Greed Kills

A rich man in Banaras had a bird-house put up. He loved to see the birds come there to peck the seeds. The bird-house was near his kitchen which was run by a very cruel cook. He would cook any animal or bird that he could catch.
A fat gentle pigeon lived near by, but it never went near the bird-house for fear of the cook! Every morning, the pigeon flew off to look for food and, when it had eaten its fill, it returned to its nest to sleep. It led a really peaceful life.
Close by, there lived a crow who was excitable and restless, and would eat anything! He spent a lot of time longing greedily for all the things the cook made. He was always planning ways to get at the meat and fish which smelt so good to him. Seeing the pigeon next door, he thought he would use him to get to the kitchen.

The next day, he followed the pigeon when he flew out to seek food, flattering him. “I like your calm way of living. I won’t interfere when you eat. I’ll find my own food.” The pigeon, though surprised, agreed. Every day, while the pigeon patiently hunted for grass seeds, the crow looked through dung heaps and fields for worms, insects, dead mice and small birds.
Soon the crow felt that the pigeon was useless. One day, a lot of fresh meat and fish had been brought to the cook. He cleaned it and hung it out on hooks. The crow looked at it greedily.
“I am not well today, Sir,” he told the pigeon, making an excuse to stay behind. The pigeon knew his greed. “It’s best we all eat the food that suits us. And don’t try the food of humans either!” The pigeon said wisely before he flew off.
The crow thought the pigeon a fool scratching for seeds. He sat watching the cook putting the fish into a pot, put a lid on it and going out to rest. The crow got his chance.

He flew in through the kitchen window. Sliding the lid aside, he grabbed a fish from the pot. Unfortunately, the lid slipped and fell with a crash. The cook heard it and came running. The crow was caught: with the fish in his beak he couldn’t fly.
The cook grabbed him. He plucked all the feathers off the crow and smeared him with a paste of spices. The poor crow squwaked and cawed but the cook put him in the pot.

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