Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c4.t6.73

c4.t6.73

A poor old doctor, who had no practice at that time, strayed out of the village to this spot, and saw a snake asleep in the fork of a tree with its head tucked in. He thought, "there is nothing to be got in the village. I will cajole these boys and make the snake bite them, and then I shall get somewhat for curing them." So he said to one of the boys, "If you were to see a young hedgehog, would you seize it?" "Yes, I would," the boy answered. "See, here is one lying in the fork of this tree." The boy climbed up the tree and seized it by the neck and, when he found it was a snake, he did not allow it to turn upon him, but getting a good grip of it, he hastily flung it from him. It fell on the neck of the old doctor, and he fell down dead on the spot. The boys were arrested and placed before the king for trial. The whole matter was carefully investigated, and when their innocence was proved, the boys were set free. How the investigation took place we are not told, but *purisās* must have been sent and ascertained the true facts.