Black Tales for White Children

by C. H. Stigand; Nancy Yulee Stigand

When the oil merchant had heard his story he said to him, "Now if I am able to make the Sultan decide the case in your favour what payment will you make me?"

So they agreed together, and he said, "I will give you the half of whatever money is restored to me."

So the oil merchant went quickly to his shop and poured out two bottles of oil, and in the one bottle he left the oil as it was, while to the second he added a little dye, which made its colour darker than the first.

Then he sought out a friend and told him the whole matter, promising him half the reward if he would help him in the case.

So the two went to the Sultan, and the oil merchant asked audience of the Sultan.

When he came before the Sultan he said to him, "Oh Sultan, I have a complaint to make against this man. He is in my employ and comes daily to work in my shop.

"Now my trade is the crushing of coco-nuts and the retailing of oil, which I sell at my shop, and in my store I have many vats of oil.

"Now yesterday, after this man had left my shop, I noticed that the oil was decreased in one of the vats, and I went to the house of this one and I found him in the possession of a skin of oil."

So the Sultan turned to the accused and said to him, "Are these words true?"

So the accused said, "No, they are false, for the oil which was found in my house was oil which I had bought elsewhere and paid for with my own money."