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STORIES OF RAUHIŅEYA AND OTHERS 265 a sharer, since these men are robbed by thieves, whom you ignore?” He replied: “Your Majesty, a certain thief, named Rauhiņeya, robs the citizens. He can not be caught, even when seen. He jumps from house to house like a monkey, and then easily gets over the wall with a leap like lightning. While we follow his track by the road, he disappears. Verily, lost by one step, he is lost by a hundred. I can neither kill nor catch this thief. Therefore, Your Majesty, take charge of this police-business of yours."
Then the king, by raising an eyebrow, indicated to the minister Abhayakumāra that he was to speak, and he said to the policeman: “Equip a force consisting of the four branches,201 and station it outside the city. When the thief goes inside, then surround the city. After he has been frightened inside, he will take the lightning-like jump and fall into the hands of the army outside, like a deer into a net. Led here by his own feet, as if by witnesses, the great thief must be captured by vigilant soldiers.” The chief of police received instructions to this effect and went away. Being clever, he secretly armed the force and placed it as he had been told..
On that day, Rauhineya came from another village and unknowingly entered the surrounded city, like an elephant an elephant-trap. The chief of police led the thief, captured and bound by these means, to the king and handed him over. “Just as the good deserve proper protection, so the wicked deserve punishment. Therefore, let him be punished.” The king gave such orders. Then Abhaya said: “Verily, as he was caught without any stolen property, he does not deserve punishment. After an investigation, he must be punished.” Thereupon the king questioned him: “Where do you come from? What is your occupation? For what reason have you come here? Are you Rauhiņeya ?”
Terrified at hearing his own name, he said to the king:
201 35. Elephants, horses, chariots, men, 34 M
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