Tibetan Folk Tales | Page 4

sacks of tsamba, an
earthen-ware pot for tea, and a small wooden bowl from which he ate.
He dwelt in this house away from people that he might meditate and
pray a good deal, and so acquire holiness. Every day he sat pondering
the questions of life, and thinking about the little animals as well.
There was a cony by the name of Susha and a rat by the name of
Mukjong. These two were great friends and cronies, and both pretended
to be friends with the old Lama, but at night when he was asleep for a
little while, they would sneak into his hut and steal all the grain they
could find. One day the Lama decided that these two were not really his
friends, but were just pretending to be, and that they came to see him
every day to discover what he had in the hut and then plan to come
back at night and steal it. He said, "I'll just set a trap and catch them."
So he fixed one of his round baskets into a little drop trap and that night
caught them both. Next morning he found them, cut off their whiskers,
ears and tails and turned them loose. They were very angry and said to
him, "We belong to the Aberrang, and that is a class that doesn't lie, nor
steal nor do any bad or dishonest thing. And you know we are your
friends and have not stolen your stuff at all. We just wanted to see what
you had in your basket and now see what you've done to us. Well, we're
going to our own kings and ask them to send an army to take your grain
for sure. So you better make a lot of traps to catch us all when we
come."
The rat, very much ashamed of his condition, went to the king and

showed him what had been done to him, telling him that he was
innocent and asking that his king organize an army and attack the old
Lama as a punishment for what had been done to him. The king, who
was an old man, agreed to do so at once if the king of the conies would
aid him. But when he asked the king of the conies he refused to help, as
he knew the rat had been guilty. After the delegation had gone, the king
of the conies called the cony to him, who came, looking very much
ashamed, and told what had happened to him. The king said, "You only
got what you deserved. When you are found in bad company you are
judged as guilty as they. The rats are thieves and robbers and have been
since the beginning of time, and when you are found with that kind of
people you are thought to be just as bad as they. The conies are not a
thieving folk, as you well know, and my advice to you is never to be
found in the company of the rat or his kind of people again."
***
FOUR
The Story of the Donkey and the Rock (A Black Tent Story)
Between iron and brass there is union if the welding is skillful.
Tibetan Proverb.
A VERY long time ago, somewhere in that far away land of Tibet,
away up so high that it seems a little nearer the sky than any other land,
in one corner was a country governed by a very just man. He was noted
in all parts of the dominion for his fair judgment in all cases. In the city
where this good king lived and had his home, dwelt two poor men.
Both were very good, did the very best they could every day and each
had an old mother to support.
One day one of the men started to a village high up in the mountains
carrying a jar of oil, selling it as he went. Walking along, he grew very
tired and set his jar of oil on a rock by the roadside while he sat down
to rest a while. As he sat there, his neighbor came down the mountain
driving his donkey in front of him. There were two big loads of wood

stacked one on each side of the little donkey, which almost covered
him. He didn't happen to see the jar, so came too near and knocked it
off, breaking it, and spilling all the oil.
The man who owned the oil was very angry indeed, and the man who
owned the donkey said it wasn't he who had done the damage, but the
donkey. So they quarreled and quarreled and kept on quarreling. The
man who owned the oil said he couldn't afford to lose it, as it was all