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Chapter 10: Aesop’s Riddle for a Magistrate

A few days after the supper with the carefree guest, Xanthus sent Aesop to the town hall to check if it was crowded. On his way, a magistrate—a big, important official—stopped him. “Where are you going?” the magistrate asked, looking stern.

Aesop tilted his head and said, “Honestly, sir, I’m going somewhere—I just don’t know where!”

The magistrate frowned, thinking Aesop was joking with him. “That’s it!” he barked. “Take this smart-mouth to prison!” An officer grabbed Aesop and started marching him off.

“Wait a minute!” Aesop called back to the magistrate. “See? I told the truth! When I left home this morning, did I know I’d end up heading to prison? I don’t think so!”

The magistrate paused, then chuckled at Aesop’s quick thinking. “Fair enough,” he said, waving the officer away. “You’re free to go.”

Aesop continued to the hall, where a huge crowd buzzed around. Amid the chaos, he saw a man arguing with another over money. The one who owed cash said, “I’m broke, but if you’ll take half, I’ll scrape it up somehow.” The moneylender agreed, saying, “Half is better than nothing—lawsuits just waste time!”

When Aesop got back, he told Xanthus, “Master, I went to the hall, and I only saw one man there.”

Xanthus scrunched his eyebrows. “One man? That can’t be right!” He hurried to the hall himself and found it packed with people. Turning to Aesop, he snapped, “What’s this? You said there was just one man!”

Aesop nodded. “It’s true, Master. There were tons of people, but only one stood out to me—a real man who was fair and didn’t fight over every coin.”

Xanthus grumbled but couldn’t argue. Once again, Aesop had seen things his own clever way.

Chapter 11: Xanthus Bets to Drink the Sea

Not long after, Xanthus joined some philosopher friends for a fun night of talking and drinking. The cups kept coming, and Xanthus had a few too many. Aesop watched quietly, then warned, “Master, they say a little drink makes you happy, more makes you silly, and too much makes you wild!”

Xanthus waved him off. “That’s baby talk, Aesop,” he slurred, laughing it off. But soon, he was chattering nonstop, saying whatever popped into his head.

One of the philosophers, spotting Xanthus’s loose lips, leaned in. “I’ve heard a man can drink the whole sea dry,” he said slyly. “Do you believe that?”

“I’ll bet my house and land I can do it!” Xanthus boasted, too tipsy to think straight. They shook on it, sealing the deal with their rings.

The next morning, Xanthus woke up fuzzy-headed and noticed his ring was gone. “Aesop, where’s my ring?” he asked.

“I don’t know about your ring,” Aesop said, “but you lost your house and land last night!” He explained the wild bet Xanthus had made.

Xanthus’s stomach sank. He couldn’t drink the sea, and he couldn’t back out either! In a panic, he turned to Aesop—the helper he’d brushed off before. “You’ve always been there for me,” he said. “What do I do?”

Aesop rubbed his chin. “It’s impossible to drink the sea, but I can get you out of this—and make you look smart too. Trust me.”

When the big day came, Xanthus marched to the seaside, surrounded by his servants and a huge crowd eager to watch. Aesop whispered, “Look confident!” Xanthus puffed out his chest as the bet was read aloud: he’d drink the sea or lose everything.

Then, Xanthus held up a glass of seawater and faced the crowd. “You all heard the deal,” he said. “I’m here to drink the sea—not the rivers that flow into it! So, block off those rivers first, and I’ll drink what’s left. That’s the agreement!”

The people cheered, amazed at his logic. The philosopher who’d tricked him turned red and admitted, “Xanthus, you’re wiser than me!” He begged to cancel the bet, even offering to let Xanthus pick judges to settle it. Xanthus, thrilled to be called wise, agreed to drop the whole thing. Thanks to Aesop, he’d won the day without sipping a drop!

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