A PEIANDOK TALE. 85 



slave came back. That is why his body is black : it had been 

 singed by the fire." 



When the king heard that he was most astonished and 

 said, " Hai, it seems to me to be most improbable that the sea 

 should be on fire." 



Both the suitors too heard this. The pelandok said, 

 " Why does your highness not believe me ? " The king leant 

 back in astonishment and said, " Why Selang Dirimba, it is 

 most improbable as far as my knowledge goes, for I have never 

 heard that anything like this happened in former times." 



The borrower of the axe still more strongly said that it 

 was improbable. Then the pelandok said, "Pardon your 

 majesty, a thousand thousand pardons, but that is just why so 

 far as your slave's knowledge goes it seems so improbable to 

 him that the axe head was eaten by the weevils, for he has 

 never heard that that has happened in former times." 



When the king heard what the pelandok said he at once 

 gave his decision against the borrower and ordered him to either 

 return the axe or to replace it with one as good. 



After the case had been decided the pelandok got leave to 

 go home again. So he set off. On his way he passed by a 

 fruit garden where he wanted to look for some durians, but he 

 met a tiger there. The tiger spoke to him saying, " Hai Selang 

 Dirimba, where have you come from ? " 



" I have just come from the king's house where the case 

 of two men who were quarrelling about an axe that the one had 

 lent and the other had borrowed has just been decided. The 

 case is over now." 



After they had talked about that, the tiger said to the 

 pelandok, " Last night I dreamt that I was eating a black he 

 goat. What do you think, Selang Dirimba, ought I to go and 

 look for this goat ? Should I believe this or not ? " 



The pelandok said, " Don't go and look for the goat. Go 

 and get King Solomon to decide the case. It will be quite 

 easy for you, because King Solomon has just sent for that goat." 



When the tiger heard what the pelandok said he set off 

 to King Solomon's house. When he got there the king 

 addressed him, 



R. A. Soc, No. 46, 1906. 



