Page:Bengal Fairy Tales.djvu/75

Rh ran to the king and, the unfortunate merchant being unable to disprove her words, the king decreed to her another of his ships with the merchandise and crew.

Two ships only remained, and the merchant made preparations for instant departure, but when the sails were about to be unfurled, a barber made his appearance in search of customers. The merchant having had no shave for months, called him in, and offered him an anna for his labour. But the barber would not consent, whereupon the merchant said that he would pay what the barber should deem sufficient. The bargain being struck, the barber did his work. When, however, his customer offered a rupee as recompense, he knit his brow and refused to take so small a sum, saying that he did not think it enough and that he thought that a ship with all that it contained was his adequate reward. The merchant had him driven out, and the barber, hurrying away to the court, in the absence of the merchant got the third of the ships decreed as his due recompense.

The ships of the merchant were thus reduced to one, and this one was set hastily in motion. But just at that moment a man blind of one eye came up to him, and said that at one time he had pawned an eye of his to the merchant's father for a thousand rupees, and that he was now ready with the money to redeem his eye. Saying this, the blind rogue counted down the exact sum, and demanded the instant delivery of what he had pledged. The merchant could not but think that another trick was being played upon him, and that by another royal decree he would soon have to part with his last and only ship. Nevertheless he could not refrain from kicking out the rascal, who at once went to the king, and applied for what he called justice. The result of the proceedings was just the same as in the other cases brought against the merchant, and the poor man, deprived of all his ships, merchandise, and men, was left alone in this strange land of merciless swindlers. In the circumstances there was nothing left for him to do but to set out on foot along the seashore, hoping that he might