Once upon a time, there were two men living next door to each other. One day, they agreed to go to lay a trap. In the late afternoon, the two men set offfor the forest where they would lay the trap. One of them said, I will lay a trap at the foot of this tree as this tree has fruit and animals often come to eat the fruit." The other man said," I also wish to lay my trap here, but as you have decided to lay yours here, so I have to lay mine at the top and let's wait and see in the morning whose trap will catch an animal." Then, one of them laid his trap at the foot of the tree while the other was climbing the tree to lay his at the treetop. After having laid their traps, the two men came back home. At that night, the man who laid trap at the treetop talked to his wife. He said," Since my ancestral period, I have never heard of anyone laying a trap at the top of a tree and catching afourfooted animal that walks on the ground. Now, how can I catch an animal as I have laid my trap at the treetop. Thus, I have to get up very early to go and check it and if the trap laid on the ground catches an animal I'll remove it to tie it to mine at the treetop and in the morning I'll come to see the trap with that man. I'll give some deer's meat to Sophea Sek. If that man protests he will bring a lawsuit to Sophea Sek and Sophea Sek willjudge him losing." After having thought of that, the man and his wife went to sleep.
When the cock crowed the illintentioned man got up, washed his face, chewed betel nut and left home to see the trap. Upon arri ving, he saw the trap laid on the ground catching a deer. He then removed the deer from the ground trap and tied it to his trap at the treetop. After that, he re-arrallged the ground trap in its original order and hurried home. At dawn, the man who laid trap on the ground came walking and called out to the other man to go and check the trap. The other man said: " Don't be in such a hurry! I do not hope to catch any animal because mine has been laid at the treetop, but I dare not say anything about yours as yours has been laid on the ground. Give me some to eat if you catch anything." These were sarcastic remarks toward another man as he had already known what would happen. The two men walked away chatting. Upon arriving at the place, what they saw was a deer caught in the trap laid at the treetop instead. The man who was the owner of the treetop trap exclaimed: " Look! Whose trap has caught an animal, now? It is because you did not believe me when I told you not to lay a trap on the ground and to lay it at the treetop." After having said that he climbed up the tree to remove the trapped deer and went back home separately.. The man who got the deer hurried to offer some deer meat to the Sophea Sek and said :" I and another man went to lay trap together. I laid mine at the treetop and the other man laid his at the foot of the tree and I am U1~faithful. This is why the other man may come to you to file a lawsuit against me, so I request you to kindly help me win this case over that man and I will never forget your good deeds to me." Sophea Sek, having got the deer meat, said: "
Go to get me betel and betel nut in time the next morning. If he comes to me for help I'll tell him to do the same and if he is late in doing it, it will be easy for me to rule that he loses the case, so you must hurry."
As for the man who laid trap at the foot of the tree, when coming back home; he sat breathing deeply, not being satisfied with what had happened. He then went to Sophea Sek to sue the other man.
Sophea Sek ordered him to do what he had asked the other man to do. In the next morning, the man who had laid trap at the treetop brought all the required things for Sophea Sek first. As for the man who had laid trap on the ground, he could hardly afford money to buy the things ordered as he was so poor and as he was afraid of losing the case and would be punished, so he ran from one village to another till he met Sophea Tonsay (= judging rabbi ), who asked him to stop and said: " Why are you running? What's the matter with you?" The man stopped running and said :" Please help me! It is all because I and another man went to lay trap together. I laid lmne at the foot of a tree and he laid his at the treetop. In the morning, we went together to check our traps, but mine did not catch anything. Instead, the other man's trap which had been laid at the treetop caught a deer. That's why I disagreed and decided to file a complaint with Sophea Sek against that man, but Sophea Sek said that either of us, who could get him the things he wanted, would to win the case. I am scared as the other man has alTived ahead of me, so please help me." " Don't be afraid!" , Sophea Tonsay said, adding :" I'll accompany you there in the afternoon.~ The man was then happy. In the afternoon, Sophea Tonsay took the man to Sophea Sek's house. Upon seeing him, Sophea Sek said :~' Why are you so late? You have lost the case." Sophea Tonsay then said:" We were late because we had waited to see the climbing perches flying to eat the leaves of tamarind." Hearing that, Sopbea Sek said :~' Since my ancestral period, I have never seen and heard of climbing perches flying to eat the tamarind's leaves." Sophea Tonsay quickly answered: " Since my ancestral period, I have never seen and heard that a ground trap does not catch an animal, but a treetop trap does and it is a four-footed animal.
Have you ever heard of that, my dear villagers? At that moment, Sophea Sek became silent and dared not answer back. Meanwhile, Sophea Tonsay ruled that the man who had laid trap on the ground won the case. As for Sophea Sek, who was the j udge at that time, was very embarrassed out of being so greedy for the deer's meat. He sat, facing the wall just as a cat was crouchillg ready to spring over a mOllse.
" Shameless Greed Leads To The Destruction of laws"
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