Page 133 - Arrow Publications Pvt. Ltd.

“I’m most grateful to you,” Subuddhi said and took leave of his friends, the monkey
and the tiger.

“Who will buy these ornaments from me?” he wondered. Suddenly he had an idea.

“I can take it to the goldsmith in Varanasi. He’ll buy it,” he thought.

Subuddhi now decided to go to Varanasi to find the goldsmith. It Why did Subuddhi
decide to go to the
took him many days to reach there. After much searching, Subuddhi goldsmith in Varanasi?

found the street of the goldsmiths. He asked a woman where the
king’s jeweller lived. She pointed to a house at the far end of the street.

“Hello, my friend,” said the goldsmith. “What brings you here?” Subuddhi told him
that he needed help to sell the ornaments he had brought. The goldsmith assured

Subuddhi that he would take care of everything. After Subuddhi left, the goldsmith
opened the bundle and said to his wife, “I know where he has got them from. These

belong to the prince. He has perhaps killed the prince and stolen these from him.” The

goldsmith went to the palace and reported this to the king. In the evening, the king’s
men came and took away Subuddhi.

“What have I done?” he cried.

“You have killed our prince and stolen his ornaments,” shouted one of the men.

“No, no!,” cried Subuddhi. “A tiger gave
these to me.”

“A tiger? You’re making up a story,”
said the goldsmith.

“You’re an ungrateful man. I saved

you and now you are getting me

into all this.” Poor Subuddhi was
taken to a dark cell in the palace and

chained. The king ordered that he

should be hanged for having killed
the prince.

That night, Subuddhi was startled by
a sound from near the window of his

cell. He saw a snake creeping towards him.

133
Arrow-English Plus-5