A pious man, travelling, saw a cave in the mountains
and on entering, found a pool of water and behind it another
small dark cavern. He went thither and was on the point
of returning when he saw a man come who undressed and
plunged into the pool. Then he dressed, said his prayers
and went away. Whilst undressing his purse fell to the
ground where it remained unnoticed. No sooner had the
first man left, than a second man came in, saw the purse,
picked it up and ran away. Immediately after a third man
came in, who also undressed and bathed. While he was
dressing the first man came back and asked for the purse;
he had meanwhile noticed his loss. In spite of the third
man's protestations of innocence, the first man killed him.
169—
The pious man in the inner cavern wondered at what he saw
He fell asleep and was told in a dream that the third apparently innocent had murdered the father of the first one,
who had thus avenged his father's death. This last had
stolen the purse from the father of the second who had thus
come back again to his property.
432. A pious man, travelling, saw a cave in the mountains
and on entering, found a pool of water and behind it another
small dark cavern. He went thither and was on the point
of returning when he saw a man come who undressed and
plunged into the pool. Then he dressed, said his prayers
and went away. Whilst undressing his purse fell to the
ground where it remained unnoticed. No sooner had the
first man left, than a second man came in, saw the purse,
picked it up and ran away. Immediately after a third man
came in, who also undressed and bathed. While he was
dressing the first man came back and asked for the purse;
he had meanwhile noticed his loss. In spite of the third
man's protestations of innocence, the first man killed him.
— 169 —
The pious man in the inner cavern wondered at what he saw
He fell asleep and was told in a dream that the third apparently innocent had murdered the father of the first one,
who had thus avenged his father's death. This last had
stolen the purse from the father of the second who had thus
come back again to his property.
