“How did he kill it?”
The man told the whole story in full. The king said, “As this man told him he might stop the mare by any means whatsoever, his tongue shall be cut off; but Daṇḍin shall have his hand cut off, because he thought it impossible to stop the mare except by throwing a stone at it.”
The man said to himself, “First my mare died, now my tongue is to be cut off. Sooner than that, I prefer not to gain my suit against Daṇḍin.”
The weaver’s wife told her story in full, and the king said, “Then you shall receive this man as your husband.” She said, “First of all this man killed my husband, and now he is to be my husband. Sooner than that, I prefer not to win my suit against Daṇḍin.”
The carpenter fully explained his case. The king said, “As the carpenter spoke in the middle of the river and let his axe fall, his tongue shall be cut off; but Daṇḍin’s eyes shall be put out, because he, although he saw that the river was deep, asked the carpenter about it.” The carpenter said, “First I lost my axe, now my tongue is [[35]]to be cut off. Sooner than that, I prefer not to win my suit against Daṇḍin.”
The landlady told her story in full, and the king said, “As the landlady left her child sleeping with a dress completely hiding it, her hand shall be cut off; but Daṇḍin shall have his eyes put out, because he sat down on an unfamiliar seat without making any investigation.”
The landlady said, “First my child died, now my hand is to be cut off. Sooner than that, I prefer not to win my suit against Daṇḍin.”
Daṇḍin presented the crow’s petition. The king said, “O Daṇḍin, say this to the crow: ‘At that spot there is a treasure, which was hidden away under the withered tree by you when you were the head man of the village. Give it to some one or other and then go away, and you will fare well.’ ”
Daṇḍin executed the commission of the gazelles. The king said, “Tell the gazelles this: ‘O gazelles, there stands a tree on that spot from the top of which honey drops down. Thereby are the meadows and the grass rendered sweet. But as the bees have now been driven out, do not tarry any longer on the spot, otherwise ye will suffer pain beyond measure.’ ”
Daṇḍin brought forward the request of the partridge. The king said, “Tell the partridge this: ‘Where you possess a partridge’s voice, there no treasure is to be found; but where you have a different voice, there a treasure is to be found. Point out this treasure to some one or other, and then, as it is not right that you should suffer pain beyond measure, betake yourself somewhere else.’ ”