Diamond Cut Diamond (fairy tale)

Diamond Cut Diamond is an Indian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Olive Fairy Book, describing as a Punjabi story collected by Major Campbell in Feroshepore.

Synopsis

A merchant, after many years of poverty and hard work, moved to a distant region and grew rich. He decided to go home. A man told him that his road was beset by thieves, and the merchant left his box of jewels with him until he could get men of his own family to accompany him. When he returned, the man denied that it had ever happened, and threw him out of the shop.

Koosby Ram saw him sitting on the road, and asked him what had happened. Then he told him to go back the next day, and ask for his box when someone gave him a signal. While he was waiting, a palanquin arrived, and the man was told that a lady wished to leave her boxes of jewels with him, for safety. While the talk was still going on, the merchant received the signal and came to ask. The man decided that it would put off the lady, and handed over the box. The merchant started to dance in the street. A message arrived that her husband had come, so she did not need to deposit the jewels after all. Then Koosby Ram burst out of the palanquin and joined the merchant. Then the man joined them.

Someone said that the merchant had recovered his jewels, that Koosby Ram had tricked him, but that the man had no reason to dance. He said that he had thought he had learned every way to trick people, but now he knew another.

External links

• Diamond Cut Diamond