The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-12-03
A PROFITABLE TRADE IN RIDDLES
TRANSLATED FROM AN OLD GERMAN
PAPER. i-aa EfE #Ef t1

Nine persons sailed from Balse down
to Rhine. A jew who wished % 90 to
Schalampi. was allowed to come on
board and journey with them, upon con-
dtion that he would conduct himself
with propriety and give the captain
eighteen kreutzers for hls passage.
Now, il is true something iingled in
the jews pocket when he had struck
his hand against it; but the only money
there WAS twelve kreutzer piece, for
the other was brass button. Not
withstanding this, he accepted the offer
with gratitude. For he thought OF him
self t-.something may be earned even
upon the water" There is many man
who has grown rich upon the Rhine.
During the first part of the voyage
the passengers were very talkative and
merry, and the Jew with his wallet
under his arm, for be did not lay it
aside, was an object of much mirth and
mockery as alas, is often the case with
those OF his nation. But as the vessel
sailed onward, and passed. Thurengen
al d Saint Welt, the passengers one at
ter another grew. silent, and gaped, and
gazed listlessly down the river until
one cried tH r
"Come, jew DO you know any
pastime that will amuse us? Your
fathers must have contrived many a
one during their long journey III the
wilderness. @ hH
Now is the time" thought the Jew,
"to shear my sheep !" And he proposed
that they should sit round i'm a circle,
and PROFOUND various curious questions
to each other, and he with their per-
mission would sit with them. Those
who could not answer the questions
should pay the one who propounded
them twelve kreutzer piece, and those
who answered them perbinently should
receive twelve kreutzer piece.
This proposal pleased the company,
and hoping to divert themselves with
tile Jews wit or stupidity, each one
asked, at random, whatever Glanced to
enter his head.
Thus, for example, the first asked:-
"How many soft boiled eggs could the
giant Goliath eat on an empty stom-
ach. 4Nfti
All SO id that 1t was impossible to an
swer that question, and eaca paid his
twelve kreutzers.
But the Jew said -"One; for he who
has eaten one egg, cannot put second
upon an empty stomach" and the other
paid him twelve kreutzers!
The second thought--"Wait, jew, l
will try you out OF the New Testament,
and think shal; win my piece Why
did the Apostle Paul write the second
epistle to the Corinthians 7"
The Jew said --"Because he was not
in Corinth--otherwise he would have
spoken to them" so he won another
twelve kreutzer piece.
When the third saw shat the Jew was
so we'll versed in the Bible, he tried him
in a different way, "Who prolongs his
work to as great a length us possible,
and completes it in time 2"
"rhe ropemaker, If he is industrious,
said the jew
In the meantime while they drew
near to a village, and olle said to The
other--"That is Bamlach.n Then the
fourth asked--''In what month do the
people in Bamlach eat the least?"
The Jew said, "ln February, for it
has only 2S days"
The fifth said, 'el'here are two natu-
raj brothers, and still only one of them
Is my uncle.'
Tie jew said, ''The uncle is your
fathers brother, and your father is not
your uncle"
A fish now leaped out OF the water,
and the sixth asked. .'What fish have
their eyes nearest togetherY'
The Jew said, "The smallest"
The sevsnth asked, ''How can man
ride from Basle to Bern in the shade,
in the summer time, when the sun
shines?"
The Jew said, "lVhen he comes to
place where there is no shade, he must
dismount and go on foot"
The eighth asked, "When man rides
in the winter time from Bern TO Basle,
and has forgotten his gloves, how must
he manage so that his hands shall rot
freeze ?"
The Jew said, ''IIe must make fists
out OF them.1
The ninth was the last. This one
asked, "Bow can five persons divide
five eggs, so that each man shall re-
ceive one, and still one remain in the
dish?"
The Jew said-s'The last man must
take the dish with the egg; and he can
let 1t lie there as long as he pleases.
But now it came to his turn, and he
determined to make a good dsweep.-
A lter many preliminary compliments,
he asked with an air of mischievous
iendliness-'How can q man fry two
trouts in three pans, so that q trout
may lie in each pan?'
Noone could answer this, and one
after the other gave him twelve kreut-
ger piece. ta..
But when the ninth desired that he
should solve the Iiddle, he rocked te
and fro shrugged hIs shoulders and :oll
ed his eyes, ~ am poor jew" he sale
at LAST