Demon With Matted Hair " 196, part 5 · page 21 2101Come along.102I'll take you too!"103"But how will you take hold of me to carry me along?"104"I'll bite hold of you with my beak."105"You'll let me fall if you carry me like that.106I won't go with you!"107"Don't be afraid!108I'll hold you quite tight all the way."109Then said the crab to himself, "If this fellow once got hold of fish, he would never let them go in a pond!110Now if he should really put me into the pond, it would be capital; but if he doesn't--then I'll cut his throat, and kill him!"111So he said to him:112"Look here, friend, you won't be able to hold me tight enough; but we crabs have a famous grip.113If you let me catch hold of you round the neck with my claws, I shall be glad to go with you."114And the other did not see that he was trying to outwit him, and agreed.115So the crab caught hold of his neck with his claws as securely as with a pair of blacksmith's pincers, and called out, "Off with you, now!"116And the crane took him and showed him the pond, and then turned off towards the Varana-tree.117"Uncle!" cried the crab, "the pond lies that way, but you are taking me this way!"118"Oh, that's it, is it?" answered the crane. "119Your dear little uncle, your very sweet nephew, you call me!120You mean me to understand, I suppose, that I am your slave, who has to lift you up and carry you about with him!121Now cast your eye upon the heap of fish-bones lying at the root of yonder Varana-tree.122Just as I have eaten those fish, every one of them, just so I will devour you as well!"123"Ah! those fishes got eaten through their own stupidity," answered the crab; "but I'm not going to let you eat _me_.124On the contrary, is it _you_ that I am going to destroy.125For you in your folly have not seen that I was outwitting you.126If we die, we die both together; for I will cut off this head of yours, and cast it to the ground!"127And so saying, he gave the crane's neck a grip with his claws, as with a vice.128Then gasping, and with tears trickling from his eyes, and trembling with the fear of death, the crane beseeched him, saying, "O my Lord!129Indeed I did not intend to eat you.130Grant me my life!"131"Well, well! step down into the pond, and put me in there."132And he turned round and stepped down into the pond, and placed the crab on the mud at its edge.133But the crab cut through its neck as clean as one would cut a lotus-stalk with a hunting-knife, and then only entered the water!134When the Genius who lived in the Varana-tree saw this strange affair, he made the wood resound with his plaudits, uttering in a pleasant voice the verse:135"The villain, though exceeding clever, Shall prosper not by his villainy.136He may win indeed, sharp-witted in deceit, But only as the Crane here from the Crab!"137Loving Laili138Once there was a king called King Dantal, who had a great many rupees and soldiers and horses.139He had also an only son called Prince Majnun, who was a handsome boy with white teeth, red lips, blue eyes, red cheeks, red hair, and a white skin.140This boy was very fond of playing with the Wazir's son, Husain Mahamat, in King Dantal's garden, which was very large and full of delicious fruits, and flowers, and trees.141They used to take their little knives there and cut the fruits and eat them.142King Dantal had a teacher for them to teach them to read and write.1 2← previousDemon With Matted Hair " 196, part 4next →Demon With Matted Hair " 196, part 6↑ back to Indian Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7128/11/page/2/