SOME MOUSE-DEER TALES. 65 



could to get betel. But the folk there had set a snare to 

 catch any beast that came to their gardens and the sambur 

 doe was caught fast. Then, those folk came out to kill her. 

 " Alas ! ," she protested, " it was a mouse-deer told me, I should 

 be welcome," " Welcome indeed," said the folk, "for you are 

 the rascal that has destroyed all our betel." So they killed 

 the sambur-doe. 



But as Mr. Mouse-deer went on his way, a young sambur- 

 deer met him and asked him, "where is my mother ?" Then, 

 the Mouse-deer answered: "how should I know?" "You 

 lie," answered the sambur and rushed at him to kill him ; 

 " she is dead and it is your doing." But the Mouse-deer leapt 

 aside into a deep pit, where his enemy dare not follow. So, 

 the sambur went away and Si Plandok was left alone, to reflect 

 how he should get clear of a pit which was too deep for him 

 to leap up and out. At last he called so that all the beasts of 

 the forest came and asked him what he did there. "Ware 

 sky," cried the Mouee-deer, pointing to the drifting clouds, 

 " I'm down here, because the sky is about to fall, and if you 

 care for your lives you'll all of you jump down as quick as 

 you can, before it falls and kills you." Thereupon, all the 

 beasts began to tumble in, one on the top of the other. 

 " Don' t crush me in this narrow space," quoth the Mouse-deer, 

 leaping on the buffalo's back : " don' t crush me, " and he 

 jumped higher on to the tiger's back, and thence on to a deer's, 

 so out and on to the bank and away. Then, the Mouse-deer 

 wandered on till he met a huge tiger. " I shall eat you," 

 said the tiger. "Don't," prayed the Mouse-deer, " I entreat 

 you, spare me." " I shan't : I'm very hungry," said the tiger. 

 " Well open your mouth wide agape and I'll jump in," said 

 the Mouse-deer, "that will save you trouble." " All right," 

 said the tiger and did as Si Plandok asked him. The Mouse- 

 deer leapt hard and straight for the tiger's gullet and tore his 

 way right through the tiger's body ; then, popping out his head, 

 shouted to a goat grazing near to be off, before he should be 

 caught and killed. "I must stop this back-door treachery," 

 said the tiger and espying a pointed stick began to thrust and 



R. A. Soc, No. 45, 1905, 



