Inggris : Sugeng Hariyanto
The Defence Lawyer
Two friends were looking for a job in Akshehir. They had been in the city for several days but they had not got any job. In that morning they were very hungry but they did not have any money to buy some food.
They decided to go to a food stall and took two boiled eggs for each. When the seller was talking with another customer they went away silently without paying the eggs.
Several days later they got a job. And several months later they came back to the same food stall. Each of them gave the owner of the food stall two silver coins to pay the two eggs that they had eaten several months before.
"You said that each of you ate two boiled eggs at that time?" asked the seller.
"Yes, we did," one of them answered.
The seller said further, "I cannot accept your payment. You should pay me much more than that amount."
The two friends were surprised. One of them asked, "Isn't it a sufficient amount for two eggs?"
"Yes, it is. But you ate them several months ago. Don't you think that from the eggs I could get two chicken if I had hatched them? And from the two chicken I would have had four or even more eggs that would have become four or more chickens later. The chickens would have laid some eggs again, so and so. Therefore, each of you owes me 200 silver coins," the seller explained.
The two friends did not pay the amount. The seller took the case to the law court.
The two friends were very confused. While they were walking on the street, Nasreddin met them. He asked them, "You looked confused, friends! What's the matter?"
"We got a very difficult problem," said one of them.
Then they told Nasreddin about the problem they got. Nasreddin felt a pity on him. He knew that they were good men. If they were not good men, they would have not come back to the food stall to pay their debt. He thought about the case for a while. Then he said, "Okay, I'll help you. I will stand as your lawyer to defend you against the charge in the law trial."
When the law trial started Nasreddin was invited to come as the defence lawyer to defend the defendants. The law court called him to come forward. But Nasreddin was not seen there. Then the court asked two officers to pick him up.
When the officers came to his house, Nasreddin was not doing anything but sitting. He said to the policemen that he was so busy at that time that he could not attend the trial. He said that he would come if he had finished his job. But the policemen forced him to come to the court-house.
Nasreddin followed the policemen to attend the trial. But before he started his defence, he was asked by the judge, "Nasreddin, where were you going so you don't come on time? It means that you don't respect the law court."
Nasreddin answered, "I'm sorry, Your Honour. I was so busy that I couldn't come on time."
"What were you busy doing?" asked the judge further.
Nasreddin answered, "Your Honour, tomorrow I'll start sowing rice grains. Just now I boiled a lot of grains to sow tomorrow."
"What were you doing? You were boiling rice grains to sow tomorrow? Don't be ridicilous. Boiled grains will never grow!" the judge shouted loudly. He thought that Nasreddin made fun of him.
"Sure, they will grow, Sir. They will grow easily as the stall owner's boiled eggs would be hatched easily several months ago," Nasreddin defended himself.
The audience was laughing. And based on the defence, the law court decided that the defendants won the case. It meant that each of them did not have to pay 200 silver coins but only 2 silver coins.
They decided to go to a food stall and took two boiled eggs for each. When the seller was talking with another customer they went away silently without paying the eggs.
Several days later they got a job. And several months later they came back to the same food stall. Each of them gave the owner of the food stall two silver coins to pay the two eggs that they had eaten several months before.
"You said that each of you ate two boiled eggs at that time?" asked the seller.
"Yes, we did," one of them answered.
The seller said further, "I cannot accept your payment. You should pay me much more than that amount."
The two friends were surprised. One of them asked, "Isn't it a sufficient amount for two eggs?"
"Yes, it is. But you ate them several months ago. Don't you think that from the eggs I could get two chicken if I had hatched them? And from the two chicken I would have had four or even more eggs that would have become four or more chickens later. The chickens would have laid some eggs again, so and so. Therefore, each of you owes me 200 silver coins," the seller explained.
The two friends did not pay the amount. The seller took the case to the law court.
The two friends were very confused. While they were walking on the street, Nasreddin met them. He asked them, "You looked confused, friends! What's the matter?"
"We got a very difficult problem," said one of them.
Then they told Nasreddin about the problem they got. Nasreddin felt a pity on him. He knew that they were good men. If they were not good men, they would have not come back to the food stall to pay their debt. He thought about the case for a while. Then he said, "Okay, I'll help you. I will stand as your lawyer to defend you against the charge in the law trial."
When the law trial started Nasreddin was invited to come as the defence lawyer to defend the defendants. The law court called him to come forward. But Nasreddin was not seen there. Then the court asked two officers to pick him up.
When the officers came to his house, Nasreddin was not doing anything but sitting. He said to the policemen that he was so busy at that time that he could not attend the trial. He said that he would come if he had finished his job. But the policemen forced him to come to the court-house.
Nasreddin followed the policemen to attend the trial. But before he started his defence, he was asked by the judge, "Nasreddin, where were you going so you don't come on time? It means that you don't respect the law court."
Nasreddin answered, "I'm sorry, Your Honour. I was so busy that I couldn't come on time."
"What were you busy doing?" asked the judge further.
Nasreddin answered, "Your Honour, tomorrow I'll start sowing rice grains. Just now I boiled a lot of grains to sow tomorrow."
"What were you doing? You were boiling rice grains to sow tomorrow? Don't be ridicilous. Boiled grains will never grow!" the judge shouted loudly. He thought that Nasreddin made fun of him.
"Sure, they will grow, Sir. They will grow easily as the stall owner's boiled eggs would be hatched easily several months ago," Nasreddin defended himself.
The audience was laughing. And based on the defence, the law court decided that the defendants won the case. It meant that each of them did not have to pay 200 silver coins but only 2 silver coins.
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