Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was a rich Treasurer, and they had a son. And the same day a female slave in his house gave birth to a boy, and the two children grew up together. And when the rich man’s son was being taught to write, the young slave used to go with his young master’s tablets and so learned at the same time to write himself. Next he learned two or three handicrafts, and grew up to be a fair spoken and handsome young man; and his name was Katahaka. Being employed as private secretary, he thought to himself, “I shall not stick on to this work. If a slightest fault happens, and I will be beaten, imprisoned, branded. On the border, there lives a merchant who is a friend of my master. I must go to him with a letter purporting to come from my master which identifies me as his son. I will marry the merchant’s daughter and live happily ever afterwards.”