"Of the day's impending dangers, Sickness, Death, and Misery,
One will be; the wise man waking, ponders which that one will be."

Presently the fowler fixed a net, scattered grains of rice about, and
withdrew to hide. At this moment "Speckle-neck," King of the Pigeons,
chanced to be passing through the sky with his Court, and caught sight
of the rice-grains. Thereupon the King of the Pigeons asked of his
rice-loving followers, 'How can there possibly be rice-grains lying here
in an unfrequented forest? We will see into it, of course, but We like
not the look of it--love of rice may ruin us, as the Traveller was
ruined.

"All out of longing for a golden bangle,
The Tiger, in the mud, the man did mangle."

"How did that happen?" asked the Pigeons.


THE STORY OF THE TIGER AND THE TRAVELLER

"Thus," replied Speckle-neck: "I was pecking about one day in the Deccan
forest, and saw an old tiger sitting newly bathed on the bank of a pool,
like a Brahman, and with holy kuskus-grass[3] in his paws.

'Ho! ho! ye travellers,' he kept calling out, 'take this golden bangle!'

Presently a covetous fellow passed by and heard him.

'Ah!' thought he, 'this is a bit of luck--but I must not risk my neck