Section
When the person who puts up the stake is someone other than the competitors, and the competitors are two or more, and he says, “Whichever of you wins shall receive ten,” the agreement is lawful and valid. Whoever comes out ahead is entitled to the ten; but if they all arrive together, none of them receives anything, because there is then no outright winner.

If he says to two contestants, “Whichever of you wins gets ten, and whichever of you salla—that is, finishes second⦗1⦘—also gets ten,” the contract is invalid, for there is no benefit in striving for first place: each contestant would receive ten whether he wins or loses, and thus he would feel no incentive⦗2⦘ to compete for the lead.

If, however, he says, “and whoever salla shall receive five,” the contract is valid, because each contestant now seeks first place for the unique advantage that comes with it.

If there are more than two contestants and he declares, “Whoever wins gets ten, and whoever salla receives the same,” the contract is valid, for each of them strives to be either the winner or the mussalli (runner-up).

The mussalli is the second-place finisher, so called because his head is alongside the ṣalā⦗3⦘ of the winner; the ṣalawān are the two protruding bones on either side of the tail⦗4⦘.