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从前有一个船主,他非常贪心,连自己船夫的工钱都要欺骗。在伊洛瓦底河来回航行一次,要用两三个月的时间,因此工钱也就相当可观。一路上,船主只供给船夫伙食,工钱要等航程结束才付给他们。不过,每次到了航程的最后一天,船主总要耍些诡计,或者和他们打赌。比较老实的人,就会被他把工钱全部骗光。有一次,也是在航程的最后一天,他们的船停泊在一个村子里,那时正好是正月天气,河水冷得跟冰一样。船主对船夫们说:
Once upon a time a shipowner, he was very greedy, even cheating his own boatman’s wages. Navigating back and forth on the Irrawaddy River takes about two or three months, so the wages are considerable. Along the way, the owners only provide boatman food, the wages must wait until the end of the voyage to pay them. However, on the last day of the voyage, the owner always makes some tricks or bets on them. Honest people, he will be all cheated wages. Once again, on the last day of the voyage, their boat was parked in a village when it was exactly the first lunar month and the river was as cold as the ice. The owner said to the boatmen: