stable, and feed on the lumps of rice which fell where the elephant fed. Being attracted there by the food, he soon became great friends with the elephant, and used to eat close by him. At last neither of them was happy without the other; and the dog used to amuse himself by catching hold of the elephant's trunk, and swinging to and fro.
But one day there came a peasant who gave the elephant-keeper money for the dog, and took it back with him to his village. From that time the elephant, missing the dog, would neither eat nor drink nor bathe. And they let the king know about it.
He sent the Bodisat, saying, "Do you go, Paṇḍit, and find out what's the cause of the elephant's behaviour."[1]
So he went to the stable, and seeing how sad the elephant looked, said to himself, "There seems to be nothing bodily the matter with him. He must be so overwhelmed with grief by missing some one, I should think, who had become near and dear to him." And he asked the elephant-keepers, "Is there any one with whom he is particularly intimate?"
"Certainly, Sir! There was a dog of whom he was very fond indeed!"
"Where is it now?"
"Some man or other took it away."
"Do you know where the man lives?"
"No, Sir!"
Then the Bodisat went and told the king, "There's nothing the matter with the elephant, your majesty; but
- ↑ So at p. 121 of the Mahāvaŋsa the king sends Mahinda to find out why the state elephant refused his food. Mahinda finds the motive to be that the elephant wants a Dāgaba to be built; and the king, "who always gratified the desires of his subjects," had the temple built at once! The author of the Mahāvaŋsa must often have heard the Jātaka stories told, and this among the number.
