chattee down from the shelf, took out of it such delicate fare as the other had never before tasted. And in an evil hour he proceeded to tell his friend of the wondrous properties of the chattee, which his son-in-law the Jackal had given him; and how it never was empty! No sooner had the great man learned this, than he went to the Rajah, and said to him, 'There is a poor Brahman in the town who possesses a wonderful chattee, which is always filled with the most delicious dinner. I should not feel authorised to deprive him of it; but if it pleased your highness to take it from him he could not complain.' The Rajah hearing this, determined to see and taste for himself. So he said, 'I should very much like to see this chattee with my own eyes.' And he accompanied the rich Brahman to the poor Brahman's house. The poor Brahman was overjoyed at being noticed by the Rajah himself, and gladly exhibited the various excellences of the chattee; but no sooner did the Rajah taste the dinner it contained, than he ordered his guards to seize it, and take it away to the palace, in spite of the Brahman's tears and protestations; thus, for a second time, he lost the benefit of his son-in-law's gift.
When the Rajah had gone, the Brahman said to his wife, 'There is nothing for it but to go again to the Jackal, and see if he can help us.'—'If you don't take care,' she answered, 'you'll put him out of all patience at last; I can't think why you need have gone talking about our chattee.'
When the Jackal heard the Brahman's story he became very cross, and said, 'What a stupid old man you were to say anything about the chattee; but see, here is another, which may aid you to get back the first. Take care of it, for this is the last time I will help you.' And he gave the Brahman a chattee, in which was a stout stick tied to a very strong rope. 'Take this,' he said, 'into the presence of those who deprived you of my other gifts, and when you open the chattee, command the stick to beat them; this it will do so effectually, that they will gladly return you what you have lost; only take care not to open the chattee when you are alone, or the stick that is in it will punish your rashness.'
The Brahman thanked his son-in-law, and took away the chattee; but he found it hard to believe all that had been said. So, going through the jungle on his way home, he uncovered it just to peep in and see if the stick were really there. No sooner had he done this, than out jumped the rope, out jumped the stick; the rope seized him and bound him to a tree, and the stick beat
