Reading Notes: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India, Part B

Story: The Cunning Crane and The Crab

The Crane and The Crab, Source

Once upon a time, there was a bunch of fish living in a small pond. The pond was fine during the rain season, but now the searing sun was making the pond smaller and smaller and hotter. The Crane used to eat the fish when he could catch some. Now he saw the lake was dwindling and the fish getting desperate and he hatched a plan.

There was another lake nearby, bigger and with fresh water. The crane went over the desperate fish and told them that he could take them to another lake. At first, the fish did not believe him. They all thought that the crane was going to kill them. A blind fish, who was tired of the hot and murky water, agreed to be taken by the crane. 

The Crane took him in his beak to the new lake. When the fish returned, he told all of the other fishes about the wonders of the new lake, and they all agree to go. One by one, the Crane ate all of the fishes and did not take them to the lake.

The Crab, however, had more sense than all of the fishes put together and mistrusted the Crane. The Crab agreed to go with the crane as long as he would put his claw around the Crane's neck. The Crane agree and took him. 

Passing over a tree the Crab saw all of the bones of the fishes. The Crane boasted about killing all of them and said she would kill the Crab. The Crab had anticipated this, and when they landed, the Crab cut off the head of the crane with his claw. And so the treacherous Crane perished.