the future buddha thought to himself, "long expecting, wishing to admonish the king, have i sought for some means of doing so. this tortoise must have made friends with the wild ducks; and they must have made him bite hold of the stick, and have flown up into the air to take him to the hills. but he, being unable to hold his tongue when he hears any one else talk, must have wanted to say something, and let go the stick; and so must have fallen down from the sky, and thus lost his life." and saying, "truly, o king! those who are called chatter-boxes people whose words have no end come to grief like this," he uttered these verses: