Reading Notes: Jatakas Tales, Part B

I liked the story of the Princes and the Water-Sprite, but I also had to reread it several times and still didn't understand it.

Image of cave.
Source: flickr

When asked which brother the eldest wants to save, he says the younger one because it's due to him their father sent them away, he couldn't go with the middle brother and leave the youngest. What?? The middle brother is innocent and was forced to leave his home because the king feared for his life because of his own mother! Why should he be left to die in that cave? And the water-sprite says that's the kind, good answer? How does that make any sense? Maybe I'm just missing something obvious, but I don't believe that this answer was good at all. I think an equally bizarre answer but more kind would be to say he won't take either so that they can keep each other company and neither has to be alone. While an equally terrible situation, this at least doesn't punish innocent people in the same way. Although I think the best answer is to save the middle brother since he did nothing wrong.

Jataka Tales by Ellen Babbitt. (1912)