Thereupon all three having said, “It is good,” while they were talking and journeying, because the blind person’s wife is beautiful to the Heṭṭiyā his mind became attached to her, like marrying her. Because the Heṭṭiyā was a young man to the blind person’s wife, also, her mind became attached to him.
When these two persons, thinking in this manner, were going a little far, the Heṭṭiyā spoke to that woman, unknown to the blind person,[1] “Let us two go [off together].” Thereupon the woman gave her word, “It is good.”
To drop the blind person and go, the scheme which the woman told the blind person [was this]: “Anē! Husband, there is a kind of fruit-tree fruits in this forest wilderness which it gratifies me to eat. Therefore you must give permission to me to eat them and come back.” Having said [this] she made obeisance.
At that time the blind man, thinking it is true, said, “It is good. I will remain beneath this tree; you go, and having eaten the fruit come quickly.” Thereupon the woman, saying, “It is good,” while the blind person was continuing to stay there went with the Heṭṭiyā somewhere or other to a country.
This blind man remained night and day in hunger beneath the tree, for six days. After that, yet [another] Heṭṭiyā, while going to the village of the woman who had married that Heṭṭiyā, tying up a packet of cooked rice also, to eat for the road, travelled with his wife by the middle of that forest wilderness.
Thereupon the Heṭṭiyā met with that blind-eyed man. So the Heṭṭiyā spoke to his wife, “There is a man near that tree. Let us go near, and [after] looking let us go.” The woman said, “It is good.”
Then the two persons having gone near that blind person, asked, “Who are you?”
Then the blind person made many lamentations to that Heṭṭiyā: “Anē! Friend, I am a blind person. I having spoken with my wife about going to another country, while we were going in the middle of this forest wilderness, my wife got hid and went off with yet [another] man. I am now staying six days without any food. You arrived through my good luck. Anē! Friend, having gone, calling me, to the country to which you are going, send me to an asylum.[2] If not, in this forest wilderness there is not any all-refuge.”[3]
Thereupon the Heṭṭiyā, having become much grieved, unfastened the cooked rice that the party brought to eat for the road, and having given the blind person to eat, as they were going, inviting the blind person, to the city to which the party are going, he told that Heṭṭiyā’s (his own) wife to come holding [one end of] the blind person’s walking-stick (to guide him).
Then the Heṭṭi woman said, “Anē! O Lord, should I go holding this blind person’s leading stick they will say I am the blind man’s wife. I have heard that kind of story before this. But if you, Sir, say so, I will come holding it.”