the cost of a pearl? The world is full of creatures like me, who are
merciful only to themselves. But creatures like you, who are
merciful to all the world, are very rare. Oh, pious being, I could
not stain the pure family of Shell-guard, as the dark spot stains the
disk on the moon."

Then Shell-crest said to his mother: "Mother, return from this
desolate place. Do you not see the rock of sacrifice wet with the
blood of serpents, the terrible plaything of Death? I will go for a
moment to the shore and worship the god Shiva there. And I will
return quickly before Garuda comes."

So Shell-crest took leave of his mother and went to worship Shiva.
And Cloud-chariot thought: "If Garuda should come in this
interval, I should be happy."

Then he saw the trees stiffening themselves against the wind made
by the sweeping wings of the king of birds. "Garuda is coming," he
thought, and climbed the rock of sacrifice, eager to give his life for
another.

And Garuda straightway pounced upon the noble creature and
lifted him from the rock in his beak. While Cloud-chariot's blood
flowed in streams and the gem fell from his forehead, Garuda
carried him off and began to eat him on the summit of the Malabar
hills. And while he was being eaten, Cloud-chariot thought: "In
every future life of mine may my body do some good to somebody.
I would not attain heaven and salvation without doing some good
first." Then a shower of flowers fell from heaven on the fairy
prince.