THE RICH MAX AND THE POOR MAX, 93 



The pelandok made obeisance and replied, " With the help 

 of your highness' aid, your servant will give judgment between 

 the merchant and the poor man." 



" If you are not able to, I will kill you forthwith." 



11 If I am slain thy servant will die and my lord will be 

 one slave the poorer." 



" Give judgment quickly." 



The pelandok then went up on to the judgment seat and 

 the merchant and the poor man were called and placed before 

 him. The pelandok enquired of the rich man. " How much 

 of your money has been devoured by the poor man ? " The 

 merchant replied, " Full a thousand dollars hath thy servant 

 lost." The pelandok then asked the poor man " Is it true 

 that you eat whenever there is any smell of frying or baking 

 or stewing or boiling in the merchant's house ? '' The poor 

 man replied, " Of a truth thy servant eats whenever there is 

 cooking in the merchant's house, for the smell of the cooking 

 reached thy servant's nostrils.'' The pelandok then enquired, 

 " Have you ever gone into the merchant's house ? " " Never." 

 "Have you ever gone into his garden?" "Never." The 

 pelandok then enquired of the merchant, "It is true, sir, 

 that the poor man has never been inside your garden?" 

 The merchant replied, "It is true." The pelandok then went 

 to the king and borrowed a thousand dollars. He gave orders 

 that the state curtain should be placed in the middle of the hall 

 and arranged between the merchant and the poor man. He 

 then called out in his shrill voice and ordered the poor man to 

 count out the thousand dollars on one side of the curtain and 

 the merchant to listen very carefully on the other. So the 

 poor man told the dollars thus, " One, two, three, four, five, 



six, seven, eight, nine, ten " When he completed 



the tale of the thousand, the pelandok said, " Take, sir, here- 

 with a full and complete settlement of your account." The 

 merchant said, " Very well, bring the dollars to me." The 

 pelandok said, "Why sir, do you want the very dollars? 

 You have received your account and it is all settled. The 



R. A. boc, No. 48. 19uf. 



