Long ago there was Algerian King named Bauakas. He had been told that in one of his cities there lived a just judge who could immediately recognize the truth. The king wanted to find out if the reports about the judge were true. So he exchanged clothes with a merchant and travelled on horseback to the city where the judge lived.
At the entrance to the city, a cripple went towards bauakas and begged for money.
After Bauakas handed him some money, the beggar made another request.
"Please let me ride with you to the city square," he said. "Otherwise the horses will trample me."
Bauakas let the cripple sit behind him on the horse and took him to the city square. There the king stopped his horse, but the cripple refused to get off.
"Why don't you get off the horse?" Bauakas asked the cripple.
"Why should I?" the beggar replied. "This animal belongs to me. If you are unwilling to return it, we shall have to go to the court."
Hearing them quarrel, people gathered round them and shouted, "Explain your argument to the judge, and he will decide between you."
Bauakas and the cripple went to the judge. Other people were in the court, and the judge summoned each on in turn. First he listened to a scholar and a peasant claimed that she was his wife, and the scholar stated that she was his. The judge listened, and said, "Leave the woman with me, and return tomorrow."
When his turn came, Bauakas told the judge what had happened. The judge listened, and then asked the beggar to speak. "Everything that he said is untrue," said the beggar. "He asked to ride with me on my horse to the city square. but after we arrived, he refused to get off my horse. He insisted that the horse belonged to him."
"Leave the horse with me, and return tomorrow," answered the judge.
The following day many people gathered to hear the judge's decisions.
First the judge told the scholar:"Take your wife. The peasant will receive fifty strokes of the lash."
Next he summoned Bauakas and cripple before him and asked them, "Could you recognize your horse among twenty others?"
They both responded that they could.
"Then come with me to the stable," the judge said to Bauakas.
Bauakas immediagely recognized his horse. Then the judge called the cripple and commanded him to point out the horse. The cripple did so. Then the judge returned to his seat.
"Take the hose, it is yours," the judge directed Bauakas. "The beggar will be given fifty strokes of the lash."
After the judge left the court, Bauakas followed him and said, "I'm interested in learning how you knew that the woman was the wife of the scholar, and that the horse belonged to me and not to the beggar.
The judge responded to Bauakas, "I sent for the woman in the morning and requested that she fill my inkwell. She did the job quickly and well, which made me believe that it was her work. She was used to doing that for the scholar.
"Both you and the beggar recognized the horse in the stable. however, it was more important to learn which of you the horse recognized. When you went near the animal, it turned its head and stretched its neck towards you. But when the beggar touched it, it laid its ears and lifted on hoof. Therefore I knew you were the horse's master."
Then Bauakas revealed to the judge who he was and told him,"everything I heard about you is true. Ask whatever you want as a reward."
"I want no reward," replied the judge. "I'm satisfied with the king's praise."
公正的法官很久以前， 有一位阿爾及利亞國王名叫鮑克斯。 他聽說在他國家的一個城市裡住著一位法官， 他能馬上辨別出事情的真相。 國王想要試一下是否當真如此， 於是他換了商人的服裝並且騎馬去往那個法官居住的城市。
到了城市的入口的時候， 一個瘸子朝鮑克斯走來乞討。
鮑克斯給了他一些錢， 他又提出了一個要求。
“請允許我騎在你的馬背上， 帶我去市廣場。 ”他說。 “否則馬會踩踏我的。 ”
鮑克斯讓瘸子坐在他身後， 把他帶到了市廣場。 到了市廣場， 國王扼住馬， 但是瘸子卻不肯下馬。
“你為什麼不下馬？”鮑克斯問瘸子。
“我為什麼要下馬？”乞丐回答。 “這是我的馬， 如果你不願把我的馬還給我， 我們可以一起去找法官。 ”
聽到他們的爭吵， 許多人聚集到他們周圍大聲說道， “去找法官評評理， 他會做出正確判斷的。 ”
鮑克斯和瘸子來到法官面前。 還有其他的人等待法官評判， 法官輪流召喚每個人。 最初他分別聽了一位學者和一個探望一個女人的農民的話。 農民堅持稱她是他的老婆， 然而學者宣稱她是他的老婆。 法官聽完他們的話， “把這個女人留下， 明天再帶回去。 ”
輪到鮑克斯國王時， 國王把發生的事情告訴了法官， 法官聽完後讓乞丐陳述。 “他說的全部是假話， ”乞丐說。 “他請求我一起騎我的馬到市廣場， 但是當我們到了目的地，
“把馬留下， 明天再帶回去。 ”法官說。
第二天， 很多人聚集到一起來聽法官的審判。
首先法官告訴學者：“把你的老婆帶回去吧。 農民將得到50大板的處罰。 ”
接下來他把鮑克斯和瘸子叫到面前問到：“你們可以在這20匹馬中認出你的馬嗎？”
鮑克斯立即認出了他的馬， 然後法官叫來瘸子要求他指出他的馬。 瘸子也認出了那匹馬。 然後法官回到他的座位上。
“把馬牽走， 它是你的， ”法官對鮑克斯命令道。 “乞丐將得到50大板的處罰。 ”
法官離開法庭時， 鮑克斯追上他， 說， “我非常想知道您是怎麼判斷出那個女人是學者的妻子， 那匹馬是屬於我的而不是乞丐的呢？”
法官回答道：“我早上把那個女人叫來，
“在馬棚你和乞丐都認出了那匹馬。 然而， 最重要的是要去瞭解馬認識你們兩個中的哪一個。 當你靠近它時， 安轉過頭， 朝你伸出它的脖子。 但是當乞丐撫摸它時， 它卻豎起它的耳朵， 抬起一個蹄子。 因此我判斷你才是馬的主人。 ”
然後鮑克斯向他透露他的真實身份， 並且告訴他說， “我聽說關於你的故事都是真的， 作為報償你想要什麼？”
“我什麼都不要， ”法官回答。 “國王的讚揚已經令我心滿意足了。 ”