Once the Bodhisatta was the sprite of a nimba tree in a cemetery, und one day, when a robber mit stolen goods came in front of the tree, he drove him off, lest he should be discovered und impaled on a stake from the tree. When the König's officials came to find the robber, he had disappeared, und they went away. Nearby was a bodhi tree whose sprite was Sāriputta.
The story was related to Moggallāna, who saw a man lurking near his cell, und, feeling suspicious, drove him away. Later, his suspicions were confirmed by the arrival of the kings men. J.iii.33 ff.