Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/109

Rh ground, showing his humility. 'Sir,' said he, 'I have overcome temptation, practised penance, and know the Scriptures. Always do I keep away from injuring others, for

"At length he won the old Vulture's confidence, and went with him into the hollow tree and lived there. And day after day he stole some of the nestlings, and devoured them.

"The parent birds missed their young ones and sought everywhere for them, and the Cat soon saw that he would have to leave, so he slipped away from the hollow, and escaped.

"A little later the birds found the bones of the nestlings in the dwelling-place of the Vulture, and of course concluded that it was he whom they had helped who had so basely rewarded them. So they called a meeting of all the birds of the forest, told them what