The Crow-Hen, The Cobra, And the Jackal

Once upon a time there was a crow and his wife who had built a nest in a banyan tree.

A big snake crawled into the hollow trunk and ate up the chicks as they were hatched.

The crow did not want to move, since he loved the tree dearly.

So he went to his friend the jackal for advice. A plan of action was devised.

The crow and his wife flew about in implementation.

As the wife approached a pond, she saw the women of the king's court bathing, with pearls, necklaces, gems, garments, and a golden chain laying on the shore.

The crow-hen siezed the golden chain in her beak and flew towards the banyan tree with the eunuchs in pursuit.

When she reached the tree, she dropped the chain into the hole.

As the kings' men climbed the tree for the chain, they saw the swelling hood of the cobra. So they killed the snake with their clubs, retrieved the golden chain, and went back to the pond. And the crow and his wife lived happily ever after.

> A TALE FROM PANCHATANTRA, FOURTH CENTURY, RETOLD IN THE CRAFT OF POWER, R.G.H. 1979

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