wrong. O dear! O dear! crick! crick! crick!'

Then Vicram said, 'Did I not tell you how it would be? But do as I bid you, and we may yet be saved. So soon as the hunter comes to take us away, let each one of us hang his head down on one side, as if he were dead; then, thinking us dead, he will not trouble himself to wring our necks, or stick the heads of those he wishes to keep alive through his belt, as he otherwise would, but will merely release us and throw us on the ground. Let us when