Fables Retold

The Farmer, the Goat, and the Knaves

Once upon a time, there lived a poor farmer called Mani. He enjoyed a simple life in a straw-thatched mud hut on the outskirts of the village where he lived with his wife and daughter. He worked in the farmlands adjoining the woods which were owned by the landlord, Seth Hariprasad. He was also responsible for looking after the few animals he had domesticated. He owned a few sheep but no goat or cow. He got little money from the landlord for working in his fields and made some extra income by selling wool. It was not a lot of money, but Mani as well as his wife and daughter, was quite satisfied with life.

On a day in the harvest season, he had worked all day in the fields with his mates. Late in the evening, exhausted from the labour, he was returning home through the path that stretched through the woods. It was the middle of December and the darkness of a winterly night was fast approaching under the canopy of the dense forest.

He was humming a tune to himself and walking leisurely when he heard the distinct bleating of a young goat. As he walked further, he noticed a black goat standing on the path. It was probably one that had been separated from the heard. And the shepherd boy, who took them to graze, had not noticed upon returning home that one of his goats was missing.

He approached the beady-eyed animal and gently pet it saying, "Why are you wandering in the forest this late? Are you not afraid of tigers?"

The goat bleated in response, "Baa-baaa!"

Mani gingerly picked the little animal up. He was happy to have got the goat. He has always dreamt of having a herd of goats. Maybe this was a sign that his dream was finally going to be a reality. Mani was adreaming even then. So, dreaming about his own herd of goats and the extra income from selling goat milk, he started walking homeward, carrying the animal on his shoulders.

As he was moving along the thin path, three pairs of eyes were watching him from the shadows. The eyes belonged to three infamous dacoits who were known to prey on the wayfarers who made the mistake of passing through the woods after dark. The villagers were careful not to make such an error and were thankful that the dacoits only robbed people of their belongings and did not do any serious harm.

The three knaves saw the goat that was being carried by Mani and they instantly had the desire to possess it. "Such fine mutton curry it would make, brothers!" said one of them, and others readily agreed. They were aware that Mani was but a simple man and was not very bright. So, they discussed among themselves and devised a plan to take the goat from Mani without engaging in any conflict.

The three dacoits seated themselves on the path at various distances from one another and waited for Mani. As Mani neared the first dacoit, the shawl-covered man greeted him, "Hello, Mani bhai, you are very late from work. And pray tell me, why are you carrying a dog on your shoulders?"

Mani took him to be a local villager and replied, "Hello, brother. Yes, there was much work today." He also wondered why the man called the goat a dog. He promptly corrected him for his mistake, "A dog you say? You are mistaken, brother, for it is a goat I'm carrying."

He moved on and following the path came near the second dacoit. He repeated the same question asked by the first one. Now starting to get annoyed, he rebuked the man, "Are you stupid or blind? Can't you see that it is a goat?" Then he marched on.

It was getting much darker in the woods. But Mani was not very worried since he was then not very far from his hut. At the next bend, he finally came across the third dacoit. And he too, like his fellow conspirators, inquired Mani why he was carrying a dog on his shoulders. Mani got annoyed and moved along not feeling the need to correct the man. All this time the goat had been silent, not making any remarks when its identity was being mistaken.

Now Mani himself began to doubt himself. Surely three men would not make the same mistake. Were those 'Baa-baas' or 'woof-woofs' he had heard? He was not sure anymore. Was it a black dog he had picked up and had been carrying on his shoulders? Had he made a mistake after all? Must be so... must be so. It was quite dark now and since the animal itself was not willing to clear the confusion by making a sound, Mani concluded that it must be a dog.

Embarrassed by his idiocy, he put down the creature on the ground, and walked off towards his home, shaking his head continuously. As soon as he was gone, the three dacoits gathered around the poor goat and carried it off to their camp.

Moral: If you neither have wisdom nor confidence in yourself, anyone can deceive you.

- THE END -

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