" A rich man is wise; a rich man is generous; a rich man is the incarnation of virtue; a rich man is thought much of, and has no end of friends. But if his money go, everything else goes with it."
So this Bhûdhara having lost everything that he possessed except some weights and scales, went away to another country, leaving the relics of this property in the care of a friend, who was also a merchant. After a time he made another fortune and returned to his own country. The first thing he did was to go to his friend and ask for the weights and scales. The merchant did not want to give them up, and after some demur he said: " Really I am very sorry, but they have been eaten by the mice." Bhûdhara said nothing but bided his time, and one day soon after this he was walking by the merchant's house, and saw his boy playing outside. Bhûdhara promptly kidnapped the boy. The merchant was in a terrible state at the loss of his son, and started off with his whole family to try and find him. One of the neighbours met the party, who were full of weeping and lamentations, and said (hearing the cause of all this grief): " Oh ! I know where the boy is; I saw him with Bhûdhara." So they went to Bhûdhara's house, and the father asked
