Origin: India

Author: Unknown

There once lived four traders, who jointly owned a big shop of grains. Year after year, their business flourished and they made quite a profit. Until one season, some rats took refuge in the shop. They are rampaged the storeroom, destroying almost a quarter of the grains.

The four traders were worried. “This is a calamity!” said one of them. “We must do something about these rats.” “Let’s buy a cat and keep it hare in our shop,” suggested the other. “Good idea!” agreed the other three partners. So, they bought a cat.

They fed the cat milk and fish, and gave her all the attention and care she needed. The cat felt proud and roamed about the shop freely. At night, the traders left the cat in the storeroom of their shop and went home. Soon, the cat began her work. In just a short, she caught and ate up all rats.

The next day when the four traders arrived at their shop, they found the storeroom neat and tidy, with all the sacks intact. “Ah, it seems the cat has done her job,” said the traders, happily. They decided to take good care of the cat and keep her as a guard in their shop.

One of the traders said, “As the cat has four legs, each of us should look after a leg. That will ensure we all look after the cat equally.” The others liked the idea; so, each of the partners took charge of one leg of the cat.

One day, the cat hurt one of its legs. Instantly, the trader who was supposed to look after the leg cleansed the wound and bandaged the leg. “You will be all right soon, dear!” he said, patting the cat, lovingly. Slowly, the cat recovered. One night, as she was roaming about in the storeroom, she went too close to a lamp and knocked it down by mistake. The glass cover of the lamp broke and the cat’s bandage caught fire. “Meaaaaaoooow! Cried the cat, running around panic stricken.

To put off the fire, she began to rub her bandage leg against a sack. Now the sack caught fire too. The cat jumped onto another sack and began to rub the bandage on that sack, setting it on fire as well. Once the fire on the bandage was out, the cat jumped out the window and ran away.

However, one by one all the sacks caught fire and soon the entire shop was in flames. In the morning, the four traders were in for a shock.

“We are ruined!” they cried. “What shall we do now?” When they figured out the reason for the fire, they began to blame the partner who took care of the bandaged leg. “It was all because of you!” they shouted at him. “You bandaged the leg that belonged to you; the bandage caught fire and spread all over, destroying the entire shop. You must compensate us for it!”

They took the partner to the Magistrate. The Magistrate, a wise old man, listened to the whole story, then said,” It is true that the bandage caught fire. But how did the fire spread? Certainly not because of the bandaged leg. But, because of the three sound three sound legs that carried the cat from one sack to another, setting the entire shop on fire. So, not the fourth partner but the other three are to blame. You three, who own the three sound legs of the cat, must compensate your fourth partner for his loss.”

Now the three partners began to beg for mercy. The fourth partner, who was kindhearted, requested the magistrate to forgive the other partners. The magistrate advised them, “If you trust an animal to guard your place, his will be the consequence.” The four partners thanked the Magistrate and went home wiser.