he must have buried the caldron in the water, for see, there is no continuation of footprints on the other side. I wonder who can have done it. Let us go and see that our two guests are asleep; perhaps the Wrestler played us this trick to prove his great strength.' And, with his wife, he went into the verandah where the Pearlshooter and the Wrestler lay rolled up in their blankets, fast asleep. First they looked at the Pearlshooter; but, on seeing him, the Pundit shook his head, saying, 'No, he certainly has not done this thing.' They then looked at the Wrestler, and the cunning Pundit licked the skin of the sleeping man, and, turning to his wife, whispered, 'This assuredly is the man who stole the caldron and put it in the river, for he must have been but lately up to his neck in fresh water, since there's no taste of salt on his skin from his foot even to his shoulders. To-morrow I will surprise him by showing him I know this.' And so saying, the Pundit crept back into the house followed by his wife.
Next morning early, as soon as it was light, the Pearlshooter and the Wrestler were accosted by their host, who said to them, 'Let us come down to the river and have a bathe, for I cannot offer you a bath, since the great caldron, in which we generally wash, has been mysteriously carried away this very night.'—'Where can it have gone?' said the Wrestler. 'Ah! where indeed?' answered the Pundit, and he led them down to where the caldron had been put into the river by the Wrestler the night before, and, wading about in the water until he found it, pointed it out to him, saying, 'See, friend, how far this caldron travelled!' The Wrestler was much surprised to find that the Pundit knew where the caldron was hidden, and said, 'Who can have put it there?'—'I will tell you,' answered the Pundit, 'why I think it was you!' And then he related how his wife had heard footsteps, and being afraid of thieves, had awakened him the night before, and how they had discovered that the caldron was missing, and traced it down to the river-side; and then how he had found out that the Wrestler had just before been into the water up to his neck. The Wrestler and the Pearlshooter were both much astonished at the Pundit's wisdom in having found this out; and the Pearlshooter said to himself, 'Both these men are certainly more clever than I.' Then the three clever men returned to the house, and were very happy and joyful, and amused themselves laughing and talking all the rest of the day; and when evening came, the Pundit said to the Wrestler, 'Let us to-night forego all meagre fare, and have a
