Folktales Of Karnataka - #1

The One-Eyed Horse 

In a city there lived a merchant. He had only one eye. People used to call him 'Kannu'. But he was a very clever man. There was no one who could fool him. Kannu had two sons, and both were very well in their business.

One day Kannu got very sick. The sickness went on for several days and he started getting worried about his business. If he stayed sick for a long time like this, then the entire business would get destroyed. He had created this business of buying and selling horses through his hard work. How could he just watch it get destroyed!

 

One day Kannu called his elder son and told him to handle the business of horses. The elder son dutifully agreed. One day he went to the city to sell a horse. In that city there were a lot of thugs. One of them saw the boy, and with the boy saw a horse of high breed. Quickly he signaled to some other thugs.

After that he went to the boy and said, "Looks like you are a new merchant. For what work are you going to the city?"

The boy replied, "I'm not new, but till now my father did this work. He is sick and so I am going to sell this horse today." The thug said, "Horse? But you don't have any horse with you. Then what are you going to sell?" After listening to the thug the boy was surprised. He ran his gaze over his horse and looked back to the thug. "If this is not a horse, then what is?"

After hearing this the thug started laughing. He started saying, "Fool, how can this be a horse? This is a goat. You have taken a goat with you by mistake, instead of a horse. Well, this goat is not so bad either. If you want to make a deal then I am ready to give you 20 rupees for the goat."

 

The boy ignored him and went on. After traveling little distance he met the second thug. He said the same thing as the first thug. This way he saw two-three more thugs on his way who continuously called his horse a goat. After listening to this so many times even the boy started to believe that the thugs were right and that he had really got a goat with him by mistake. He decided that if someone else called his horse a goat then he would make the deal of taking 20 rupees.

After going on for a little distance he met another thug. He also called the horse a goat and made the deal. The boy accepted and took the 20 rupees, then he went back to his home. When his father saw the 20 rupees he scolded his son. Then in his mind he promised himself that he would teach the thugs a lesson when he got well again.

 

After resting for a few days Kannu finally got well and went to the city with a one-eyed horse. On the way he put four coins into the horse's mouth. After walking for some time he saw the first thug. Then he started shouting loudly, "Buy a horse! Buy a high breed horse!" The thug walked over to him, "What European horse is this?"

Kannu said, "This horse gives four rupees every day and when it's happy, pearls fall out of its eyes"

"Really? Show me." the thug said

Kannu squeezed the horse's ear and the horse threw out the four coins out of its mouth. The thug was surprised and thought that it would give pearls too.

"What is its price?" the thug asked

"One thousand rupees." Kannu replied

The thug paid him and went his way. Kannu also went away and continued his business.