Once upon a time the Bodhisatta came to life as the Tree-sprite of a tree which stood near a lotus pond. Every summer the water used to fall very low in the pond. It is not very big but filled with fish. Catching sight of these fish, a certain crane said to himself, “I must find a way to cajole and eat these fish.” So he went and sat down in deep thought by the side of the water.

When the fishes saw him, they said, “Sitting here what are you thinking?”

“I am thinking about you. The water in this pool being low, food scarce, and the heat intense, I was wondering to myself, as I sat here, what in the world you fishes would do.” The Fishes asked,“And what are we to do?” “Well, if you’ll take my advice, I will take you up one by one in my beak, and carry you all off to a fine large pool and put you down.”

The Fishes said, “no crane ever took the slightest thought for fishes since the world began. Your desire is to eat us one by one.” The Crane said,“No; I will not eat you while you trust me.”

“If you don’t take my word that there is such a pond, send one of your number to go with me and see for himself.” Believing the crane, the fish presented to him a great big fish (blind of one eye, by the way), who they thought would be a match for the crane whether afloat or ashore; and they said, “Here’s the one to go with you.”

The crane took the fish off and put him in the pool, and after showing him the whole extent of it, brought him back again and put him in along with the other fish in his old pond. And he described them on the charms of the new pool.

After hearing this report, they grew eager to go there, and said to the crane, “Very good! please take us across.”

First of all, the crane took that big one eyed fish again and carried him off to the edge of the pool, ate it and let the bones fall at the foot of a tree. Then back he went and said, “I’ve thrown him in; who’s the next?” And so he took the fish one by one, and ate them all, till at last when he came back, he could not find another left. But there was still a crab remaining in the pond; so the crane, who wanted to eat him up too, said, “Mister crab, I’ve taken all those fishes away and turned them into a fine large pool. Come along; I’ll take you too.”

“How will you carry me across?” said the crab. “Why, in my beak, to be sure,” said the crane. “Ah, but you might drop me like that,” said the crab; “I won’t go with you.”

“Don’t be frightened; I’ll keep tight hold of you all the way.” Thought the crab to himself, “He hasn’t put the fish in the pool. But, if he would really put me in, that would be capital. If he does not why, I’ll nip his head off and kill him.” The crab told the crane, “You’d never be able to hold me tight enough, friend crane; whereas we crabs have got an astonishingly tight grip. If I might take hold of your neck with my claws, I could hold it tight and then would go along with you.”

Not suspecting that the crab wanted to trick him, the crane gave his assent. With his claws the crab gripped hold of the crane’s neck as with the pincers of a smith, and said, “Now you can start.” The crane took him and showed him the pool first, and then started off for the tree.

The crab understood the crane’s plan and tightened its grip. With his mouth wide open, and tears streaming from his eyes, the crane, trembling for his life, said, “Friend! Indeed I will not eat you! Spare my life!”

“Well, then, just step down to the pool and put me in,” said the crab. Then the crane turned back and stepped down as directed to the pool, and placed the crab on the mud, at the water edge. But the crab, before entering the water, nipped off the crane’s head.

The Tree fairy who dwelt in the tree, marking this wonderful thing, made the whole forest ring with applause and said:

Guile profits not your very guileful folk.

Mark what the guileful crane got form the crab!