Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 483

THE ELEPHANT AND THE RATS
443
any one except to the rats, which I did in the following
manner
The Elephant and the Rats.
to
:
k
In the country of Kalinga-Desa there lived a king
who suddenly found his kingdom
infested with myriads of rats, which destroyed every living
plant and spread desolation everywhere. His subjects,
unable to subsist in the midst of such a plague, waited
named Swarna-Bahu
l
,
upon the king and entreated him to devise some means of
freeing the country from the ravages of these destructive
creatures.
The king immediately mustered all the hunters
and trappers in his kingdom, who, furnished with nets and
snares of all kinds, proceeded at once to make war on the
By dint of much labour and patience, they succeeded
rats.
at last in drawing all the rats from their holes, every one
of them being captured and shut up alive in large earthen
vessels, where they were left to perish of hunger.
Meanwhile,' continued the elephant, I happened to be
passing by the spot where the rats were huddled up in
confinement. Their chief, hearing me coming, called out
to me and entreated me to have compassion on him and his
companions and to save their lives, which, said he, was
extreme^ easy, since all that was necessary was to kick
to pieces the earthen vessels which held them captive.
Touched with pity at the sad lot of these unfortunate
creatures, I shattered their temporary prisons, and thus
rescued them all from certain death. The chief of the
rats, after thanking me profusely, promised that he and
his companions would for ever remember the signal service
I had rendered them, and swore that they would requite my
kindness should I ever happen to get into any difficulty.'
When the elephant had finished its story, the Brahmin
advised it to call to its aid the rats, whom it had so signally
helped.
He then wished it a speedy deliverance and pro-
ceeded on his journey.
The elephant, left to itself, concluded it could not do
better than follow the advice given by the Brahmin.
At
the call of the elephant, the chief of the rats immediately
ran to its aid. No sooner did the elephant perceive its
'
'
1
Swarna-Bahu means
'
golden-armed.'
Ed.