which he must have squandered. She offered, however, to give up all claim to that if he would only give her a thousand gold mohurs, which he had promised her as a wedding present; and so suggested a compromise. The woodcutter replied that he would gladly give the gold mohurs if he had them; but that (as he brought witnesses to prove) he was really and truly what he professed to be, only a poor woodcutter, who earned two annas[1] a day cutting wood, and had neither palace, nor riches, nor wife in the world! The whole city was interested in this curious case, and all wondered how it would end; some being sure one side was right, and some equally certain of the other.
The Rajah could make nothing of the matter, and at last he said, 'I hear there is a merchant in this town who has a very wise parrot wiser than most men are; let him be sent for to decide this business, for it is beyond me; we will abide by his decision.'
So Vicram Maharajah Parrot was sent for, and placed in the Court of Justice, to hear and judge the case.
First he said to the woodcutter, 'Tell me your version of the story.' And the woodcutter answered, 'Polly, Sahib, what I tell is true. I am a poor man. I live in the jungle, and earn my living by cutting wood and selling it in the bazaar. I never get more than two annas a day. One day I fell asleep and dreamed a silly dream; how I had become rich and married the Champa Ranee, and given her as a wedding present a thousand gold mohurs; but it is no more true that I owed her a thousand gold mohurs, or have them to pay, than that I married her.'
'That is enough,' said Vicram Maharajah. 'Now, Dancinggirl, tell us your story.' And Champa Ranee gave her version of the matter. Then the Parrot said to her, 'Tell me now where was the house of this husband of yours to which he took you?' 'Oh!' she answered, 'very far away—I don't know how far—in the jungles.' 'How long ago was it?' asked he. 'At such and such a time,' she replied. Then he called credible and trustworthy witnesses, who proved that Champa Ranee had never left the city at the time she mentioned. After hearing whom, the Parrot said to her, 'Is it possible that you can have the folly to think any one would believe that you would leave your rich and costly home to go a long journey into the jungle? It is now satisfactorily proved that you did not do it; you had better give up all claim to the thousand gold mohurs.'
- ↑ Threepence.
