post to the cow house.  His daughter listened attentively and then said “I think it is you, father, who have been stupid and not our guest:  I understand quite well what he meant.  I suppose that when he proposed that you should carry each other, you had not been doing much talking as you went along?” “That is so,” said her father, “we had not spoken for a long time:”  “Then all he meant was that you should chat as you went along and so make the way seem shorter:  and as to the tank, were there any trees on its banks?” “No, they were quite bare.”  “Then that is what he meant when he talked about the post:  he meant that the tank should have had trees planted round it:  and as to the buffaloes and cows, there was doubtless no bull with either herd.”  “I certainly did not notice one,” said her father.  “Then that is what he was talking about:  I think that it was very stupid of you not to understand him.”  “Then what does he mean by the king post in the cow house” asked the old man.  “He meant that there was no cross beam from wall to wall,” “Then you don’t think him a fool at all?” “No, he seems to me very sensible.”  “Then perhaps you would like to have him for your husband?” “That is for you and my mother to decide.”

So the old man went off to his wife and asked her what she thought about the match and they both agreed that it would be very suitable:  the girl understood Kora’s riddles so well that they seemed made for each other.  So the next morning when Kora proposed to start off on his journey again, the old man asked whether he would care to stay with them and marry his daughter.  Kora was delighted to find a wife so soon, and readily agreed to work for five years in his father-in-law’s house to win his bride:  so a day was fixed for the betrothal ceremony, and thus Kora succeeded in arranging his own marriage.

XC.  The Lazy Man.

Once upon a time three brothers lived together:  the youngest of them was named Kora and he was the laziest man alive:  he was never willing to do any work but at meal times he was always first on the spot.  His laziness began to drag the family down in the world, for they could not afford to feed a man who did no work.  His two elder brothers were always scolding him but he would not mend his ways:  however the scolding annoyed him and one day he ran away from home.

He had become so poor that he had nothing on but a loin cloth:  it was the middle of winter and when the evening drew on he began to shiver with cold:  so he was very glad when he came to a village to see a group of herdboys sitting round a fire in the village street, roasting field rats.  He went up to them and sat down by the fire to warm himself.  The herd boys gave him some of the rats to eat and when they had finished their feast went off to their homes to sleep.  It was nice and warm by the fire and Kora was too lazy to go round the village looking for some one who would take him in for the night: