Beauty And Brownie [More Jataka Tales]
TWO Deer named Beauty and Brownie lived with their father and mother and great herds of Deer in a forest. One day their father called them to him and said:
"The Deer in
the forest are always in danger when the corn is ripening in the fields. It
will be best for you to go away for a while, and you must each take your own
herd of Deer with you."
"What is the
danger, Father?" they asked.
"When the Deer
go into the fields to eat the corn they get caught in the traps the men set
there," the father said. "Many Deer are caught in these traps every
year."
"Shall you go
away with us?" Brownie said.
"No, your
mother and I, and some of the other old Deer will stay here in the
forest," said the father. "There will be food enough for us, but
there is not enough for you and your herds. You must lead your herds up into
the high hills where there is plenty of food for you, and stay there until the
crops are all cut. Then you can bring your herds back here. But you must be
careful.
"You must
travel by night, because the hunters will see you if you go by day. And you
must not take your herd near the villages where hunters live."
So Beauty and
Brownie and their herds set out. Beauty traveled at night and did not go near
any villages, and at last brought his herd safely to the high hills. Not a
single Deer did Beauty lose.
But Brownie forgot
what his father had said. Early each morning he started off with his herd,
going along all through the day. When he saw a village, he led his herd right
past it. Again and again hunters saw the herd, and they killed many, many of
the Deer in Brownie's herd.
When crops had been
cut, the Deer started back to the forest. Beauty led all his herd back, but
stupid Brownie traveled in the daytime, and again he took his herd past the
villages. When he reached the forest only a few were left of all Brownie's
herd.
