### THE LOSS OF FRIENDS Here then begins Book I, called “The Loss of Friends.” The first verse runs: The forest lion and the bull Were linked in friendship, growing, full: A jackal then estranged the friends For greedy and malicious ends. And this is how it happened. In the southern country was a city called Maidens’ Delight. It was abounding in every urban excellence. Its gates and palaces were stocked with machines, missile weapons, and chariots in great variety. Its central portal was fitted with bolt and bar, panel and arch, all formidable, impressive, solid. Its numerous temples lifted their firm bulk near spacious squares and crossings In this city lived a merchant named Increase. He possessed a heap of numerous virtues, and a heap of money, a result of the accumulation of merit in past life. As he once pondered in the dead of night, his conclusions took this form: “Even an abundant store of wealth, if pecked at, sinks together like a pile of soot. A very little, if added to, grows like an ant-hill. Hence, even though money be abundant, it should be increased. Riches unearned should be earned. What is earned, should be guarded. What is guarded, should be enlarged and heedfully invested. Money not used when needs and opportunities arise, is the same as money unpossessed. Therefore, money once acquired should be guarded, increased and employed. As the proverb says: In business, laziness have no scope Whose stock-in-trade is empty hope. If any fail to use his fate For joy in this or future state, His riches serve as foolish fetters; He simply keeps them for his betters.” Having thus set his mind in order, he collected merchandise bound for the city of Mathura, assembled his servants, and after saying farewell to his parents, set forth from the city, with his people following and with blare of conch-shell and beat of drum preceding. To bear the yoke of his bullock cart, he had two handsome bulls . Their names were Joyful and Lively; they looked like white clouds, and their chests were decorated with golden bells. After some time, he reached a forest lovely with wonderful trees; fearsome with elephants, wild oxen, buffaloes, deer, grunting-cows, boars, tigers, leopards, and bears; abounding in water that issued from the flanks of mountains; rich in caves and thickets. Here the bull Lively became ill. He was overcome, partly by the excessive weight of the wagon, partly because one foot sank helpless where far-flung water from cascades made a muddy spot. At this spot the bull somehow snapped the yoke and sank in a heap. When the driver saw that he was down, he jumped excitedly from the wagon, ran to the merchant not far away, and humbly bowing, said: “Oh, my lord! Lively was wearied by the trip, and sank in the mud.” On hearing this, merchant Increase was deeply dejected. He halted for five nights, but when the poor bull did not return to health, he left caretakers with a supply of fodder, and said: “You must join me later, bringing Lively, if he lives; if he dies, after performing the last rites.” Having given these directions, he started for his destination. On the next day, the men, fearing the many drawbacks of the forest, abandoned the bull and made a false report to their master. “Poor Lively died,” they said, “and we performed the last rites with fire and everything else.” And the merchant, feeling grieved for a moment, out of gratitude performed a ceremony that included rites for the departed, then continued his journey to Mathura. In the meantime, Lively's health improved. As his fate willed it, he hobbled step by step to the bank of the Jumna, his body invigorated by a mist of spray from the cascades. There he browsed on the green tips of grass-blades, and in a few days grew plump, high-humped, and full of energy. Every day he tore the tops of ant-hills with goring horns, and frisked like an elephant. But one day a lion named Rusty, with a retinue of all kinds of animals, came down to the bank of the Jumna for water. There he heard Lively’s prodigious voice. The sound troubled his heart exceedingly, but he concealed his inner feelings while beneath a spreading banyan tree he drew up his company. Rusty, with counselors and intimates, enjoyed a kingship of the following order. His royal office, though lacking the pomp of umbrella, flyflap, fan, vehicle, and amorous display, was held erect by sheer pride in his great courage. He showed unbroken haughtiness and abounding self-esteem. He manifested a native zeal for unchecked power that tolerated no rival. He was ignorant of cringing speech, which it delegated to those who like that sort of thing. His liked fearlessness, disdained fawning, kept obsequious friends away. He was always unalarmed. He glittered in his reliance on enterprise, valour and dignity. He was independent, unattached, and free from selfish worry. He saw pleasure in benefiting others. He was unconquered, free from constraint and meanness, while he had no thought of elaborating defensive works. He did not hoard weapons or jewelry. He kept no account of revenue and expenditure. He knew no devious ness nor time-serving, but was prickly with the energy earned by loftiness of spirit. He had an uncommon appetite for power, but did not cheat anyone, and was never an object of suspicion. He paid no heed to emotional appeals or ambush-layers. He was without reproach. He had no artificial training in the use of weapons, but he did not disappoint expectations. He found satisfactory food and shelter without dependence on servants. He had no timidity about any foreign forest. His head was high. As the proverb says: The lion needs, in forest station, No trappings and no education, But lonely power and pride; And all the song his subjects sing, Is in the words: “O King! O King!” No epithet beside. And again: The lion needs, for his appointing, No ceremony, no anointing; His deeds of heroism bring Him fortune. Nature crowns him king. The elephant is the lion’s meat, With drops of trickling ichor sweet; Though lack thereof should come to pass, The lion does not nibble grass. Now Rusty had in his train two jackals, sons of counsellors, but out of a job. Their names were Cheek and Victor. These two conferred secretly, and Victor said: “My dear Cheek, just look at our master Rusty. He came this way for water. For what reason does he crouch here so dis-consolate?” “Why meddle, my dear fellow?” said Cheek. “There is a saying: Death pursues the meddling footman: Remember the story of the wedge-extracting monkey.” “How was that?” asked Victor. And Cheek told the story of [[THE WEDGE-PULLING MONKEY]]