King Kara-kush of Bithynia

A King of Bithynia, named Kara-kush, who was blind of an eye, was

considered in his day a reasonable, just, and feeling man. He

administered justice upon the basis of the law, 'An eye for an eye, a

tooth for a tooth,' and enlarged or modified it as circumstances

demanded.

It happened that a weaver by accident put out the eye of a man. He was

brought before the King or Cadi, for in those days the Kings acted as

Cadis, who promptly condemned him, in accordance with the law, to the

loss of an eye. The weaver pleaded touchingly, saying:

"Oh Cadi! I have a wife and a large family, and I support them by

throwing the shuttle from the right to the left, and again from the

left to the right; first using the one eye and then the other. If you

remove one of my eyes, I will not be able to weave, and my wife and

children will suffer the pangs of hunger. Why not, in the place of my

eye, remove that of the hunter who uses but one eye in exercising his

profession, and to whom two eyes are superfluous?"

The Cadi was impressed, acknowledged the justice of the weaver's

remarks, and the hunter was immediately sent for. The hunter being

brought, the Cadi was greatly rejoiced to notice that the hunter's

eyes were exactly the same color as his own. He asked the hunter how

he earned his living, and receiving his answer that he was a hunter,

the Cadi asked him how he shot. The hunter in reply demonstrated the

manner by putting up his arms, his head to a side, and closing one

eye. The Cadi said the weaver was right, and immediately sent for the

surgeon to have the eye removed. Further, the Cadi bethought him that

he might profit by this and have the hunter's eye placed in his own

socket. The surgeon set to work and prepared the cavity to receive

the hunter's eye. This done with a practised hand, the surgeon removed

the hunter's eye and was about to place it in the prepared socket,

when it accidentally slipped from his fingers to the ground, and was

snatched up by a cat. The surgeon was terrified and madly ran after

the cat; but alas! the cat had eaten the eye. What was he to do? On

the inspiration of the moment he snatched out the eye of the cat, and

placing it in the Cadi's head, bound it up.

Some time after the surgeon asked the Cadi how he saw.

"Oh," replied the Cadi, "with my old eye I see as usual, but strange

to say, the new eye you placed in my head is continually searching and

watching for rat holes."