One day the village trader took his plow to the large town to have it
mended. Then he left it with the trader who lived there. After some
time the town trader sold the plow, and kept the money.

When the trader from the village came to get his plow the town trader
said, "The mice have eaten your plow."

"That is strange! How could mice eat such a thing?" said the village
trader.

That afternoon when all the children went down to the river to go
swimming, the village trader took the town trader's little son to the
house of a friend saying, "Please keep this little boy here until I
come back for him."

By and by the villager went back to the town trader's house.

"Where is my son? He went away with you. Why didn't you bring him
back?" asked the town trader.

"I took him with me and left him on the bank of the river while I went
down into the water," said the villager. "While I was swimming about a
big bird seized your son, and flew up into the air with him. I
shouted, but I could not make the bird let go," he said.

"That cannot be true," cried the town trader. "No bird could carry off
a boy. I will go to the court, and you will have to go there, and tell
the judge."