ONCE a rich man invited his friends to feast. he could not get any fish and was willing to pay a price for it. A fisherman happened to come there with a very fine fish.

But the gatekeeper did not let him in until he had promised to pay him half of what he would get for it. The rich man was greatly pleased to see the fish. But he was surprised to hear the fish man demand a hundred lashes on his bareback as its price.

HE failed to persuade him to ask for anything else. so he asked a servant to give him a hundred lashes as gently as possible.

when he received fifty, he cried out, "Stop! stop! I have a partner in this business". The rich man asked, in great astonishment who his companion was. he told the whole story to him. The rich man dismissed the gatekeeper at once and gave the clever fisherman a good sum as the price of the fish.