At first the servant kept her eyes on the jewel-box. But by and by she began to nod, and then she fell fast asleep.

As soon as the Monkey saw this, quick as the wind she jumped down, opened the box, picked up the string of pearls, and quick as the wind she was up in the tree again, holding the pearls very carefully. She put the string of pearls on, and then, for fear the guards in the garden would see the pearls, the Monkey hid them in a hole in the tree. Then she sat near-by looking as if nothing had happened.

By and by the servant awoke. She looked in the box, and finding that the string of pearls was not there, she cried, “A man has run off with the queen’s string of pearls.”

Up ran the guards from every side.

The servant said: “I sat right here beside the box where the queen put her string of pearls. I did not move from the place. But the day is hot, and I was tired. I must have fallen asleep. The pearls were gone when I awoke.”

The guards told the king that the pearls were gone.

“Find the man who stole the pearls,” said the king. Away went the guards looking high and low for the thief.

After the king had gone, the chief guard said to himself:

“There is something strange here. These pearls,” thought he, “were lost in the garden. There was a strong guard at the gates, so that no one from the outside could get into the garden. On the other hand, there are hundreds of Monkeys here in the garden. Perhaps one of the Girl Monkeys took the string of pearls.”

Then the chief guard thought of a trick that would tell whether a Girl Monkey had taken the pearls. So he bought a number of strings of bright-colored glass beads.

After dark that night the guards hung the strings of glass beads here and there on the low bushes in the garden. When the Monkeys saw the strings of bright-colored beads the next morning, each Monkey ran for a string.

But the Girl Monkey who had taken the queen’s string of pearls did not come down. She sat near the hole where she had hidden the pearls.

The other Monkeys were greatly pleased with their strings of beads. They chattered to one another about them. “It is too bad you did not get one,” they said to her as she sat quietly, saying nothing. At last she could stand it no longer. She put on the queen’s string of pearls and came down, saying proudly: “You have only strings of glass beads. See my string of pearls!”

Then the chief of the guards, who had been hiding nearby, caught the Girl Monkey. He took her at once to the king.

“It was this Girl Monkey, your Majesty, who took the pearls.”

The king was glad enough to get the pearls, but he asked the chief guard how he had found out who took them.

The chief guard told the king that he knew no one could have come into the garden and so he thought they must have been taken by one of the Monkeys in the garden. Then he told the king about the trick he had played with the beads.

“You are the right man in the right place,” said the king, and he thanked the chief of the guards over and over again.

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The thrifty merchant thought, “We cannot travel together, for the men will find it hard to get wood and water, and there will not be enough grass for so many oxen. Either he or I ought to go first.”

So he went to the young man and told him this, saying, “Will you go before or come on after me?”

The other one thought, “It will be better for me to go first. I shall then travel on a road that is not cut up. The oxen will eat grass that has not been touched. The water will be clean. Also, I shall sell my goods at what price I like.” So he said, “Friend, I will go on first.”

This answer pleased the thrifty merchant. He said to himself, “Those who go before will make the rough places smooth. The old rank grass will have been eaten by the oxen that have gone before, while my oxen will eat the freshly grown tender shoots. Those who go before will dig wells from which we shall drink. Then, too, I will not have to bother about setting prices, but I can sell my goods at the prices set by the other man.” So he said aloud, “Very well, friend, you may go on first.”

At once the foolish merchant started on his journey. Soon he had left the city and was in the country. By and by he came to a desert which he had to cross. So he filled great water-jars with water, loaded them into a large wagon and started across the desert.

Now on the sands of this desert there lived a wicked demon. This demon saw the foolish young merchant coming and thought to himself, “If I can make him empty those water-jars, soon I shall be able to overcome him and have him in my power.”

So the demon went further along the road and changed himself into the likeness of a noble gentleman. He called up a beautiful carriage, drawn by milk-white oxen. Then he called ten other demons, dressed them like men and armed them with bows and arrows, swords and shields. Seated in his carriage, followed by the ten demons, he rode back to meet the merchant. He put mud on the carriage wheels, hung water-lilies and wet grasses upon the oxen and the carriage. Then he made the clothes the demons wore and their hair all wet. Drops of water trickled down over their faces just as if they had all come through a stream.

As the demons neared the foolish merchant they turned their carriage to one side of the way, saying pleasantly, “Where are you going?”

The merchant replied, “We have come from the great city back there and are going across the desert to the villages beyond. You come dripping with mud and carrying water-lilies and grasses. Does it rain on the road you have come by? Did you come through a stream?”

The demon answered, “The dark streak across the sky is a forest. In it there are ponds full of water-lilies. The rains come often. What have you in all those carts?”

“Goods to be sold,” replied the merchant.

“But in that last big heavy wagon what do you carry?” the demon asked.

“Jars full of water for the journey,” answered the merchant.

The demon said, “You have done well to bring water as far as this, but there is no need of it beyond. Empty out all that water and go on easily.” Then he added, “But we have delayed too long. Drive on!” And he drove on until he was out of sight of the merchant. Then he returned to his home with his followers to wait for the night to come.

The foolish merchant did as the demon bade him and emptied every jar, saving not even a cupful. On and on they traveled and the streak on the sky faded with the sunset. There was no forest, the dark line being only clouds. No water was to be found. The men had no water to drink and no food to eat, for they had no water in which to cook their rice, so they went thirsty and supperless to bed. The oxen, too, were hungry and thirsty and dropped down to sleep here and there. Late at night the demons fell upon them and easily carried off every man. They drove the oxen on ahead of them, but the loaded carts they did not care to take away.

A month and a half after this the wise merchant followed over the same road. He, too, was met on the desert by the demon just as the other had been. But the wise man knew the man was a demon because he cast no shadow. When the demon told him of the ponds in the forest ahead and advised him to throw away the water-jars the wise merchant replied, “We don’t throw away the water we have until we get to a place where we see there is more.”

Then the demon drove on. But the men who were with the merchant said, “Sir! those men told us that yonder was the beginning of a great forest, and from there onwards it was always raining. Their clothes and hair were dripping with water. Let us throw away the water-jars and go on faster with lighter carts!”

Stopping all the carts the wise merchant asked the men, “Have you ever heard any one say that there was a lake or pond in this desert? You have lived near here always.”

“We never heard of a pond or lake,” they said.

“Does any man feel a wind laden with dampness blowing against him?” he asked.

“No, sir,” they answered.

“Can you see a rain cloud, any of you?” said he.

“No, sir, not one,” they said.

“Those fellows were not men, they were demons!” said the wise merchant. “They must have come out to make us throw away the water. Then when we were faint and weak they might have put an end to us. Go on at once and don’t throw away a single half-pint of water.”

So they drove on and before nightfall they came upon the loaded wagons belonging to the foolish merchant.

Then the thrifty merchant had his wagons drawn up in a circle. In the middle of the circle he had the oxen lie down, and also some of the men. He himself with the head men stood on guard, swords in hand and waited for the demons. But the demons did not bother them. Early the next day the thrifty merchant took the best of the wagons left by the foolish merchant and went on safely to the city across the desert.

There he sold all the goods at a profit and returned with his company to his own city.

Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page