Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 3 1885.djvu/373

 FOLK-TALES OF INDIA. 365

Now that thief (of a younger brother) went home imagining that he had tricked his brother, but when he opened the bundle and saw the potsherds his heart dried up within him, and he lay down clinging to the upper end of his bed.

It came to pass after this that some fishermen cast their net into the river for a catch of fish. By the power of the river-sprite the aforesaid big-mouthed fish entered the net. The fisherman caught it and went into the city to sell it. When folks saw that big fish they asked the price of it. The fisherman said — " You may have it for a thousand pence and seven farthings." The people made fun of it, because they had not hitherto seen the fish that was worth a thousand pence. The fisherman took the fish and went to the door of the Bodhisat's house, crying out, "Buy this fish." "What's the price of it?" he asked. " Give us seven farthings for it, and it's yours," they answered.

" When you offered it to others how much did you ask for it ?" he inquired.

'' We asked others a thousand peiKe and seven farthings," they replied, "but you may have it for seven farthings."

He gave them seven farthings, and sent the fish to his wife, who, on splitting open the fish, saw the bundle containing the thousand pence, and she informed her husband of it.

The Bodhisat, on looking at it saw his mark and recognised his own property ; thereupon he thought to himself, " Now these fisher- men on offering their fish to others asked one thousand pence and seven farthings, but now they offer it to us, and, because the sum of a thousand pence is our own property, they ask and take only seven farthings for it." It was not an easy matter to make any one, who did not know what was inside, believe that this fish was worth so much. Thereupon he uttered the following gdthd : —

" A fish worth more than a hundred pence ! There's no one would believe it ! And me they asked but seven small coins, Not more they wanted for it. That fish I bought without delay With all that was inside it."