Clever brothers
Days had passed and the old man died. The three brothers gathered together, counseled and decided:
“There is nothing for us to do here. Let’s better travel around the world. We will tend someone’s cattle or find other kind of job, we won’t be starving, will find something out there. So they have said, collected all their gathering and off they went.
The brothers went a long way, crossed the deserts, climbed over mountains, 40 days had passed since then. They had eaten all the food they had, were too tired to continue their journey which seemed to never end. They rested a little while and continued their journey.
O nce there lived a poor man who had three sons. He often would tell his sons:
“My dearest sons! We have neither herd, nor gold. Try to collect other kind of wealth: learn more and perceive more. Nothing should escape from your attention. Let sharp and clever mind be your wealth instead of gold and herd. With such kind of riches you shall be fine and live not worse than others."
Finally they started seeing some trees, towers, houses – they approached a big city, with a sigh of relief brothers hurried towards the city. They thought that all the hardships were left in the past and the future started looking promising. Before entering the city the older brother had stopped and looking at the ground noticed:
“Not while ago a big camel passed this way.”
They walked further and the middle brother looked at the both sides of the road and said:
“The camel can see with only one eye.”
After a while the youngest brother added:
“On the camel’s back there were a woman with a little kid.”
“That is right,” agreed two older brothers.
Having said that they continued their journey and not long after encountered a man on a horse.
The older brother looked at the man and asked:
“Have you lost something, dear man?”
The man reined in his horse and replied:
“Yes, I did!”
“Have you lost a camel?” asked the oldest of the brothers.
“Yes, a camel!”
“It is big, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is big!”
“Can it see with only right eye?”
“Yes, he lost his left eye!”
“Were a woman with a little kid on its back?” asked the youngest of brothers.
The man on a horse looked at the brothers suspiciously:
“Then you have my camel! Tell me right away where it is!”
“But we have never seen your camel!” replied brothers.
“How could you describe it without even seeing it then?” asked the man.
“We were taught to be alert and attentive. We only guessed. Hurry on that way and soon you should find it,” brothers suggested.
“No, I am no fool, and not going that way! You have my camel, give it to me right away!” vigorously claimed the man.
“We never saw your camel, we promise!” tried to persuade brothers in vain.
But a horse-rider didn’t even listen to them, he showed his sword and forced them to go in front of him and brought them to the palace of the ruler of that city, the padishah. He left them guarded and went to see the padishah and told:
“I was moving with my herd to the mountains, my wife with my kid were on a big one-eyed camel. She left behind and somehow lost her way. I started looking for her and met three strangers. These men most possibly stole my camel, killed my wife and my kid!”
The padishah listened to him, then asked:
“Why would you think these men are the ones who committed a crime?”
“They themselves told me that a camel was big, one-eyed, and was carrying a woman with a kid!”
The ruler thought for a while and replied:
“If you didn’t tell anything and they themselves gave full description of the camel, then they have the camel. Bring those thieves right away!”
The owner of the camel went outside and came back with three brothers:
“You, thieves!” shouted the padishah angrily.” “I want an answer right away, where is the camel of this man?”
“We are no thieves and never saw his camel,” replied brothers.
“You told the owner what he had lost, before he could even open his mouth. How dare you now refuse?”
“Dear padishah, no wonder in that. Since our childhood we were taught that nothing should escape from our sight, we learned to observe and be always alert. That is why we could give all the details of the camel, before even seeing it.”
The padishah gave a loud laugh and asked:
“Is it even possible to give so many details of something without even seeing it?”
“It is,” replied brothers.
“Oh, we will see how possible it is,” said the ruler and called out his wazir and whispered something in his ear.
Wazir left the room at once and came back with two servants carrying a big chest on a litter. The servants carefully put the chest in front of the door, so padishah could see it and stepped aside. The brothers were watching in distance the way servants were handling the chest and how they put it on the ground.
“Well, thieves, can you guess what is inside the chest?” asked the ruler.
The oldest of the brothers replied:
“Dear padishah, we are no thieves, we assure you, and something round is in the chest.
“It is a pomegranate,” added the middle brother.
“It is not ripe,” said the youngest.
“Bring that chest and open it at once!” ordered the padishah.
The servants did as they were told, and astonished padishah took from the chest one unripe pomegranate and showed to everyone, and looking at the owner of the camel he said:
“No, these people are no thieves. They indeed are sharp-witted. Go and look for your camel somewhere else.”
Everyone in the room couldn’t help but admire brother’s ability, and first in the row was the padishah himself. He ordered to fetch all kinds of viands and serve the brothers.
“You are innocent and you can go wherever you want, but before you go, tell me everything by order: how you learned that the man lost a camel, and how could you describe the camel?”
The oldest of the brothers replied:
“I learned about the size of a camel because of the traces it left on sand, and then saw a man looking everywhere”
“That is right, but who guessed it can see with his right eye only?”
The middle of the brother replied:
“That was me!”
“How could you learn he couldn’t see with his left eye? You couldn’t possibly see it on sand?”
I guessed it because of the grass from the left side was all eaten up, when the left side hadn’t even been touched.
“Well, you are right here, too,” said padishah. “But who guessed about a woman and a little kid?”
“I did!” replied the youngest of the brothers. “I noticed that a camel made a stop and bent its knee, by the side on sand there left the traces of a woman boots. At the same place I saw footprints of a little kid,” he explained.
Padishah nodded:
“That I see now. But how did you guess about pomegranate?”
“Two men were carrying the chest,” started the oldest of the brothers, “but it was obvious that it wasn’t heavy at all. When the servants placed it on the ground, I heard how something round rolled over from one side of the chest to another.”
The middle brother continued:
“Then I thought: the chest was brought by the servants from a garden, inside there is something round, then it must be a pomegranate. For there are so many pomegranate trees grow around your palace.”
“Indeed!” replied padishah, then looking at the youngest of the brothers he asked:
“How did you guess it was unripe?”
“Now it is the time of the year when all pomegranates are green. You can see it for yourself!” he replied and waved towards open windows.
Padishah looked at his garden and saw the pomegranate trees all covered with green fruits.
Padishah was stunned by the brother’s power of observation and intuitiveness and proclaimed:
“You may not have money or estate but you have much better in possession - bright minds!
Translated by Elga J.
Illustatrations: Erik Bulatov, Oleg Vasilyev