Two travellers happened to sleep in a chuttram, side by side, and facing each other. The one that lay on his left side, was a light fingered gentleman, and removed the left ear-ring of the other (who of course lay on his right side) and transferred it to his own right ear. The owner missing his ear-ring, and finding the other wearing it, taxed him with having stolen it, and the latter relying on the absence of evidence on either side, retorted by a similar accusation. Wrangling in this manner, both the disputants appeared before Mariada Ramanna. The owner of the ear-ring preferred his complaint, and the thief replied by a counter-complaint. Mariada Ramanna rose equal to the occasion and called upon the parties to lie down in the same way as they had done at the chuttram; and on their complying, he at once concluded who the thief was, for the defence theory was completely upset by the position of the parties. The Defendant having lain on his left side, it was of course impossible for any one to remove his left ear-ring without disturbing him. Having thus scented the truth, Mariada Ramanna caused the ear-ring to be restored to its owner, and sentenced the thief to six months imprisonment and two dozen lashes. The latter, who richly deserved all he got, was very sorry that he had not lied more artistically, and most ruefully recognized his neglect of the maxim, that the liar must needs be consistent, in order to be believed.
