Long, long ago, there lived a crow and a partridge in a forest. The crow had his nest on a tree and the partridge lived in a hollow at the base of that tree. They became friends. They spent their time sharing stories and what they had done during the day. Both of them looked forward to their time together.
One day, the partridge went off to some new fields to look for rice. The crow waited but the partridge did not come back even as night fell. He was worried wondering if the partridge had been caught in a trap or a net or been eaten by some animal. He was sure his friend would return if he was well.
Many days passed and yet there was no sign of the partridge. Then one evening, a hare came there looking for a place to stay. He found the hollow of the tree empty and moved in there. The hare settled down comfortably in his new home. The crow kept quiet as there had been no news of the partridge.
Now the partridge had been enjoying himself in the rice fields. He ate and he ate till he became really plump. Then he remembered his old home and decided to return. But when he got there, he found the hare living there. He was very upset and angry.
“Who are you? What are you doing here? This is my home! You must go now!” said the partridge.
“Nonsense! This is my home now. You left it and went away. Now it belongs to me,” said the hare, “Even the sacred books say that finders will be keepers. It belongs to me as I live here. So you find a new home now.”
“Oh, so you are quoting the sacred books to me! You are not knowledgeable,” said the partridge. “Let us find someone who is learned and ask him what is right,” suggested the hare.
So, they started looking around for a scholar who could give them the right decision. They found a tomcat praying on the bank of a river. The tomcat was really a crook.
He posed as a very saintly fellow. He said he had committed many sins in his life. But he had given up his bad and violent ways and changed. Now he was very religious.
The hare and the partridge told him about their quarrel. The tomcat said, ”I’m very old and cannot hear clearly. Could you come close and tell me? Trust me; you are safe.”
The hare and the partridge went close to him to tell him the story again. And the wicked tomcat pounced on them and had a feast!
