There lived a merchant who had three sons. One day, when he and his sons were traveling in a caravan, trading fabrics and iron in the depths of Africa, he became ill.
Calling his sons, he said:
- My children! You and I have been traveling for many months through this foreign, inhospitable land. We didn’t trade in any wealth, and now I pray for only one thing - how you can return home safe and sound. I don’t think about myself: my days are numbered.
The brothers burst into tears as they listened to their father.
“After burying me,” the merchant continued in a weak voice, “go back to the ocean.” At the same time, you must fulfill my three commandments: let all the bales in your caravan be empty, never wear red clothes and do not be afraid to say out loud what you think. Along the way, be careful and try your best to draw the right conclusions...
Having said this, the merchant died.
The brothers buried him, distributed all their goods to local people and set off on their way back with empty bales.
The caravan had been walking along the road for several days when the brothers saw the tracks of an animal in the soft clay.
“A donkey passed here,” said the elder brother.
“He carried a big load,” added the middle one.
“It passed just a few hours ago,” the younger one finished.
Before they had time to say this, the roadside bushes parted and the ruler of this region, dressed in magnificent clothes, came out of them.
-Who are you and why do you dare to judge something that cannot be seen? - he asked menacingly.
“We are poor merchants, returning to the ocean to get home.” “As for our words, they relate precisely to what we saw,” the brothers answered.
“These are the footprints of a donkey,” explained the elder.
“They are very deep, which means the donkey was heavily loaded,” said the middle one.
“The tracks have not been trampled by other animals, which means they were left recently,” the younger one finished.
“They are so smart that they can get rich without anything!” - thought the ruler and ordered, having taken away all the animals and luggage, to escort the brothers out of his domain.
Leaving the entire caravan - porters and donkeys with empty bales - the brothers moved on. A few days later they saw new footprints under a tree near the road.
“A woman was resting here,” said the elder.
“Her husband is not a rich man,” added the middle one.
“She carried the child on her back,” the younger one finished.
Before they had time to say so, this time the ruler of the new region came out from behind the trees, accompanied by servants. He also heard the words of the brothers and was also amazed by them.
“Nothing surprising,” the elder explained to him. “Only a woman has such a small leg.” And the tracks lead into the shadows.
— There is a bracelet in the grass that she lost. The bracelet is not expensive,” added the middle one.
“And yet, having lost the bracelet, she would not have left if all her thoughts had not been occupied with the child.” She gave him a bracelet to play with, and he lost it,” the younger one finished. - And they carry children, as you know, on their backs...
“Oh, how cunning and educated they are. What if they want to kill me and sit on my throne?” thought the ruler. “We can’t let them go alive...”
And he ordered the brothers to be taken to his house, gave all three red clothes and asked them to wear them for the night.
The brothers found this request suspicious, and when they went to bed, they laid out their clothes on the floor. As soon as they did this, a hail of arrows rained down on their clothes from the windows - the servants carried out their master’s order to kill the guests.
Wasting no time, the brothers quietly slipped out of the house and set off along remote paths further to the east.
They walked and walked and finally reached the ocean shore. Here was a city whose ruler was subordinate to the Sultan of Zanzibar. He warmly received the brothers and, after listening to their story, offered to stay for a few days in his palace.
However, it must be said that he did not really believe what the brothers were saying, and in order to make sure of their intelligence, he decided to eavesdrop on their conversations in the evening.
He hid behind a column in the palace and began to listen.
The brothers were talking.
“It seems to me that the meat of the calves that we are treated to here is not real,” said the elder.
“And the overseas wine they drink doesn’t cost anything either,” added the middle one.
“And the ruler, although he traces his ancestry back to the Sultans of Zanzibar, is not who he wants to appear to be!” - finished the younger one.
At these words, the ruler angrily came out from behind the column and exclaimed:
- O wanderers! So this is how you pay me for my hospitality? How can you doubt the truth of what you have heard or received here?
If it turns out that you are wrong in any way, you will not lose your head!
And, clapping his hands three times, he ordered all the palace servants to be brought.
Hearing what was happening, the palace cook fell to his knees.
- Have mercy, sir! he yelled. “These days you ordered calf meat to be prepared for dinner, but I didn’t have veal on hand, and I, unfortunate one, skewered the side of an old cow!”
- O lord! - the palace cupbearer also begged. “I distributed overseas wines to my relatives, and poured local cheap wine into vessels at the table.
Before the ruler had time to decide what to do with the scammers, his mother entered the room - she, too, was hiding behind a column and also heard everything. She said:
- My son, do not be angry with the aliens. It's true: you are not the son of my late husband, who was a relative of the Sultan. You are my son from my first marriage. I hid this marriage for a long time. Your father belonged to a glorious royal family whose possessions are located in Ethiopia. This can be seen by the slight blackness of your face... But does it really matter after so many years?
The ruler could not be angry with the brothers. He gave them a dhow sailboat and it took all three of them to the island of Zanzibar. There they spent the rest of their years, increasing not wealth, but wisdom.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru