said Suan to Barbekin when they had gone
some distance from the palace.

The carabao was young and strong, and Barbekin hated to give it up. So
he said, "Don't take the carabao, and I will give you fifty pesos."

"No; the decision of the king must be fulfilled," said Suan. Barbekin
then raised the sum to ninety pesos, and Suan consented to accept
the offer. Thus Suan was rewarded for his work in helping Barbekin.

When they came to the bridge, Suan went down into the river, and told
Isidro to jump on him. But the bridge was high, and Isidro was afraid
to jump. Moreover, he did not know how to swim, and he feared that he
would but drown himself if he jumped. So he asked Suan to pardon him.

"No, you must fulfil the decision of the king," answered Suan.

"Let me off from jumping on you, and I will give you five hundred
pesos," said Isidro.

The amount appealed to Suan as being a good offer, so he accepted it
and let Isidro go.

As soon as Suan reached home, he took Pedro's post from his house,
and started for Pedro's house, taking a razor along with him. "Here
is your post," he said; "but you must lie down, for I am going to
get my rice and fish from you."

In great fright Pedro said, "You need not return the post any more."

"No," said Suan, "we must fulfil the decision of the king."

"If you do not insist on your demand," said Pedro, "I will give you
half of my riches."

"No, I must have my rice and fish." Suan now held Pedro by the
shoulder, and began to cut Pedro's abdomen with the razor. He had no
sooner done that, than Pedro, in great terror, cried out,--

"Don't cut me, and you shall have all my riches!"

Thus Suan became the richest man in town by using his tact and
knowledge in outwitting his enemies.

The King's Decisions.

Narrated by Jose M. Hilario, a Tagalog from Batangas, who heard the
story from his father.

Once a poor man named Juan was without relatives or friends. Life
to him was a series of misfortunes. A day often passed without his
tasting even a mouthful of food.

One day, weakened with hunger and fatigue, as he was walking along
the road, he passed a rich man's house. It so happened that at this
time the rich man's food was being cooked. The food smelled so good,
that Juan's hunger was satisfied merely with the fragrance. When the
rich man learned that the smell of his food had satisfied Juan, he
demanded money of Juan. Juan refused to give money, however, because
he had no