FOURTH GOBLIN

_King Shudraka and Hero's Family. Which of the five deserves the most
honour?_

Then King Triple-victory went back under the sissoo tree and caught the
goblin, who gave a horse-laugh. But the king without fear put him on
his shoulder as before and started toward the monk. And as he walked
along, the goblin on his shoulder said to him again: "O King, why do
you take such pains for that wretched monk? Have you no sense about
this fruitless task? Well, after all, I like your devotion. So, to
amuse the weary journey, I will tell you another story. Listen."

There is a city called Beautiful, and it deserves the name. There lived
a king named Shudraka, of tremendous power and mighty courage. He was
so used to victory that the fire of his courage was kept blazing by the
wind from the fans in the hands of the wives of his vanquished foes.
Under his rule the earth was rich and always good, as in the days of
old. And he was fond of brave men.

Now one day a Brahman named Hero came from Malwa to pay his homage to
this king. He had a wife named Virtue, a son named Trusty, and a
daughter named Heroic. And he had just three servants, a dagger at his
hip, a sword in his hand, and a shield in his other hand. These were
all the servants he had when he asked the king for five hundred
gold-pieces a day as his wages.

And the king thought from his appearance that he was a remarkably brave
man, so he gave him the wages he asked. But out of curiosity he put
spies on his track, to learn what he did with all the money.

Now Hero called on the king in the morning, and at noon he took his
sword and stood at the palace gate and divided his daily salary. One
hundred gold-pieces he gave to his wife for food and household
expenses. And with another hundred he bought clothes and perfumes and
nuts and such things. And another hundred he devoted to the worship of
Vishnu and Shiva, after taking the ceremonial bath. And the two hundred
which were left he gave to Brahmans and the unhappy and the poor. This
was the way he divided and spent the money every day. Then after he had
sacrificed and eaten dinner, he stood every night alone at the palace
gate with his sword and shield. All this King Shudraka learned from his
spies and was greatly pleased and forbad the spies to follow him again.
For he thought him a wonderful man, worthy of especial honour.

Then one day a veil of clouds covered the sky and poured down rain in
stre