swered the Deer, 'that desires our acquaintance.'

'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.'

'Who is it?' said the Vulture.

'I am a Cat,'

'Be off, Cat, or I shall slay thee,' said the Vulture.

'I am ready to die if I deserve death,' answered the Cat; 'but let what
I have to say be heard,'

'Wherefore, then, comest thou?' said the Vulture.

'I live,' began Long-ear, 'on the Ganges, bathing, and eating no flesh,
practising the moon-penance,[8] like a Bramacharya. The birds that
resort thither constantly praise your worship to me as one wholly given
to the study of morality, and worthy of all trust; and so I came here to
learn law from thee, Sir, who art so deep gone in learning and in years.
Dost thou, then, so read the law of strangers as to be ready to slay a
guest? What say the books about the householder?--

'Bar thy door not to the stranger, be he friend or be he foe,
For the tree will shade the woodman while his axe doth lay it low,'

And if means fail, what there is should be given with kind words, as--

'Greeting fair, and room to rest in; fire, and water from the well--
Simple gifts--are given freely in the house where good men dwell,'--

and without respect of person--

'Young, or bent with many winters; rich, or poor, whate'er thy guest,
Honor him for thine own honor--better is he than the