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87. THE JUDGE AND THE ACCUSED
Once a farmer in order to plough his field, asked his friend to lend him his bullocks. After ploughing he returned them to him. He left them in his enclosure and went away.
At that time his friend was having his supper so he did not like to disturb him, though his friend had seen his bullocks being brought back.
In the meantime, the bullocks ran away from his enclosure and were not to be traced. The owner asked his friend to return the bullocks, he replied that he had already returned them.
This did not satisfy the owner, he caught hold of the farmer and asked him to come to the court.
As both were going to the court, they came across a horseman. It so happened that the horse tossed his master down on the ground and ran away. The horseman shouted, "Hit the horse, catch it."
Seeing this the farmer threw his staff at the horse which hit at its vital part and the horse died instantaneously. The horseman caught the killer of his horse and asked him to come to the court of the king.
Now as it was getting dark, all of them decided to rest in the outskirts of the town. Some acrobats were already camping there.
The accused said to himself, "The judge is going to impart me life-punishment so it is better to hang myself." Then tying a piece of cloth round his neck he suspended himself from banyan tree. But as the cloth was not strong enough, it broke and he fell down on the leader of acrobats, who was sleeping below the tree. The leader lost his life. The acrobats also caught him for the offence of committing murder. In the morning they also took him to the court.
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