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从前，有两个商人，一个住在小村庄里,一个住在附近的大镇上。他们是很要好的朋友。一天，乡村商人带着一副耕犁去镇上修理,临走时把犁留在了他的朋友那里。过了些日子，那个市镇商人把犁给卖了，并把所得的钱据为己有。 后来，乡村商人来镇上朋友这里取犁，市镇商人就说:“你的犁被老鼠吃掉了。” "太荒唐了！老鼠怎么能吃掉这个玩意儿？”乡村商人说。 于是，当孩子们下午去河里游泳的时候，村商就把镇商的小儿子带到一位朋友家里藏了起来，并嘱咐他的朋友：“在我回来以前，请照看好这个小孩，我会再来带他走的。” 没过多久，村商又来到了镇商家里。 “我儿子现在在哪里？他跟你一块出去的,你为什么没带他回来？”镇商问道。 “我带他去了河边，把他留在岸上，然后我一个人下了水。”村商说，“我游泳的时候，一只大鸟飞过来叼住你儿子飞向了高空。我大声叫喊，但大鸟叼着他就是不放。” "那不可能！"镇商大叫，"没有哪只鸟能叼得动一个男孩。我要去法庭告你，你也得去那里给法官一个说法!” 村商说：“随你的便。"于是，他们都来到了法庭上。 镇商对法官说：“这个家伙把我儿子带到河边游泳，回来时我问他把我儿子丢哪了，他竟然说我儿子被一只鸟叼走了。” ‘‘你有什么要说的？”法官问村商。 "我告诉他是我带走了他的儿子，但一只鸟把他儿子叼走了。”村商说。 ‘‘但是天底下哪有这样一只力大无比的鸟，能把一个小男孩给叼走？"法官反问道。 "法官大人，我有一个问题想请教你，"村商问道，"如果没有鸟能叼得动男孩，那么有没有老鼠吃掉耕犁的事儿？” “你这话是什么意思？”法官不解地问。 "以前,我曾把一副耕犁放在了这个人家里，我回去取的时候，他竟然告诉我说犁被老鼠吃掉了。如果老鼠能吃掉耕犁，那么鸟也能叼走男孩;如果老鼠不能吃掉耕犁，那么鸟也叼不走男孩。这个人口口声声说是老鼠吃掉了我的犁。" 法官对镇商说：“你把耕犁还给人家，他就会把你儿子还给你的。” 于是，两个商人走出法庭。到了晚上，镇商找回了儿子，村商也要回了耕犁。 The Stolen Plow At one time there were two traders who were great friends. One of them lived in a small village, and one lived in a large town nearby. One day the village trader took his plow to the large town to have it mended. Then he left it with the trader who lived there. After some time the town trader sold the plow, and kept the money. When the trader from the village came to get his plow the town trader said, “The mice have eaten your plow.” “That is strange! How could mice eat such a thing?” said the village trader. That afternoon when all the children went down to the river to go swimming, the village trader took the town trader’s little son to the house of a friend, saying, “Please keep this little boy here until I come back for him.” By and by the villager went back to the town trader’s house. “Where is my son? He went away with you. Why didn't you bring him back?” asked the town trader. “I took him with me and left him on the bank of that river while I went down into the water，” said the villager. “While I was swimming about a big bird seized your son, and flew up into the air with him. I shouted, but I could not make the bird let go,” he said. “That cannot be true，，，cried the town trader. “No bird could carry off a boy. I will go to the court, and you will have to go there, and tell the judge.” The villager said, “As you please. ’’And they both went to the court. The town trader said to the judge, “This fellow took my son with him to the river, and when I asked where the boy was, he said that a bird had carried him off.” “What have you to say?” said the judge to the village trader. “I told the father that I took the boy with me, and that a bird had carried him off," said the village trader. “But where in the world are there birds strong enough to carry off boys?” said the judge. “I have a question to ask you，” answered the village trader. “If birds cannot carry off boys, can mice eat plows?” “What do you mean by that?” asked the judge. I left my good plow with this man. When I came for it he told me that the mice had eaten it. If mice eat plows, then birds carry off boys；but if mice cannot do this, neither can birds carry off boys. This man says the mice has eaten my plow.” The judge said to the town trader, “Give back the plow to this man, and he will give your son back to you. And the two traders went out of the court, and by night-time one had his son back, and the other had his plow. |
