The woman who was carrying the casket to the jeweler's workshop stumbled at the entrance. The casket fell and the jewels scattered. The jeweler's assistants ran out of the store to help the woman. An ostrich wandering nearby unnoticed swallowed a large emerald. Having discovered the loss, the woman began to cry. Despite general searches, the stone was not found anywhere.
Someone said: “This stone could have been taken by a beggar sitting by the wall of the workshop.”
He saw the ostrich swallow a stone, but did not want the bird to be killed. Therefore, he did not say anything except: “I did not take anything.” The beggar was beaten. Someone in the crowd said that cruelty is a sin. He was immediately accused of covering up for an accomplice.
Finally, a man with Knowledge appeared. Noticing an ostrich, he asked: “Was this bird here when the casket fell?” “Yes,” the people said.
“In that case,” he replied, “turn your attention to the ostrich.”
The owner of the ostrich was paid the cost of the bird, which was then killed. The missing gem was found in her stomach.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru