..续本文上一页und to protect the jewels, but after a while she began to nod. As soon as the monkey saw this, she jumped down as swift as the wind. Then just as swiftly she leaped up into the tree with the pearls around her neck. Fearing that other monkeys would see her treasure, she hid the string of pearls in a hole in the tree and sat demurely keeping guard as though nothing had happened.

　　By and by the girl awoke and saw that the jewels were gone. Terrified at her own negligence, she shouted, "A man has run off with the queen”s pearl necklace!"

　　Sentries ran up from every side and questioned her. The king ordered his guards to catch the thief, and they rushed around the pleasure garden, searching high and low. A poor timid peasant who happened to be nearby became frightened when he heard the uproar and started to run away.

　　"There he goes!" cried the guards. They chased the poor man, caught him, began beating him, and asked why he stole such precious jewels.

　　The peasant thought, "If I deny the charge, these brutes will beat me to death. I”d better say I took them." He immediately confessed to the theft and was hauled off in chains to the king.

　　"Did you take those precious jewels

　　" asked the king.

　　"Yes, your majesty."

　　"Where are they now

　　"

　　"Your majesty, I”m a poor man," he explained. "I”ve never owned anything of any value, not even a bed or a chair, much less a jewel. It was the treasurer who made me take that expensive necklace. I took it and gave it to him. He knows all about it."

　　The king sent for the treasurer, and asked whether the peasant had passed the necklace on to him.

　　Also afraid to deny the charge, the treasurer answered, "Yes, sire."

　　"Where is it then

　　"

　　"I gave it to your majesty”s high priest."

　　The high priest was sent for, and interrogated in the same way. He said he had given it to the chief musician, who in his turn said he had given it as a present to a courtesan. The courtesan, however, utterly denied having received it and the questioning continued until sunset.

　　"It”s too late now," said the king, "we will look into this tomorrow." He handed the suspects over to his officers and went back into the city.

　　The Bodhisatta began thinking, "These jewels were lost inside the grounds, but the peasant was outside. There was a strong guard at the gate. It would have been impossible for anyone inside to have gotten away with the necklace. I don”t see how a person, inside or out, could have stolen it. I don”t believe that any of these five had anything to do with it, but I understand why they falsely confessed and implicated the others. As for the necklace, these grounds are swarming with monkeys. It must have been one of the female monkeys that took it."

　　Having arrived at this conclusion, the minister went to the king and requested that the suspects be handed over to him so that he could look into the matter personally.

　　"By all means, my wise friend," said the king, "go ahead."

　　The minister ordered his servants to take charge of the five prisoners. "Keep strict watch over them," he said. "I want you to listen to everything they say and report it all to me."

　　As the prisoners sat together, the treasurer said to the peasant, "Tell me, you wretch, where you and I have ever met before today. How could you have given me that necklace

　　"

　　"Honorable sir," said the peasant, "I have never owned anything valuable. Even the stool and the cot I have are rickety. I said what I did because I thought that with your help I would get out of this trouble. Please don”t be angry with me, sir."

　　"Well then," the high priest indignantly asked the treasurer, "how did you pass on to me what this fellow never gave to you

　　"

　　"I said that," explained the treasurer, "because I thought that you and I, both being high ranking officials, would be …

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