Ungratefulness Begets Harm!

“Mountain Uncle” was the name given by the villagers to a splendid striped tiger that lived among the highlands of Kang Wen, which watches over the Sea of Japan from cliffs along the coast. Mountain Uncle thrived in summer, when he fed on fat deer, then he would roam in winter, when heavy snow, biting winds, and terrible cold kept people within doors. At this time, Mountain Uncle would sally forth to the villages and prowl around the stables, cattle enclosures or pig pens where he would try to claw and drag out a young donkey, a fat calf, or a suckling pig. He succeeded often enough that he was the terror of the country for leagues around.

One day in autumn, Mountain Uncle was wandering through the lower hills looking for game. He observed the forest around him and kept a sharp lookout for any signs of traps or hunters. So far, it seemed that he was alone in the woods. He was very hungry, but his hopes were high as he ventured deep into the woods.

That was when he saw something move in the shadows before him: a big tiger like himself.

He stopped, twitched his tail most ferociously, and got ready to spring. What was his surprise to see the other tiger doing exactly the same things! Mountain Uncle had expected a terrible struggle, but he knew he could win easily.

But after a tremendous leap in the air he landed in a pit and all of a heap, bruised and disappointed. There was no tiger to be seen, but instead a heavy lid of logs had closed over his head with a crash and he lay in darkness. Old Mountain Uncle was caught at last. Yes, the

hunter had concealed the pit with sticks and leaves, and on the upright timbers, covered with vines and brushwood, had hung a looking-glass. Mountain Uncle had often beheld his own face and body in the water, when he stooped to drink, but this time not seeing any water he was deceived into thinking a real tiger wanted to fight him.

Sometime later, a Buddhist priest came along, who believed in being kind to all living creatures. Hearing an animal moaning, the priest opened the trap. He lifted the lid and saw Mountain Uncle at the bottom licking his bruised paw.

“Oh, please, Mr. Man, let me get out. I’m hurt badly,” said the tiger.

Then the priest slid a log down into the pit until it rested on the bottom. The tiger then climbed out of the pit, and Old Mountain Uncle expressed his gratitude. “I am deeply grateful to you, sir, for helping me out of my trouble. However, as I am very hungry, I must eat you up.”

The priest, stunned and indignant, questioned the ingratitude of the tiger. His behaviour was in violation of the law of the mountains. And he appealed to a big tree to decide between them. The spirit in the tree declared that the man should go free, and that the tiger was both ungrateful and ill-mannered.

Old Mountain Uncle was not satisfied yet, especially as the priest was unusually fat and would make a very good dinner. However, he allowed the man to appeal once more and this time to a big rock.

The spirit in the rock spoke up: “Master Mountain Uncle, you are wholly wrong, and the man is certainly right. For if you devour that priest, your master will punish you. It is shocking bad manners even to consider eating someone who has saved your life by releasing you from a trap.”

The tiger felt ashamed, but his eyes still glared with hunger; so, to ensure his own safety, the priest proposed to make the toad a judge. The tiger agreed.

But the toad, with his gold-rimmed eyes, looked very wise, and instead of answering quickly, as the tree and rock did, deliberated a long time. The priest’s heart sank while the tiger moved his jaws as if anticipating his feast. He felt sure that Old Speckled Back would

decide in his favour.

“I must go and see the trap before I can make up my mind,” said the toad solemnly. “Because it’s not fair otherwise.” The tiger, moving fast, was there first, which was just what the toad wanted. Old Speckled Back was diligently looking for a crack in the rocks near the trap.

In the meantime, the priest escaped from the tiger and ran inside the monastery gates. When at last Old Speckled Back decided against Mountain Uncle and in favour of the man,

he hopped into the rock crevice and crawled far inside, defying the tiger to do his worst.

Old Mountain Uncle was so hungry that he was blinded by rage. Clawing at the rock to get at the toad, he failed. The toad laughed at his attempt through the hole in the rock. Unable to do any harm, Old Mountain Uncle flew into an even greater rage. The hotter his temper grew, the more witless he became. He poked his nose inside the crack and rubbed it so hard against the rough crag that he soon bled to death.

When the hunter came along, he marvelled at what he saw, but he was glad to get rich by selling the tiger’s fur, bones, and claws. As for the toad, he told to several generations of his descendants the story of how he outwitted the old Mountain Uncle.