A Plane Bet
A sardar and an American are seated next to each other on
a flight from Los Angeles to New York. The American asks if he would like to
play a fun game.
The surd, tired, just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls
over to the window to catch a few winks. The American persists and explains that
the game is easy and a lot of fun.
He says, "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay
me five dollars, and vice versa."
Again, he declines and tries to get some sleep.
The American, now agitated, says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer, you
pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500." This
catches the surd's attention and, figuring there will be no end to this torment,
agrees to the game.
The American asks the first question: "What's the distance from the
earth to the moon?" The surd doesn't say a word, reaches into his
wallet, pulls out a $5.00 bill, and hands it to the American.
"Okay," says the American, "your turn."
He asks, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four
legs?"
The American, puzzled, takes out his laptop computer and searches all his
references... no answer.
He taps into the air phone with his modem and searches the Internet and the
Library of Congress... no answer.
Frustrated, he sends e-mails to all his friends and co-workers but to no avail.
After an hour, he wakes the surd and hands him $500.
The surd thanks him and turns back to get some more sleep.
The American, who is more than a little miffed, stirs the sardar and asks,
"Well, what's the answer?"
Without a word, the surd reaches into his purse, hands the American $5, and goes
back to sleep.