The Clever Shoemaker And The Greedy Thieves

THE CLEVER SHOEMAKER

This is the story of a poor shoemaker who used to stay in a small village with his wife. He had no work in the village and soon he had no money even to buy food.

So one day he made a decision and said to his wife, I should not stay here any longer there is no work here. I must try my luck in the big city just might be able to get a decent job there.

The shoemaker reached the big city he would roam the streets calling out.

Get new shoes maid.

Get new shoes maid or get your old shoes to look just like new ones or simply get shiny new ones.

Get new shoes maid get new shoes made.

The shoemaker got no work on the first day the next day. He roamed the streets of the big city again calling out.

Get new shoes maid.

Get shoes made.

A woman called out to him Mr. shoemaker and these shoes plays?

Sure madam, the shoemaker sat at the door of the house and stitched up those shoes.

Here, my lady the shoes are ready.

How much?

One copper coin.

Here you go.

He took the money and left as soon as he entered the next street, another woman called out to him and asked him to repair some shoes.

Here are some pairs of shoes.

Please mend them.

The shoemaker mended the shoes, took the money and left.

I have made quite a bit of money today, I keep working like this. I shall soon have enough money to buy a donkey.

He worked very hard and after a few days he had earned four gold coins.

He bought a donkey with two of them and decided to return home.

The next day he packed all his stuff and left for home on his way he passed through a jungle, where he saw a band of thieves.

God saved me, these thieves will take away all my money and I shall become poor once again

what do I do?

The shoemaker was very clever. He did not lose heart and thought of a plan, he tied one gold coin to the neck of the donkey and walked ahead. The thieves caught him. Out with your money!

Come on, quick see!

See, I am a poor cobbler.

I have nothing other than this donkey. Please let me go. 

As soon as it heard this, the donkey brayed and the gold coins fell from its neck to the ground. Really, then where did you get this gold coin from?

How dare you lie to us?

Band of thieves a beat him...

Then clever shoemaker shouted, stop, stop all right. I shall tell you this donkey creates gold. This is how I get all my money. All right! Sell us this donkey. We shall let you go. No, not at all if I sell it I shall be left with nothing. We shall give you 50 gold coins for this.

Fine but be careful to keep the donkey with each of you for one day in turn. Or else, you will end up fighting for the money.

The shoemaker sold the donkey and returned home, he was very happy to have got the gold coins with the money he bought a poultry farm meanwhile the thieves too had reached their hideout with the donkey. 

Their chief said to all of them being the chief of this gang. I shall be the first to keep the donkey with me. 

The thieves obeyed their chief and that night the chief slept in the stable with the donkey, he wanted to take the money as soon as he awoke. The next morning when he got up, he saw there was nothing in the stable. He searched the entire stable but he found nothing. He realized that the cobbler had fooled them meanwhile another thief got there. 

Chief! You got the gold?

Tell us, how many coins hey donkey created you will find out for yourself when you keep the donkey with you tonight. 

The chief said nothing to anyone for he wanted to make sure that he had not made a mistake. One by one all the thieves kept the donkey with them but none of them got a thing. All of them understood that they had been fooled. 

The chief called a meeting that shoemaker has fooled us. We will teach him a lesson, he sold us this ordinary donkey for 50 gold coins. We shall take our money back from him and punish him for daring to dupe us.

Yes let's go.

They leave for the shoemaker’s home, he was working in the farm he saw the thieves coming. 

He rushed inside the house and said to his wife, listen carefully, when the thieves get here and ask for me, tell them that I am working in the farm and then send our dog Milo to call me, saying this, he hid behind his house. 

A little while later that thieves got there;

Where is that shoemaker call him we wish to speak to him.

He is gone to the farms. Let me send the dog to call for him. Milo go and call the master. Tell him that some people have come to see him.

What is all this? Will Milo really get your husband to come here? Sure he understands everything? Yes, whenever I need to speak to him while he is at the farm I simply send Milo to him and Milo delivers my message. 

When the thieves were talking to the shoemaker’s wife the shoemaker arrived.

Oh! it's you Milo told me that you wish to speak with me.

We got nothing from the donkey you cheated us, lied to us.

Listen, I am sure you've made a mistake whatever, I have, it is because of the donkey. All right, we believe you but you will have to sell us this dog too. No not at all, I cannot sell it we shall pay you 40 gold coins for it. 

After refusing a bit, the shoemaker agreed to sell them the dog. 

The thieves took Milo and left. when they reached the cave, the chief announced that he would be the first to keep the dog with him. The others obeyed him and left. 

The chief called his daughter Camilla, listen Camilla, I am going off to work, if anyone comes to ask for me, send Milo to call me. As you say father.

Sometime later a man came there and asked the Chiefs daughter to call her father. 

Please wait, I shall send for him at once Milo! go tell father that someone is here to meet him. 

Milo ran away from the chief's home and instead of going to the chief thief, he went straight to the shoemaker. When the thief returned home in the evening, he saw that Milo was not there. He realized that Milo must have gone back to his master. So, he went to the shoemakers house. 

Listen, has Milo come to you? Yes here he is. I think he must have been missing me. Give him a little time. Eventually he will start accepting you as his . The chief took Milo back with him and gave him to one of his comrades the next day. Milo stayed with all the members of the gang one by one but each day he would return to the shoemaker. Everyone realized that they had been cheated once again. They discussed,

This time we shall not be fooled.

I shall teach shoemaker a lesson. This time they reached the shoemaker's house. 

They did not pay heed to anything the shoemaker had to say. They put him in a sack and left to teach him a lesson. The shoemaker lay in the sack quietly. On their way, they passed by a church.

One of the thieves said, Chief! it is really hot. Let us rest for a while in the church. We can surely wait till evening to do the work. 

They left him there and all of them went inside the church. This church was on top of the hill. A swineherd was passing by. When he heard the swineherd’s voice. An idea struck the shoemaker and he started shouting loudly.

I won't do it! I won't do it! leave me! let me go! 

The swineherd heard the shoemaker’s voice and he came towards him. He asked the shoemaker, Uh wait! what happened! won't you not do, who put you in that sack. They want to get me married to the king's daughter but I do not want to get married. Why? Are you crazy? Had I been in your place, I would have definitely got married to that princess. If that is the case, come I shall put you in the sack go and marry the princess. Really?

Of course, but first let me out.

The swineherd let the shoemaker out of the sack and himself got inside it. The shoemaker tied him up and taking his pigs, got away from there. The thieves came out of the church in the evening, took the sack and left.

Listen, let's throw him here in the mud, this will teach him a lesson. 

The thieves throw him in the mud and depart from there. While returning up, they saw the shoemaker on the road and they shocked. 

How did you get here? There was a magical place beneath that mud. There is a lot of gold and the guards of that gold are these pigs. I came out with the help and brought some gold with me too. Just going back to sleep there.

Wait, take us to that magical place. Beware, dare you even touch the gold!

but I……

Do as we say…

All right if you insist…

The gang of thieves reach the spot with the shoemaker.

If you want the gold then you must lock yourselves in the sack.

All thieves hide themselves in the sack. The cobbler through all of them in the mud and then left the pigs on them.

Hey! You fooled us again, hey brother, get us out, we will not bother you further. Do not leave us like this. Please!!

Thieves kept shouting, the pigs licked the thieves. Seeing this, the shoemaker laughed and went to his house. Thereafter, lived peacefully and happily with his wife.

LESSON:

Don't be too much greedy that anyone can use you as per his choice.

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