Four wise men

(There is the king of Ujjain, Four young men, a merchant and two sentries.)

[Four young men are going the road of Ujjain. They are going to Ujjain in search of jobs. They are only about a kilometers from the city of Ujjain. The city is seen clearly from where they are.]

Ramdatt- we have come a long way from home but have not yet been able get any jobs.

Har datta – how long have we been traveling?

Shiva datta- for more than a week, I think.

Ram datta- for ten days exactly.

Dev datta- well, ten days isn’t a long time. We may have to travel for many more days before we get suitable jobs for all the four of us.

Ram datta- if we could have an interview with the king Ujjain, I am sure he should take us into hi service.

Shiva datta- I think so, too.

Dev datta- all of us think so, and that’s why we are going to Ujjain.

Har datta- it is not easy to get an interview with the king of Ujjain. We’ll have to make a careful plan.

Dev datta- we’ll think about it when we get to Ujjain.

Shiva datta- look, a camel has gone this way. Let us study the tracks it has made.

Ram datta- we’ll study them as we go.

Shiva datta- that’s what I mean.

[The four of them go long the road, and as they go they study the tracks made by he camel.]

Ram datta- I have found one special thing about this camel.

Shi datta- I have found one, too.

Har datta: - so have I.

Dev datta- I have found something about it which, I think, none of you has found.

Har datta- as soon as we find a big shady tree by the roadside we’ll sit down and talk about the things we have found about the camel. But here comes a man running! Who can it be?

Shi datta- he looks like a merchant.

Ram datta- yes, he is a merchant. I think he has lost his camel.

[The merchant stops near the four men and greets them.]

Merchant: - good morning, gentlemen.

All four: - good morning brother.

Merchant- gentlemen, I’ve lost my camel. Have you seen it?

Ram datta- yes, it is.

Shi datta- is it blind in the right eye?

Merchant- yes, it is blind in the right eye. It’s one-eyed camel.

Har datta- its tail is short, is not it?

Merchant- you are quite right. It has a short tail. You gentlemen have noticed everything it. I hope …

Dev datta- waits a minute. Is not it suffering from a pain in the stomach?

Merchant- you seem to be a vet. The poor animals have been suffering from a pain in the stomach for the last two weeks. I am prepared to pay your fees if you treat it. Will you please tell me where it is?

Ram datta- we don’t know where it is.

Shiva datta- we haven’t seen it.

Merchant-has none of you seen it?

Shiva datta- no, none of us has seen it.

Merchant- then how did you know so many things about it?

Ram datta- we knew all about it from the tracks it made on the road.

Merchant- I don’t believe you. You are thieves. You found my camel and sold it to someone. I am going to complain to the king.

Dev datta- please you, if the king wants us, please come back and let us know. [Pointing to a banyan tree by the roadside in the distance] you will find us sitting under that banyan tree.

Merchant- I don’t trust you. I must tae you with me to the king.

All four: - all right. Let’s go to the king.

[The four men follow the merchant to the king. At the gate the merchant says something to one of the sentries, who takes him to the king. The sentry and the merchant bow to the king.]

Sentry – your highness, this man is a merchant of Ujjain. He has. Come to make a complaint against the men who have taken away his camel. [Bows again, and the merchant also bows.]

King- where are the men who taken away your camel?

Merchant- they are at the gate, sir.

King – (to the sentry) bring them in.

[The sentry bows and goes out. He comes back with the four men and all the five of them bow to the king.]

King- (to the sentry) - you may go.

[The sentry bows and goes out]

King- (to the merchant) - how do you know that these men have taken away your camel?

Merchant- sir, they know everything about it and yet they say they haven’t seen it. (To the four men) is that right?

Ram datta- your highness, each of us has found out one special thing about the merchant’s camel, but none of us has seen it.

King- (to Ram datta): what have you found about this camel?

Ram datta- it is lame one of its legs.

King- how did you find it out?

Ram datta- sir, I studied the tracks which it had made on the road and saw that there were prints of only three feet.

King- (to Shiva datta) - what did you find out about the camel?

Shiva datta- your highness, I found out that it was blind in the right eye.

King- how did you find it out?

Shiva datta- I saw that it had eaten the leaves of the trees on the left side of the road only, and so I knew that it was blind in the right eye.

King- excellent! (To Har datta)- What did you find out?

Har datta- sir, I found out that it had a sort tail.

King- how did you know that it had a short tail?

Har datta- I saw a few very small drops of blood in the track, and I knew that they came from mosquito bites. The mosquitoes could not have bitten the animal so much if it had a long tail to brush them away.

King: - that’s very good reasoning. [Turning to dev datta] what did you find out about the merchant’s camel?

Dev datta- I saw that the prints of the camel’s forefeet were deep and clear and the prints of the good hind foot were very light. From this I knew that the camel drew up its hind legs because it had a pain in the stomach.

King- marvelous! (Turning to the merchant) I am satisfied that these four gentlemen have not seen your camel. They are very wise men. You may go and search for your animal.

(the merchant bows and goes out)

King- (to the four members) gentlemen, I am pleased with you. You are wise men. I want to make you my advisers. What do you say to that?

The four members- we are your service, sir.