Once there was a wealthy man who had a sailing ship loaded with goods to do business in far places. He also allowed many of his relatives to hitch a ride in the ship for doing their own business. The man raised a cat in the ship with a hope that it would bring him good luck. He asked four of his relatives to take good care of the cat's legs. The cat had a wound in a leg The man who took care of that leg of the cat took a piece of cloth, soaked it in oil and bandaged the wounded leg of the cat. The cat did not stay in one place. It walked about the ship and happened to step on fire and the fire started burning the bandaged leg of the cat, thus prompting it to run about the ship, burning all the goods loaded in the ship. The owner
of the ship then demanded the four men who had four taken care of the cat's legs to compensate him for have i the losses. The three men who had taken care of the exception three healthy legs of the cat said: We did not cause who the fire to burn the goods. The man who took care niece of the wounded leg of the cat should bear all these wound responsibilities as he soaked a piece of cloth to care less bandage the cat's leg and the cat walked on fire that the can later burnt all the goods. Therefore, the man who wound took care of the wounded leg of the cat must goods compensate alone." The man who took care of the the cat cat's wounded leg said: We all took care of a cat's bandage leg each and it was because of our carelessness that cloth see the cat could cause all the goods in the ship to burn, then so how can I be required to pay for all the losses cat's w alone?" The four men shifted the blame on one three n another and did not agree to compensate the owner owner of the ship alone, so they all went to a court. The judge could not solve their problem and he took the
four men to seek an audience with the King. After for having heard them out, the King, out of his exceptional wisdom and insight, said: The man the who took care of the cat's wounded leg soaked a use care piece of cloth into oil and bandaged it. The wounded leg could not walk to the fire. It was the carelessness of the other three men who took care of the cat's woundless three legs which led the wounded leg to step on the fire, causing all the who goods to bum. However, the man who took care of the cat's wounded leg was also in the wrong as he bandaged the cat's wounded leg with a piece of cloth soaked in oil and did not watch it." The King then ordered the man who had taken care of the cat's wounded leg to pay one third and the other three men to two third in compensation to the pay owner of the ship. Such the King's decision was considered very fair and impartial.
