提 要

一句出名的俗語：「一個和尚挑水喝，兩個和尚抬水喝，三個和尚沒水喝。」反映的現象，其實在現實生活中普遍存在，因為人的惰性、依賴性，在可以依賴他人時，經常會懶於付出，尤有甚者，有時候會因為過度計算這種利益關係或貪小便宜，竟變得推卸責任。

There once lived four traders, who jointly owned a big shop of grains. Year after year, their business flourished and they made quite a profit. Until one season, some rats took refuge in the shop. They are rampaged the storage room, destroying almost a quarter of the grains.

The four traders were worried, "This is a calamity!" said one of them. "We must do something about these rats." "Let's buy a cat and keep it here in our shop," suggested the other. "Good idea! " agreed the other three partners. So, they bought a cat.

They fed the cat milk and fish, and gave her all the attention and care she needed. The cat felt proud and roamed about the shop freely. At night, the traders left the cat in the storage room of their shop and went home. Soon, the cat began her work. Within just a week, she caught and ate up all rats.

The next day when the four traders arrived at their shop, they found the storage room neat and tidy, with all the sacks intact. "Ah, it seems the cat has done her job," said the traders, happily. They decided to take good care of the cat and keep her as a guard in their shop.

One of the traders said, "As the cat has four legs, each of us should look after one leg. That will ensure we all look after the cat equally." The others liked the idea, so each of the partners took care of one leg of the cat.

One day, the cat hurt one of its legs. Instantly, the trader who was supposed to look after the leg cleansed the wound and bandaged the leg. "You will be all right soon, dear!" he said, patting the cat, lovingly.

Slowly, the cat recovered. One night, as she was roaming about in the storage room, she went too close to a lamp and knocked it down by mistake. The glass cover of the lamp broke and the cat's bandage caught fire. "Meaaaaaoooow!" Cried the cat, running around panic stricken.

To put off the fire, she began to rub her bandage leg against a sack, therefore the sack caught fire too. The cat jumped onto another sack and began to rub the bandage on that sack, setting it on fire as well.

One by one all the sacks caught fire and soon the entire shop was in flames. In the morning, the four traders were in for a shock. "We are ruined!" they cried. "What shall we do now?" When they figured out the reason for the fire, they began to blame the partner who took care of the bandaged leg. "It was all because of you!" they shouted at him. "You bandaged the leg that belonged to you, the bandage caught fire and spread all over, destroying the entire shop. You must compensate us for it!"

They took the partner to the Magistrate. The Magistrate, a wise old man, listened to the whole story, then said, "It is true that the bandage caught fire. But how did the fire spread? Certainly not because of the bandaged leg. But, because of the three sound legs that carried the cat from one sack to another, setting the entire shop on fire. So, not the fourth partner but the other three are to blame. You three, who own the three sound legs of the cat, must compensate your fourth partner for his loss."

Now the three partners began to beg for mercy. The fourth partner, who was kindhearted, requested the magistrate to forgive the other partners. The magistrate advised them, "If you trust an animal to guard your place, this will be the consequence." The four partners thanked the Magistrate and went home wiser.

解 說

曾經有四個商人，共同經營穀物店。年復一年，他們的生意興旺，賺進了相當不錯的利潤。直到某一季，一些老鼠「自行決定」到店內「避難」。牠們在儲藏室橫衝直撞，摧毀將近四分之一的貨物。

四個商人都很憂心，「這是一場災難！」其中一個商人說，「我們必須做點什麼對付這些老鼠。」 「我們買一隻貓吧，把牠養在店裡。」另一個商人建議，「好主意！」其他的夥伴都贊成，於是他們買了一隻貓。

他們餵這隻母貓牛奶和魚類，並給牠所有需要的關心和照顧。貓小姐感到自豪、在店裡自在漫遊。到了晚上，商人們回家前，把貓留在商店的儲藏室。不久，貓開始工作。在短短的一周，老鼠就消聲匿跡。

「店裡有老鼠」這件事走入歷史的第二天，當這四個商人走進的商店，看著乾淨整潔的儲藏室、所有裝穀物的麻袋完好如新，「嗯，似乎是貓工作得很盡職。」商人們開心地說。他們決定繼續照顧這位貓小姐，並讓牠在店裡擔任守衛。

一個商人說：貓有四條腿，我們每個人都應該分配一條腿後，這樣可能確保我們對貓的照顧公平分工。其他的商人都覺得這個主意不錯，於是，這幾位合作夥伴各自分擔照顧貓一條腿的費用。

有一天，貓傷了一條腿。立刻，那條腿的「負責人」趕到，迅速清潔傷口、上藥、包紮，「妳很快就沒事了，親愛的！」說著，他拍拍貓咪，充滿憐愛。

貓腿漸漸痊癒了。一天晚上，當貓在庫房漫遊時，因為靠油燈太近，不留神把它撞倒了，玻璃蓋破了、燈油流出，讓貓的繃帶起火，「喵依啊ㄠㄠㄠㄠㄠ」貓咪嚇得直叫、驚慌失措地到處亂跑。

為了滅火，貓開始對著一個麻袋摩擦牠著火的繃帶，於是麻袋起火了；貓咪跳上另一個袋子，開始摩擦，另一個袋子也隨之起火。

麻袋一個接一個地起火，很快整個庫房變成火海。到了早上，四個商人驚訝地站在火災現場。 「我們毀了！」他們哭喊：「我們現在該怎麼辦？」當他們查出起火的原因，三個商人開始責怪另一個夥伴：「這都是因為你！」他們對他喊：起火繃帶是你包紮的，你的『責任歸屬』腿摧毀了整間店，你一定要補償我們！」

三個商人把合作夥伴帶到地方法官面前評理，法官是個睿智的老人，聽了原委之後說：「繃帶起火 是事實，但火勢是如何蔓延的呢？當然不是因為包繃帶的那條腿，而是那三條健康的腿，幫助貓帶著火，才讓整個店燒著了。所以，第四個夥伴沒有錯，其他三條腿的「負責人」才是罪魁禍首。你們三個，各自擁有貓的三條健康腿，必須彌補第四個合作夥伴的損失。」

說到這裡，三個商人開始求饒，第四個商人心地善良，要求法官原諒他們。法官勸他們：「如果你讓動物來守衛庫房，這就是後果。」這四個商人向睿智老人道謝，回家的路上，覺得智慧增長了一點。