A TALE BY THE WAYSIDE. 243 



"'By the grace of Allah/ said Nabi Sleman, 'a 

 stream is not without its bends and turnings. Send 

 for the Prawns, the Perches, and the Garfishes.' 



" The creatures named were all in the river in attend- 

 ance on the court of the king, and when their names 

 were called they approached the bank and made their 

 obeisance. In answer to the questions put by Nabi 

 Sleman they all replied with one accord, ' Pardon, 

 O King! the River -turtle has spoken the truth. 

 But no invasion was it no array of warriors. It 

 was that thy slaves were fleeing for their lives from 

 the onslaughts of Memerang the Otter, who ever kills 

 and harries thy slaves.' 



" Nabi Sleman then turned to the accuser, now the 

 accused, and said, ' Hah, Memerang the Otter, what 

 sayest thou to this ? ' 



"' Pardon, O King!' replied the Otter. 'It is 

 true that thy slave harried the Prawns, the Perches, 

 and the Garfishes. It is the nature of thy slave to 

 feed upon them, and to feed thy slave's children upon 

 them. And, moreover, it was to seek and to slay 

 them that thy slave left her children with Sir Peace 

 of the Forest.' 



" Then said Nabi Sleman, ' The case is clear. Hear 

 now our judgment. Learn, O Memerang the Otter, 

 that it is not the arrow, but he that draws the bow, 

 that slays. The fault is with thee. Hadst thou not 

 harried the Prawns, the Perches, and the Garfishes, 

 the River-turtle had not left the stream, and the 

 Woodpecker had not sounded the war-drum, and Sir 

 Peace of the Forest had not, in spreading the alarm, 

 killed thy babies. None but thyself is to blame, and 



