Speaker 1: The clever thief from the Tibetan. In olden times, there
lived in a hill town a householder who married a
wife of his own caste. When a son was born
unto him, he said to his wife, good wife, Now
that there is born unto us, a causer of debts
and a diminisher of means, I will take merchandise and
go to sea. She replied, do so, lord. So he
went to sea with his merchandise, and there he died.
After his wife had got over her mourning, she continued
to live, partly supported by her handiwork and partly by
her relatives. Not far from her dwelt a weaver who
was skilled in his art, and who by means of
adroitness succeeded in everything. Seeing that he, by means of
his art, had become well to do, she came to
the conclusion that weaving was better than going to see,
for when a man did the latter, he needlessly exposed
himself to misfortune. So she said to the weaver, oh, brother,
teach this nephew of yours to weave. He replied, as
that is right, I will do so. The youth became
his apprentice, and in a short time learned the art
of weaving, for he was sharp and quick as the weaver,
wore fine clothes, took good baths, and partook of delicate food.
The youth said to him one day, uncle, how is
it that, although you and I are occupied in exactly
the same kind of work, yet you have fine clothes,
good baths, and delicate food, but I never have a
chance of such things. The weaver replied, nephew, I carry
on two kinds of work. By day I practice weaving,
but by night thieving. If that be so, uncle, I
too will practice thieving. Nephew, you cannot commit a theft, Uncle,
I can. The weaver thought he would test him a little,
so he took him to the market place, purchased a
hare there, and gave it to him, saying, nephew, I
shall take a bath and then return home. Meanwhile, go
on roasting this hair. While he was taking his bath.
The youth hastily roasted the hare and ate up one
of its legs. When the weaver returned from his bath,
he said, nephew, have you roasted the hair? Yes, let's
see it. Then, when the youth had brought the hare
and the weaver saw that it only had three legs.
He said, nephew, where is the fourth leg? Gone? Uncle?
It is true that hare is half four legs, but
if the fourth leg is not here, it cannot have
gone anywhere. The weaver thought, although I have long been
a thief, yet this lad is a still greater thief.
And he went with the youth in the three legged
hair into a drinking house and called for liquor. When
they had both drunk, the weaver said, nephew, the score
must be paid by a trick. Uncle, He who has
drunk may play a trick. Why should I, who have
not drunk, do this thing. The weaver saw that the
lad was a great swindler, so he determined to carry
out a theft. Along with him. They betook themselves to housebreaking. Once,
when they had made a hole into a house, the
weaver was going to pass his head through the opening,
and the youth said, uncle, although you are a thief,
yet you do not understand your business. The legs should
be put in first, not the head, for if the
head should get cut off, its owner would be recognized
and the whole family would be plunged into ruin. Therefore,
put your feet in first. When the weaver had done so,
attention was called to the fact, and a cry was
raised of thieves these. At that cry, a great number
of people assembled, who seized the weaver by his legs
and began to pull him in. The youth all by himself,
could not succeed in pulling him out, but he cut
off the weaver's head and got away with it. The
ministers brought the news to the king, saying, your majesty,
the thief was himself arrested at the spot where the
housebreaking took place, but some one cut off his head
and went away with it. The King said, O, friends,
he who has cut off the head and gone away
with it is a great thief. Go and expose the
headless trunk at the cross way of the main street.
Then place yourselves on one side, and arrest whoever embraces
it and wails over it, for that will be the thief. Thereupon,
these servants of the king exposed the headless trunk at
the cross way of the main street and stationed themselves
on one side. Thinking it would be wrong not to
embrace his uncle and moan over him. The other thief
assumed the appearance of a madman and took to embracing men, women, carts, horses, bullocks, buffaloes,
goats and dogs. Afterwards, all men thinking he was mad.
He pressed the headless trunk to his breast, wailed over
it as long as he liked, and then went his way.
The king was informed by his men that a madman
had pressed the headless trunk to his bosom, and while
he held it there, had wailed over it, and had
then gone away. The king said, O, friends, this man
of a surety was the other thief. He have acted
wrongly in not laying hands upon him. Therefore shall hands
be laid upon you. The other thief said to himself,
if I do not show honor to my uncle, I
shall be acting badly. So he assumed the appearance of
a cart and drove a cart up to the spot,
laden with dry wood. When he arrived there, he upset
the cart with its load of dry wood. Unyoked, the
oxen set the cart on fire, and then went away.
The headless trunk was consumed by the flames. The king
was informed by his men that the corpse was burned,
and they told him all that had taken place. The
king said, O, friends, the carter was certainly the thief,
ye have acted wrongly in not laying hands upon him.
Therefore shall hands be laid upon you. The thief said
to himself, I shall not be acting rightly unless I
take sole offerings to the burial place for my uncle.
So he assumed the appearance of a brahmin and wandered
from house to house collecting food. From what he collected,
he made five oblation cakes, which he left at the
burial place, and then went his way. The king's men
told him that a brahmin had wandered from house to
house collecting food and then left five oblation cakes on
the spot where the body had been burned, and had
then gone away. The king said, oh, friends, that was
really the thief. Ye have acted wrongly in not laying
hands upon him. The thief thought, I shall be acting
badly if I do not throw my uncle's bones into
the Ganges. So he assumed the appearance of a kapalika,
a skull carrying shiva worshiper, wet to the place where
the corpse had been burned, smeared his body with ashes,
filled a skull with bones and ashes, flung it into
the Ganges, and then went his way. When the king
had been told by his men all that had happened,
he said, oh, friends, this was really the thief. You
have acted wrongly in not laying hands upon him.