No. 110
A Story about a Vaeddā[1]
At a certain time, in a city, a dānaya[2] was given at the royal palace. On the next day the surplus rice was deposited for animals to eat, and dogs, cats, pigs, fowls, and crows came and began to devour it.
Then a Vaedi youth who had gone to kill some game and was hungry, came and saw the fowls and pigs eating some cold cooked rice, whereupon he went to the heap of rice, and pushing aside the upper part of it took a little from the bottom and ate it.
At that time the royal Princess was at the open upper story of the palace. She saw this action of the Vaeddā, and said to her mother, “Anē! Ammē! However poor a man may be he does not do that disgusting work.”
The Queen admonished the Princess, and said to her, “Appā! My daughter, do not say so of any man whatever; you do not know what may happen to you” (meaning that it might be her fate to be married to such a man).
Then the Princess, speaking in ridicule of the Vaeddā’s want of good looks, replied, “If so, why should I wear this costume? [I may as well begin to dress like my future husband’s people].”
The Vaeddā, after stopping and hearing this conversation, went away.
As a lion used to come to that city [and carry off the inhabitants] the King subsequently caused the following proclamation to be made by beat of tom-toms: “I will give my daughter to any person whatever who kills the lion which comes to this city.” On hearing this, the Vaedi youth having dug a hole in the path by which the lion came, and having got hid in it, when the animal approached shot it with his bow and arrow and killed it.