new cloth with its ends complete,[491] and a widowed woman possessed
of youth. Obtaining all those things from the robber, the Brahmana became
filled with delight. Indeed, Gautama began to live happily in that
commodious house which the robber assigned to him. He began to hold the
relatives and kinsmen of the female slave he had got from the robber
chief. In this way he lived for many years in that prosperous village of
hunters. He began to practise with great devotion the art of archery.
Every day, like the other robbers residing there, Gautama, O king, went
into the woods and slaughtered wild cranes in abundance. Always engaged
in slaughtering living creatures, he became well-skilled in that act and
soon bade farewell to compassion. In consequence of his intimacy with
robbers he became like one of them. As he lived happily in that robber
village for many months, large was the number of wild cranes that he
slew. One day another Brahmana came to that village. He was dressed in
rags and deer-skins and bore matted locks on his head. Of highly pure
behaviour, he was devoted to the study of the Vedas. Of a humble
disposition, frugal in fare, devoted to the Brahmanas, thoroughly
conversant with the Vedas, and observant of Brahmacharya vows, that
Brahmana had been a dear friend of Gautama and belonged to that part of
the country from which Gautama had emigrated. In course of his
wanderings, as already said, the Brahmana came to that robber village
where Gautama had taken up his abode. He never accepted any food if given
by a Sudra and, therefore, began to search for the house of a Brahmana
there (for accepting the duties of hospitality).[492] Accordingly he
wandered in every direction in that village teeming with robber-families.
At last that foremost of Brahmanas came to the house owned by Gautama. It
so happened that just at that time Gautama also, returning from the
woods, was entering his abode. The two friends met. Armed with bow and
sword, he bore on shoulders a load of slaughtered cranes, and his body
was smeared with the blood that trickled down from the bag on his
shoulders. Beholding that man who then resembled a cannibal and who had
fallen away from the pure practices of the order of his birth, entering
his house, the newly-arrived guest, recognising him, O king, said these
words: 'What is this that thou art doing here through folly? Thou art a
Brahmana, and the perpetuator of a Brahmana family. Born in a respectable