Story 99 - Concerning A Horse

A MAN, taking a horse, went on its back. When so going the [skin on the] horse’s back was broken, [a sore being formed which rendered the horse unserviceable]. After it was broken, the man removing the few horse cloths, while the horse was [left] there went away.

An oil trader, when coming on that path taking oil, having seen that [the skin on] this horse’s back was broken, smeared a little of that oil on it, and went away.

Still [another] man having come, when he looked [saw that] a horse had fallen down. When the man looked at it he saw that the [skin on the] back was broken, and that man, taking a great many large rags, bandaged the back well, for it to become strong. Having bandaged it, and having further poured a little oil on it, he went away.

Near the path on which was the horse a man cut a chena, and set fire to the chena. When it was blazing some fire-sparks having come and fallen on the oil-rags on this horse’s back, the fire seized the horse. Having seized it, when [the rags were] burning it was unable to get up [at first]. The horse having got up, and gone running, jumped into a citronella (paengiri) garden, and while it was running there and here, the fire seized the citronella plants, and the citronella plants burnt completely.

The man who owned that citronella garden went near the King for the law-suit.

Having gone, he said to the King,

“O Lord, Your Majesty, a horse, which having broken [the skin of] its back was wrapped with oil-rags, having jumped into my citronella garden, the citronella garden was totally burnt.”

Having said this he instituted the action.

Regarding it the King said,

“It is not the fault of the man who wrapped the oil-rags round it. It is not the fault of the horse. Because thou didst not tie the fence [properly] the fault is thine, indeed.”

The horse having been burnt in that very fire, died.

North-central Province.