One day, two Huntsmen went to a forest to hunt. They were resting under a tree after riding their horses all afternoon. They were very tired.
Suddenly, one of the Huntsmen saw a Hart grazing near by. He thought, ‘This is my lucky day.’ He slowly got up with his bow and arrow. As he was about to aim, the Hart saw him. The Hart knew the Huntsman would kill him. He immediately ran away and paced through the trees.
The Hart was worried and started looking for a place to hide. The Huntsman got on his horse and started following him. The nervous Hart saw a thick Vine close by and hid behind it. The Huntsman could not spot him and went ahead, in search of the Hart.
After some time, the Hart came out to check if the Huntsman was still close to him. But he could not see him. He sat there and took a deep breath. “Thank god; I am saved today. If the Huntsman had caught me, it would have been my last day,” said the Hart.
The chase had made the Hart hungry. He looked at the leaves of the vine. They looked fresh and delicious. He started eating the leaves of the vine and forgot all about the Huntsman.
To his shock, the Huntsman was now returning to the tree where he was staying. While the Hart was eating the leaves, the Huntsman spotted him. The Huntsman took out his arrow and aimed it at the Hart. The arrow pierced right through the heart of the Hart.
The Hart said as he was dying, “I was selfish to eat the vine that gave me shelter.”
