with his
coin a small native cake. He ate only a part of the cake; the rest he
wrapped in a piece of paper and put in his pocket. Then he took a walk
around the village; but, soon becoming tired, he sat down by a little
shop to rest. While resting, he fell asleep. As he was lying on the
bench asleep, a chicken came along, and, seeing the cake projecting
from his pocket, the chicken pecked at it and ate it up. Tickled by
the bird's beak, the tramp woke up and immediately seized the poor
creature. The owner claimed the chicken; but Juan would not give it up,
on the ground that it had eaten his cake. Indeed, he argued so well,
that he was allowed to walk away, taking the chicken with him.

Scarcely had he gone a mile when he came to another village. There
he took a rest in a barber-shop. He fell asleep again, and soon a
dog came in and began to devour his chicken. Awakened by the poor
bird's squawking, Juan jumped up and caught the dog still munching its
prey. In spite of the barber's protest and his refusal to give up his
dog, Juan seized it and carried it away with him. He proceeded on his
journey until he came to another village. As he was passing by a small
house, he felt thirsty: so he decided to go in and ask for a drink. He
tied his dog to the gate and went in. When he came out again, he found
his dog lying dead, the iron gate on top of him. Evidently, in its
struggles to get loose, the animal had pulled the gate over. Without
a word Juan pulled off one of the iron bars from the gate and took
it away with him. When the owner shouted after him, Juan said,
"The bar belongs to me, for your gate killed my dog."

When Juan came to a wide river, he sat down on the bank to rest. While
he was sitting there, he began to play with his iron bar, tossing
it up into the air, and catching it as it fell. Once he missed, and
the bar fell into the river and was lost. "Now, river," said Juan,
"since you have taken my iron bar, you belong to me. You will have
to pay for it." So he sat there all day, watching for people to come
along and bathe.

It happened by chance that not long after, the princess came to
take her bath. When she came out of the water, Juan approached her,
and said, "Princess, don't you know that this river is mine? And,
since you have touched the water, I have the right to claim you."

"How does it happen that you own this river?" said the astonished
princess.

"Well, princess, it would tire you out to hear th