Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 3 1885.djvu/357

 FOLK-TALES OF INDIA. 349

could not be found. However as the prince was being carried away by the stream, while the sky was dark and the rain came pelting down, he espied a trunk of a tree upon which he sat. Down the stream he went, frightened to death and weeping and wailing. But at that time a certain landed proprietor, an inhabitant of Benares, was, through lust of wealth, reborn as a snake over a place on the shore of the river where he had formerly buried forty kotis of money.

Another person too, was, on account of his greed of wealth, reborn as a rat in that very spot where he had formerly hidden thirty kotis of money.

The water found its way into their abode, and they (the snake and rat), going out by the way the water had entered, dived into the stream and made their way to the trunk of the tree whereon the prince was sitting. The snake glided up one end (of the log) and the rat clambered up another, and then they lay down on the trunk.

But on the bank of that river there was a Simbali tree, in which dwelt a young parrot. That tree, however, with its roots washed away by the force of the flood, fell into the water. Thereupon the young parrot flew up, but as it was raining he was unable to go on further so he came and alighted on one side of the aforesaid trunk. In this way these four creatures went on together (unknown to each other), borne down by the stream.

Now at this time the Bodhisat was reborn in the Kasi country in the family of an Udicca brahman. When he grew up he adopted the life of a holy recluse, and at the head of the river made himself a heraiitage, in which he took up his abode.

In the middle of the night as he was walking about he heard the sound of that bitter wailing the prince was making, and thought to himself, " It is not right that this man should die while a hermit like me with kindly and compassionate feelings (towards all beings) should stand by looking on (without making an effort to save him). I'll get him out of the water and save his life." So he called out to him, by way of encouragement, " Don't be afraid, don't be alarmed ! " Diving into the water he made his way to the log, caught hold of one end of it, dragged it along with the strength of an elephant at one uniform speed until he reached the shore ; then he lifted up the