It happened once upon a time that Mullah Nasruddin had a small business in a serai, one of those large enclosures where caravans stop to rest and re-provision. The Mullah had managed to secure a corner of the serai, where he had slung a hammock that he rented out to travellers. As the ground of the serai was unusually hard and stony, and as there was an abundance of mice and rats scurrying about between the feet of the camels, his hammock did a steady trade.

The Mullah’s clients, however, were mostly merchants and therefore wily bargainers, always looking for a way to get a better deal. Once, a trader of unusually small stature came to Nasruddin and said, “Mullah, how much to rent your hammock for the night?”

The Mullah said, “Two coins.”

“Two!” said the trader. “Be merciful, my friend. This trip has been a disaster for me. I have lost money on every transaction, and now I am going home a poor man. I scarcely dare to say it to a respectable Mullah, but I fear I will have to sell my children to survive. And besides,” he added, “you see I am a small man – half the weight of others. Let me use your hammock for a single coin. It is all I have left.”

The man held out a coin. The Mullah stroked his beard and thought for a moment. Then taking the coin, he turned and unhooked one end of the hammock.

“A deal,” said Nasruddin. “Half the weight, half the cost–and half the hammock!”