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THE BOY AND THE ROBBERS In Persia , when Cyrus the Great was king , boys were taught to tell the truth . This was one of their first lessons at home and at school . " None but a coward will tell a falsehood , " said the father of young Otanes . [ Footnote : Otanes ( pro . o ta'n ez ) . ] " Truth is beautiful . Always love it , " said his mother . When Otanes was twelve years old , his parents wished to send him to a distant city to study in a famous school that was there . It would be a long journey and a dangerous one . So it was arranged that the boy should travel with a small company of merchants who were going to the same place . " Good - by , Otanes ! Be always brave and truthful , " said his father . " Farewell , my child ! Love that which is beautiful . Despise that which is base , " said his mother . The little company began its long journey . Some of the men rode on camels , some on horses . They went but slowly , for the sun was hot and the way was rough . Suddenly , towards evening , a band of robbers swooped down upon them . The merchants were not fighting men . They could do nothing but give up all their goods and money . " Well , boy , what have you got ? " asked one of the robbers , as he pulled Otanes from his horse . " Forty pieces of gold " answered the lad . The robber laughed . He had never heard of a boy with so much money as that . " That is a good story " he said . " Where do you carry your gold ? " " It is in my hat , underneath the lining , " answered Otanes . " Oh , well ! You can't make me believe that , " said the robber ; and he hurried away to rob one of the rich merchants . Soon another came up and said , " My boy , do you happen to have any gold about you ? " " Yes ! Forty pieces , in my hat , said Otanes . " You are a brave lad to be joking with robbers " said the man ; and he also hurried on to a more promising field . At length the chief of the band called to Otanes and said , " Young fellow , have you anything worth taking ? " Otanes answered , " I have already told two of your men that I have forty pieces of gold in my hat . But they wouldn't believe me . " " Take off your hat , " said the chief . The boy obeyed . The chief tore out the lining and found the gold hidden beneath it . " Why did you tell us where to find it ? " he asked . " No one would have thought that a child like you had gold about him . " " If I had answered your questions differently , I should have told a lie , " said Otanes ; " and none but cowards tell lies " The robber chief was struck by this answer . He thought of the number of times that he himself had been a coward . Then he said , " You are a brave boy , and you may keep your gold . Here it is . Mount your horse , and my own men will ride with you and see that you reach the end of your journey in safety . " Otanes , in time , became one of the famous men of his country . He was the advisor and friend of two of the kings who succeeded Cyrus .
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