The story I will be reading is called The Quail's Friends. You can listen to the embedded audio file below, or with this audio link.
THE QUAIL'S FRIENDS
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta came to life as a young elephant, and growing up to be a fine, handsome beast, he became the leader of a herd that dwelt in the Himalayas. So large was this herd that the young leader had under his command no less than eighty thousand elephants.
Now at that time, a mother quail had laid her eggs in the feeding ground of the elephants. When the eggs were ready to be hatched, the young birds broke the shells and came out, but before their wings had grown strong enough to fly, the leader of the herd and his eighty thousand elephants came that way, searching for food.
On seeing them, the mother quail was frightened and thought to herself, "This royal elephant will trample on my young ones and kill them. Lo! I will implore his righteous protection for the defense of my brood."
Then she raised her two wings, and standing before the elephant leader, repeated this stanza:
Elephant of sixty years,
Forest lord among your peers,
I am but a feeble bird,
You the leader of a herd;
With my wings I homage pay,
Spare my little ones, I pray!
The great elephant replied kindly, "O Quail, be not troubled! I will protect your offspring." Whereupon he took his stand over the nest of the young birds and kept them safe, until his eighty thousand elephants had passed by. Before he followed them, he once more addressed the mother bird, "Behind us comes a solitary rogue elephant. He will not do our bidding nor recognize our promise of protection. When he comes, therefore, entreat him, too, and so insure the safety of your offspring."
With this advice he departed, and the mother quail went forth to meet the rogue elephant who travelled by himself and recognized no leader or law except his own desires. Finding him, she made respectful salutation, and spoke a second stanza:
Roaming over hill and dale,
Following your lonely way,
You, O forest king, I hail,
And with wings my homage pay.
I am but a wretched quail;
Spare my tender brood to slay!
On hearing her words the elephant spoke a third stanza:
I will slay your young ones, Quail!
What can your poor help avail?
My left foot can crush with ease
Many thousand birds like these.
So saying, he cruelly crushed the tender young birds to atoms and went off, trumpeting loudly.
The poor mother quail sat on the bough of a tree and cried after him, heart-brokenly, "Trumpet away! You shall soon see, however, what even a helpless bird can do. You little know what a difference there is between strength of body and strength of mind. Well, I will teach you a lesson!" She ended her threats by repeating a fourth stanza:
Power abused is not all gain;
Power is often folly's bane.
Beast, that did my young ones kill,
I will work you mischief still.
It happened that a short while afterward, the mother quail was able to do a good turn to a crow. When the crow, who was highly pleased, asked, "What can I do for you in return?" the quail said, "I shall expect you to strike with your beak and peck out the eyes of this wicked rogue elephant who has killed my children."
The crow readily agreed to do this, and soon after the compact between them was made, the quail was also able to do a kindness to a frog. The frog was as grateful as the crow had been and begged to be allowed to repay the friendly deed with another. The quail therefore told the frog of the crow's agreement to peck out the rogue elephant's eyes, and added, "When he becomes blind and shall be searching for water to drink, then take your stand on the top of a mountain, and utter a croak loud enough for him to hear you. He will climb to the mountain top, and then do you come down and croak again at the foot of a precipice. This much I shall look for at your hands." The frog agreed at once to do as she had asked.
So one day the crow, flying at the rogue elephant's eyes, pecked them both out with his sharp beak, and the elephant, maddened with pain and thirst, wandered about blindly, seeking for water to drink.
At this moment, the frog, standing on top of a nearby mountain, uttered a loud croak. Thought the elephant, "There must be water up there, for frogs always live in pools." And he climbed the mountain. But no sooner was he at the summit than the frog descended and, standing at the bottom, croaked again.
The elephant thought, "There will surely be water there," and moved forward toward the precipice, following the sound. Not being able to see the edge, he missed his footing and, rolling over, fell to the bottom of the mountain and was instantly killed.
Thus did the friends of the mother quail avenge her upon the murderer of her young. The wicked elephant passed away to fare according to his deserts, and all the helpless creatures of the forest were safe from his evil deeds for the rest of their days.
illustration by Arnold Hall
THE END
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