ure in the net was a work of destiny; you
must not blame yourself as you did, and suspect a former fault. Is it
not written--

'Floating on his fearless pinions, lost amid the noon-day skies,
Even thence the Eagle's vision kens the carcase where it lies;
But the hour that comes to all things comes unto the Lord of Air,
And he rushes, madly blinded, to his ruin in the snare,'"

With this correction Golden-skin proceeded to perform the duties of
hospitality, and afterwards, embracing and dismissing them, the pigeons
left for such destination as they fancied, and the King of the Mice
retired again into his hole.

Now Light o' Leap, the Crow, had been a spectator of the whole
transaction, and wondered at it so much that at last he called out, "Ho!
Golden-skin, thou very laudable Prince, let me too be a friend of thine,
and give me thy friendship."

"Who art thou?" said Golden-skin, who heard him, but would not come out
of his hole.

"I am the Crow Light o' Leap," replied the other.

"How can I possibly be on good terms with thee?" answered Golden-skin
with a laugh; "have you never read--

'When Food is friends with Feeder, look for Woe,
The Jackal ate the Deer, but for the Crow,'

"No! how was that?"

"I will tell thee," replied Golden-skin:--

THE STORY OF THE JACKAL, DEER, AND CROW

"Far away in Behar there is a forest called Champak-Grove,[7] and in it
had long lived in much affection a Deer and a Crow. The Deer, roaming
unrestrained, happy and fat of carcase, was one day descried by a
Jackal. 'Ho! ho!' thought the Jackal on observing him, 'if I could but
get this soft meat for a meal! It might be--if I can only win his
confidence,' Thus reflecting he approached, and saluted him.

'Health be to thee, friend Deer!'

'Who art thou?' said the Deer.

'I'm Small-wit, the Jackal,' replied the other. 'I live in the wood
here, as the dead do, without a friend; but now that I have met with
such a friend as thou, I feel as if I were beginning life again with
plenty of relations. Consider me your faithful servant.'

'Very well,' said the Deer; and then, as the glorious King of Day, whose
diadem is the light, had withdrawn himself, the two went together to the
residence of the Deer. In that same spot, on a branch of Champak, dwelt
the Crow Sharp-sense, an old friend of the Deer. Seeing them approach
together, the Crow said,

'Who is this number two, friend Deer?'

'It is a Jackal,' an