History of Bengali Language and Literature c11.76

c11.76

own business, fool. If you show any undue enthusiasm in this matter I shall make you suffer capital punishment at the hands of the king.' The ploughman, who was naturally very angry at the audacity of the thief, caught hold of him with the stolen articles and brought him before the king to whom he related the whole story. When the king asked the thief what he had to say in reply, he answered, 'Great king. I saw that this man was sitting with these articles in a jungle: I told him that he looked like a thief and threatened to bring him before your majesty, if he would not return the articles to the owner. But the man abused me for saying so. Be pleased to judge this thief as he deserves.' The king asked if there was any eyewitness to substantiate the statement of either; but both of them declared that there was none. The king ordered his officers to take away both of them, and, after tightly binding each to a corpse, to burn them at separate places. He desired, moreover, that his order should be quickly executed.