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all the delicacies he had brought him earlier, came from that animal.
The merchant departed. The king asked some of his men to look after the cow and he directed them to bring to him immediately whatever that animal might yield. As per the king's 's command, the king's servants, carrying gold and silver vessels, stood beside the cow. After some time, the cow urinated. One servant advanced with the silver vessel in his hand and collected the urine, and went straight to the king. The king looked at the yellow liquid in the vessel and observed, "The merchant always brought white things. May be this is something special." Saying so, he filled a small bowel and raised it to his lips. He had hardly drunk two draughts of that foul-smelling saltish liquor, when he began to fret and fume. Before he could say anything, another page brought him cowdung on a golden platter. The king said to himself, "May be this fresh substance is O.K. and he put a spoonful of it in his mouth. He felt so nauseated as to immediately spit it out. Even a lot of gargling with fresh water failed to remove altogether the astringence of the tongue.
The king was beside himself with anger. He commanded his men to arrest the merchant and present him in the court immediately. How dare he make fun of the king! What a fraudulent person! The king's men sent in search of the merchant caught him while he was still in the king's territory, and brought him to the court. For once the merchant was nonplussed. But when he came to know the real situation, he could not help being mentally amused at the ignorance of the king and his workers. The severe glance and bitter words of the king did not disturb his equanimity. With great humility, he said, "O king! I couldn't deceive you even in a dream! Still my fault has been that I did not acquaint you with the technique of milking." By this time, the king's anger was all spent. His curiosity was aroused. The merchant explained at length everything from providing the cow with feed and water
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