“Humph! I hunt no man, but, whenever I put my nose out of the water, men torment me and try to kill me. As long as men live, we shall have no peace. So I say let the Tiger eat the Brahmin.”
Then the Tiger, sprang toward the Brahmin. “This time I shall eat you up, for all are against you.”
“One moment!” said the Brahmin. “I still have one opinion of the sixth judge.”
So the Tiger was obliged to wait, and by and by they met a little Jackal who came gaily prancing down the road.
“Oh, Brother Jackal! dear little Brother Jackal,” called the Brahmin, “please do stop a minute and give judgment.”
“On what must I give judgment?” barked the little Jackal.
Again the Brahmin told his story and asked, “Do you think it just, or fair that the Tiger should eat me up after I set him free from that cruel cage?”
“Cage, cage, cage?” asked the little Jackal in a perplexed tone. “I don’t quite understand. What sort of cage was it?”
“Why, a big iron cage down in the village,” answered the Brahmin. “The men had caught the Tiger to punish him for his wickedness. When I came down the road he begged for a drink of water and promised he would not eat me, if I set him free. But when I opened the cage-door, he sprang upon me to kill me. Do you call that fair, or just?”
“Dear me, dear me!” said the little Jackal. “How can I decide who is right or wrong until I see the cage and the exact position you were in when the quarrel began? Show me the place and I will try to judge.”