Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta became an Antelope, and lived within a forest, in a thicket near a lake. Not far from the same lake, sat a Woodpecker perched at the top of a tree; and in the lake dwelt a Tortoise. And the three became friends, and lived together in amity.

A hunter, wandering about in the wood, observed the Bodhisatta’s footprint at the going down into the water; and he set a strong leather trap. The Bodhisatta went down to drink water, and got caught in the trap; then he cried loud and long. Thereupon the Woodpecker flew down from her tree top, and the Tortoise came out of the water, and consulted what was to be done.

The Woodpecker said to the Tortoise, “Friend, you have teeth to bite and cut the trap; I will go and see to it that the hunter keeps away; and if we both do our best, our friend will not lose his life.”

The Tortoise began to chew the leather thong; the Woodpecker made his way to the hunter’s dwelling. At dawn of day the hunter went out, knife in hand. As soon as the bird saw him start, he uttered a cry, flapped his wings, and struck him in the face as he left the front door. The hunter thought, “Some bird of ill omen has struck me!” He turned back, and lay down for a little while. Then he rose up again, and took his knife. The bird reasoned within himself, “The first time he went out by the front door, so now he will leave by the back;” and he sat him down behind the house. The hunter, too, reasoned in the same way. “When I went out by the front door, I saw a bad omen, now will I go out by the back!” and so he did. But the bird cried out again, and struck him in the face. Finding that he was again struck by a bird of ill omen, the hunter exclaimed, “This creature will not let me go!” and turning back he lay down until sunrise, and when the sun was risen, he took his knife and started.

The Woodpecker hurried back to his friends. “Here comes the hunter!” he cried. By this time the Tortoise had chewed all the thongs except one tough thong; his teeth seemed as though they would fall out, and his mouth was all smeared with blood. The Bodhisatta saw the young hunter coming on like lightning, knife in hand; he burst the thong, and fled into the woods. The Woodpecker perched upon his tree top. But the Tortoise was so weak, that he lay where he was. The hunter threw him into a bag, and tied it to a tree.

The Bodhisatta observed that the Tortoise was taken, and determined to save his friend’s life. So he let the hunter see him, and pretended as though he was weak. The hunter saw him, and thinking him to be weak, seized his knife and followed him. The Bdhisatta, keeping just out of his reach, led him into the forest; and when he saw that they had come far away, gave him the slip and returned swift as the wind by another way. He lifted the bag with his horns, threw it upon the ground, ripped it open and let the Tortoise out. And the Woodpecker came down from the tree.

Then the Bodhisatta thus addressed them both; “My life has been saved by you, and you have done a friend’s part to me. Now the hunter will come and take you; so do you, friend Woodpecker, migrate else where with your brood, and you, friend Tortoise, dive into the water.” They did so.

The hunter returned, and saw none of them. He found his bag torn; picked it up, and went home sorrow. And the three friends lived all their life long in unbroken amity, and then passed away to fare according to their deeds.