Afterward also the Merchant-insect went to our Lord, and our Lord said to him:  “To all thy people who came before, I have given their work, and they are gone; now what kept thee back that thou camest to me last?”

The Merchant-insect replied to our Lord, “My bags are many and on the day when I took my bags and bound them up in my large travelling sacks to load them upon my asses, then my people left me behind and came to thee first.”

Our Lord said to him:  “All other employments are assigned; the people who came first took them and went away; but stop, I will also give one to thee.  Go, and having arrived at the entrance of the black ants, where are a great many ant-heads, when thou seest these many heads of the black ants, take them, and fill thy bags with them; then load thy bags upon thy ass, carry them to market, spread mats there, and sell them.”

So the Merchant-insect obtained his employment, drove his ass, and went from our Lord, picked up ant-heads at the entrance of the black ants, loaded his ass, and went his way to the market.  As he went the ass threw off the large bag.  Then, he alone not being able to lift the bag, he called people, saying:  “Come, be so good as to help me; let us take the sacks and load mine ass;” but not any of the people would do so.  Then the little red ants came after him, and when they were come to where he was, he said to them, “Please come and help me to load mine ass”.  The little red Ants said to the Merchant-insect, “We will not help thee for nothing.”

The Merchant-insect said to the little red Ants, “If you will not help me for nothing, then come and help me, and when I have come back from the market, I will pay you.”

The little red Ants helped him to load his ass, and the Merchant-insect drove his ass to the market, put down his sacks in the midst of the market-place, prepared the ground, spread his mat there, and having sold his ant-heads, he bought his things, and the market people began to disperse.

Then the Merchant-insect started on his way home, and as he went the little red Ants saw him, and said to him, “Father-merchant, give us what thou owest us.”

The Merchant, however, refused them their due, and went on his way.  Now as he went he got fever so that he sat down under a tree, tied his ass fast, and took off the sacks from his ass’s back.  As he sat there the fever overpowered him, and he lay down.  On seeing him lying the little red Ants assembled and came to him.  Now the fever was consuming the Merchant-insect’s strength, and when the little red Ants saw this they assembled together and killed him.

There was one Insect who saw them kill him, and he ran to our Lord, and said to him, “All the little red Ants assembled together and killed a man in the midst of the town—­that I saw it.”

When our Lord heard what the Insect said he called a man and sent him, saying:  “Go and call the little red Ants which kill people and bring them to me.”