The Clever Businessman

Hello, everyone.

    Today I am going to tell you a story of foolish bandits in India. Read on and find out how they were outwitted. It is a very funny story.

The Clever Businessman

    Once upon a time there were four businessmen. Once they wanted to travel to another town for business purposes. They took a few clothes and some food and water. Once they were ready they set out on their way. Now in olden times people travelled by bull carts or by foot and it took many days to reach the next village or town. These people were frugal and they decided to travel by foot.

    As they were walking they came to a forest. Now this forest was known for bandits. Bandits were thieves who would hide in the forests and then they attacked anyone who passed there. Now as these businessmen were walking the bandits attacked them. There were about ten of them.

    “Give us all your money and valuables,” said their leader who was a big scary man with a large moustache merging with his sideburns.

    “We don’t have any money,” said one of the businessmen.

    “You do as we tell you or else we will kill you all,” said the leader showing them a large knife.

    The businessmen were scared but they were clever men. They kept their wits about them. One of them was cleverer than the rest and he had an idea. He saw that they all looked scary but in reality were very foolish.

    “Look we are telling you the truth,” he said. “All our money is our village. Why don’t you go to our village and get it? I will write for you a letter to tell my clerk to give you as much money as you want.”

    The bandits got tempted and they took the bait.

    “Alright, you write for us a letter,” said the leader, “but you put three zeroes.”

    Now these bandits only knew that the more zeroes there were the more money they would get.

    “Put one zero from me,” said another bandit.

    “Put one from me, too,” said another and all of them demanded a zero be put on their behalf.

    “Alright,” said the businessman pretending to look very miserable, “I will but this is not fair. You will take away all our money.”

    “You just do as we say or else we will kill you,” said the leader.

    So the businessman wrote a letter and here is what he wrote.

    Dear Keshav,

    Give these men 000000000/- rupees.

                                              Signed,

                                              Ambalal.

    The bandits were delighted to have made such a good deal. So they took the letter and went to the businessmen’s village thinking of all sorts of things they would do with all the money they would get not knowing the shock that awaited them!

    As soon as they reached the village they sought out the businessmen’s shop and went there. They gave the letter to the clerk. The clerk looked at them and then read the letter. He understood at once what his boss wanted him to do.

    “Wait here a minute,” he told them. “I will have to go and take the money from inside.”

    He went inside and told one of his messengers to call the police. In the meantime he fidgeted here and there.

    Soon the policemen came and took them away. They were shocked and bewildered as to how did this happen.

    “You look confused,” said the clerk with a twinkle in his eye. “Let me explain. You see there were just zeroes there. There were no numbers to show how much amount to give you. From this I understood that my boss did not want to give you any money and by the looks of you I saw that you were bandits and so I called the police.”

    The bandits were so angry but they could do nothing about it. They were arrested and taken to jail.