..续本文上一页ready." He rode away quickly with his men. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned and made his way back to his own city.

　　The merchant was so foolish that he followed the yakkha”s advice. He broke all the jars, without saving even a single cupful of water, and ordered the men to drive on quickly. Of course, they did not find any water, and they were soon exhausted from thirst. At sunset they drew their carts into a circle and tethered the oxen to the wheels, but there was no water for the weary animals. Without water, the men could not cook any rice either. They sank to the ground and fell asleep. As soon as night came, the yakkhas attacked, killing every single man and beast. The fiends devoured the flesh, leaving only the bones, and departed. Skeletons were strewn in every direction, but the five hundred carts stood with their loads untouched. Thus the heedless young merchant was the sole cause of the destruction of the entire caravan.

　　Allowing six weeks to pass after the foolish trader had left, the Bodhisatta set out with his five hundred carts. When he reached the edge of the wilderness, he filled his water jars. Then he assembled his men and announced, "Let not so much as a handful of water be used without my permission. Furthermore, there are poisonous plants in this wilderness. Do not eat any leaf, flower, or fruit which you have never eaten before, without showing it to me first." Having thus carefully warned his men, he led the caravan into the wilderness.

　　When they had reached the middle of the wilderness, the yakkha appeared on the path just as before. The merchant noticed his red eyes and fearless manner and suspected something strange. "I know there is no water in this desert," he said to himself. "Furthermore, this stranger casts no shadow. He must be a yakkha. He probably tricked the foolish merchant, but he doesn”t realize how clever I am."

　　"Get out of here!" he shouted at the yakkha. "We are men of business. We do not throw away our water before we see where more is to come from!"

　　Without saying any more, the yakkha rode away.

　　As soon as the yakkhas had left, the merchant”s men approached their leader and said, "Sir, those men were wearing lotuses and water lilies on their heads. Their clothes and hair were wringing wet. They told us that up ahead there is a thick forest where it is always raining. Let us throw away our water so that we can proceed quicker with lightened carts."

　　The merchant ordered a halt and summoned all his men. "Has any man among you ever heard before today," he asked, "that there was a lake or a pool in this wilderness

　　"

　　"No, sir," they answered. "It”s known as the ”Waterless Desert.” "

　　"We have just been told by some strangers that it is raining in the forest just ahead. How far does a rain-wind carry

　　"

　　"A yojana, sir."

　　"Has any man here seen the top of even a single storm-cloud

　　"

　　"No, sir."

　　"How far off can you see a flash of lightning

　　"

　　"Four or five yojanas, sir."

　　"Has any man here seen a flash of lightning

　　"

　　"No, sir."

　　"How far off can a man hear a peal of thunder

　　"

　　"Two or three yojanas, sir."

　　"Has any man here heard a peal of thunder

　　"

　　"No, sir."

　　"Those were not men, but yakkhas," the wise merchant told his men. "They are hoping that we will throw away our water. Then, when we are weak and faint, they will return to devour us. Since the young merchant who went before us was not a man of good sense, most likely he was fooled by them. We may expect to find his carts standing just as they were first loaded. We will probably see them today. Press on with all possible speed, without throwing away a drop of water!"

　　Just as the merchant had predicted, his caravan soon came upon the five hundred carts with the skeletons of men and oxen strewn in every direction. He …

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