The Quarrel Of The Quails [Jataka Tales]
ONCE upon a time many quails lived together in a forest. The wisest of them
all was their leader.
A man lived near the forest and earned his living by catching quails and selling them. Day after day he listened to the note of the leader calling the quails. By and by this man, the fowler, was able to call the quails together. Hearing the note the quails thought it was their leader who called.
When they were
crowded together, the fowler threw his net over them and off he went into the
town, where he soon sold all the quails that he had caught.
The wise leader saw
the plan of the fowler for catching the quails. He called the birds to him and
said, "This fowler is carrying away so many of us, we must put a stop to
it. I have thought of a plan; it is this: The next time the fowler throws a net
over you, each of you must put your head through one of the little holes in the
net. Then all of you together must fly away to the nearest thorn-bush. You can
leave the net on the thorn-bush and be free yourselves."
The quails said
that was a very good plan and they would try it the next time the fowler threw
the net over them.
The very next day
the fowler came and called them together. Then he threw the net over them. The
quails lifted the net and flew away with it to the nearest thorn-bush where
they left it. They flew back to their leader to tell him how well his plan had
worked.
The fowler was busy
until evening getting his net off the thorns and he went home empty-handed. The
next day the same thing happened, and the next. His wife was angry because he
did not bring home any money, but the fowler said, "The fact is those
quails are working together now. The moment my net is over them, off they fly
with it, leaving it on a thorn-bush. As soon as the quails begin to quarrel I
shall be able to catch them."
Not long after
this, one of the quails in alighting on their feeding ground, trod by accident
on another's head. "Who trod on my head?" angrily cried the second.
"I did; but I didn't mean to. Don't be angry," said the first quail,
but the second quail was angry and said mean things.
Soon all the quails
had taken sides in this quarrel. When the fowler came that day he flung his net
over them, and this time instead of flying off with it, one side said,
"Now, you lift the net," and the other side said, "Lift it
yourself."
"You try to
make us lift it all," said the quails on one side. "No, we
don't!" said the others, "you begin and we will help," but
neither side began.
So the quails quarreled, and while they were quarreling the fowler caught them all in his net. He took them to town and sold them for a good price.
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