'You should not become friendly to a stranger without reason,' said
Sharp-sense. 'Don't you know?'

"To folks by no one known house-room deny:--
The Vulture housed the Cat, and thence did die."

'No! how was that?' said both.

'In this wise,' answered the Crow.


THE STORY OF THE VULTURE, THE CAT, AND THE BIRDS

"On the banks of the Ganges there is a cliff called Vulture-Crag, and
thereupon grew a great fig-tree. It was hollow, and within its shelter
lived an old Vulture, named Grey-pate, whose hard fortune it was to have
lost both eyes and talons. The birds that roosted in the tree made
subscriptions from their own store, out of sheer pity for the poor
fellow, and by that means he managed to live. One day, when the old
birds were gone, Long-ear, the Cat, came there to get a meal of the
nestlings; and they, alarmed at perceiving him, set up a chirruping that
roused Grey-pate.

'Who comes there?' croaked Grey-pate.

"Now Long-ear, on espying the Vulture, thought himself undone; but as
flight was impossible, he resolved to trust his destiny and approach.

'My lord,' said he, 'I have the honor to salute thee.'