In those days, there were merchants who went everywhere. They travelled in the cold weather and hot weather. They crossed hills and deserts and bushy areas, selling and buying things.

These merchants were very careful when they travelled. They were afraid of bandits and robbers so they went in groups.

One merchant couldn't find a group so he decided to go alone. He met a bandit and he was afraid. "Who are you? Are you alone?" asked the bandit.

"I am a merchant. My friends are ahead, but right now I am alone," replied he merchant.

At that time another merchant arrived from a different direction. He saw the bandit and was afraid. He hid himself in the bushes and watched.

The bandit killed the first merchant and buried him. The second merchant thought, "How can I go on? The same thing will happen to me."

So he stayed there for some time. Later he thought, "I can't stay here forever. I must go on."

He passed where the bandit had killed the merchant and reached a village. He was so upset by what he had seen that he couldn't smile or talk to people.

People asked him, "You used to be cheerful, but now you are sad. Why?" "I'm tired and thirsty," he said.

He stayed the night there. The next morning he continued with his journey. The people kept asking him, "What's wrong?"

He thought to himself, "Shall I tell them or not?" At last he told the villagers.

The villagers realised that the bandit was a man from their village.

They said, "It's terrible for this to happen here. We'll try to find out who the dead man is."  But they didn't say anything about the bandit.

This merchant told the villagers, "I saw someone burying a man. I didn't know who it was or who the bandit was. I will never come back to this place."

The ruler of the village heard about how merchants were being stopped by bandits, killed and buried. He was worried. "How can bandits do this to strangers in my territory?"

So he tried to solve the problem. "I will try to catch the bandit by arranging a feast and calling everyone together," thought the ruler.

This ruler was loved by all his people. He arranged a feast for everyone in the village.

At the feast, the ruler stood up and said, "My daughter is sick. The only medicine for her is fresh tiringo (a citrus fruit). The fruit should grow near a river, close to bushes and trees, in a place where no one lives. Can any of you bring such a fruit to me?"

Everyone was thinking, "Where could I find a tiringo like that?" They didn't say anything.

But the bandit immediately stood up and said, "Your excellency, I know of that fruit growing in such a place. Give me a time of two weeks."

The bandit went at once to the place where he buried the merchant because a tiringo tree was there.

He rushed to get the fruit before anyone else could find it. He put two bunches of fruit in a sack and ran to meet the ruler.

After two or three days of waiting at the gates he was finally allowed to see the ruler. "I have brought what you wanted, so please take it," offered the bandit.

The ruler said, "I am happy you brought the fruit, but I want you to give it to me in front of my people."

The ruler called the people from the villages around to go to his palace.

As people ate and drank, he said, "This man has kept his promise as you heard. He said he would bring the special fruit and he has got it. I want to receive this great gift in front of you all."

The people thought the bandit would get a reward. They were jealous of him. They wondered how he got the fruit.

The bandit opened the sack to give the fruit to the ruler. When he took out two fruits, they were tiringos, but as he gave them to the ruler, they became two human skulls!

When that happened all the people were angry and the bandit was surprised. The ruler smiled. He had wished for a long time to catch those who robbed and killed near his village.

The ruler had prayed saying, "Please, show me, who is this bandit?"

So, that day, at the feast, his God showed him.

The ruler knew the man was a killer. He ordered his people to take him to jail.