The Watering of the Saplings

Once upon a time a king named Vissasena was reigning over the city of Benares, and proclamation was made of a holiday. The park-keeper thought he would take a holiday, so, calling the Monkeys that lived in the park, he said: “This park is a great blessing to you. I want to take a week’s holiday. Will you water the saplings on the seventh day?” “Oh, yes,” they said. He gave them the watering skins, and went away. The Monkeys drew water and began to water the roots, when the eldest Monkey cried out: “Wait, now! It’s hard to get water. We must not waste it. Let us pull up the plants, and notice the length of their roots; if they have long roots, they need plenty of water; but short ones need but a little.” “True, true,” they agreed; so some of them pulled up the plants while others put them back and watered them. “Who bids you do that?” asked a young gentleman living in Benares. “Our chief,” they replied. To this the young gentleman answered: “If he was chosen as the best, What sort of creatures are the rest!” Whereat the Monkeys repeated: “Brahmin, you know not what you say Blaming us in such a way! If the root we do not know, How can we tell the trees that grow?”