A Debt is Settled

The Rich Moneylender

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy man who was a moneylender. He earned a substantial amount of interest from the loans he provided.

The Loan Agreement

One day, a man borrowed fifty rupees from him. The debtor promised to sell his horse and parrot to repay the loan within two months. The rich man agreed to the arrangement.

Failure to Repay

However, when two months passed, the debtor had not repaid the money. Frustrated, the lender asked him to give his horse in exchange for the loan amount. The debtor insisted that he would pay back the money after selling both the horse and the parrot.

The Parrot’s Worth

The creditor pressed, “What price will your parrot fetch?” The debtor replied, “Not much, I’m afraid. You can sell them together, but I will give you only the price of the horse.”

The Local Fair

The debtor took both the horse and the parrot to the local fair to sell them. A man approached him and offered four hundred rupees for the parrot, commenting on what a lovely bird it was. He then offered just four rupees for the horse.

The Scheme Unfolds

Without hesitation, the debtor sold both the bird and the horse. He handed the rich man four rupees and said, “You wanted only the price of the horse; well, here it is.”

The Cheating Revelation

The wealthy man felt cheated; however, a bargain is a bargain. Little did he realize that the buyer was actually the debtor’s friend, who had helped him pull off the clever ruse.