The Clever Shoemaker

This is the story of a poor shoemaker who used to stay in a small village with his wife. He had no work in the village and soon he had no money even to buy food. So one day he made a decision and said to his wife.

Shoemaker: I should not stay here any longer. There is no work here. I must try my luck in the big city, just might be able to get a decent job there.

The shoemaker reached the big city. He would roam the streets calling out. 

Shoemaker:  Get new shoes made or get your old shoes to look like just like new ones. Or simply get shiny new ones. Get new shoes made, get new shoes made!

The shoemaker got no work on the first day. The next day he roamed the streets of the big city again, calling out:

Shoemaker: Get new shoes made, get new shoes made!

A woman called out to him.

Woman: Mr. Shoemaker, mend these shoes please.

Shoemaker: Sure Madam.

The shoemaker sat at the door of the house and stitched up those shoes.

Shoemaker: Here my lady. The shoes are ready.

Woman: How much?

Shoemaker: One copper coin.

Woman: Here you go! 

He took the money and left. As soon as he entered the next street another woman called out to him and asked him to repair some shoes.

Woman: Here are some pair of shoes. Please mend them.

The shoemaker mended the shoes, took the money and left.

Shoemaker: I have made quite a bit of money today. If I keep working like this, I shall soon have enough money to buy a donkey. 

He worked very hard and after a few days he had earned four gold coins. He bought a Donkey with two of them and decided to return home. The next day he packed all his stuff and left for home. On his way he passed through a jungle where he saw a band of thieves.

Shoemaker: God save me! These thieves will take away all my money and I shall become poor once again. What do I do?

The shoemaker was very clever. He did not lose heart and thought of a plan. He tied one gold coin on the neck of the donkey and walked ahead. The thieves caught him.

Thieves: Out with all your money! Come on, quick!

Shoemaker: See, I am a poor cobbler. I have nothing other than this donkey. Please let me go.

As soon as it heard this, the donkey brayed and the gold coin fell from its neck to the ground. 

Thieves: Really, then where did you get this gold coin from? How dare you lie to us?

Shoemaker: Alright I shall tell you. This donkey creates gold. This is how I get all my money.

Thieves: Alright, sell us this donkey and we shall let you go.

Shoemaker: No, not at all. If I sell it. I shall be left with nothing.

Thieves: We shall give you 50 gold coins for this.

Shoemaker: Fine, but be careful to keep the donkey with each of you for one day in turn. Or else, you will end up fighting for the money.

The shoemaker sold the donkey and returned home. He was very happy to have got the gold coins. With the money he bought a poultry farm. Meanwhile the thieves too had reached their hideout with the donkey. Their chief said to all of them. 

Chief Thief: Being the chief of this gang, I shall be the first to keep the Donkey with me.

The thieves obeyed their chief and that night the chief slept in the stable with the donkey. He wanted to take the money as soon as he awoke. The next morning when he got up he saw there was nothing in the stable. He searched the entire stable but he found nothing. He realised that the cobbler had fooled them. Meanwhile another thief got there.

Thief: Chief, you got the gold! Tell us, how many coins had the donkey created!

Chief Thief: You will find out for yourself when you keep the donkey with you tonight.

The chief said nothing to anyone, for he wanted to make sure that he had not made a mistake. One by one all the thieves kept the donkey with them, but none of them got a thing. All of them understood that they had been fooled. The chief called a meeting.

Chief Thief: That shoemaker has fooled us. We will teach him a lesson. He sold us this ordinary donkey for fifty gold coins.

Thief 1: We shall take our money back from him and punish him for daring to dupe us. 

Thief 2: Yes, lets go.

They leave for the shoemaker's home. He was working in the farm. He saw the thieves coming. He rushed inside the house and said to his wife.

Shoemaker: Listen carefully, when the thieves get here and ask for me, tell them that I am working in the farm and then send our dog Milo to call me.

Saying this, he hid behind his house. A little while later the thieves got there.

Thief: Where is that Shoemaker? Call him. We wish to speak to him.

Shoemaker Wife: He has gone to the farm. Let me send the dog to call for him. Milo go and call your master. Tell him that some people have come to see him.

Thief: What is all this? Will Milo really get your husband to come here?

Shoemaker Wife: Sure, he understands everything. Whenever I need to speak to him while he is at the farm. I simply send Milo to him and Milo delivers my message.

When the thieves were talking to the shoemaker's wife, the shoemaker arrived.

Shoemaker: Oh! its you! Milo told me that you wished to speak with me.                          
Chief Thief: We got nothing from the donkey. You cheated us, lied to us.

Shoemaker: Listen. I am sure you have made a mistake. Whatever I have, it is because of the donkey.

Chief Thief: Alright, we believe you but you will have to sell us this dog too.

Shoemaker: No, not at all I cannot sell it.

Chief Thief: We shall pay you forty gold coins for it.

After refusing a bit, the shoemaker agreed to sell them the dog. The thieves took Milo and left. When they reached the cave, the chief announced that he would be the first to keep the dog with him. The others obeyed him and left. The chief called his daughter Camila.

Chief Thief: Listen Camila, I am going off to work. If anyone comes to ask for me, send Milo to call me.

Chief's daughter: As you say father.

Some time later a man came there and asked the chief's daughter to call her father.

Chief's daughter: Please wait. I shall send for him at once. Milo, go tell father that someone is here to meet him.

Milo ran away from the chief's home and instead of going to the chief thief. He went straight to the shoemaker. When the thief returned home in the evening, he saw the Milo was not there. He realised that Milo must have gone back to his master. So he went to the shoemaker's house.

Chief Thief: Listen. Has Milo come to you?

Shoemaker: Yes, here he is. I think he must have been missing me. Give him a little time, eventually he will start accepting you as his master.

The chief took Milo back with him and gave him to one of his comrades the next day. Milo stayed with all the members of the gang one by one, but each day he would return to the shoemaker. Everyone realised that they had been cheated once again. They discussed. 

Chief Thief: This time we shall not be fooled. I shall teach that shoemaker a lesson. 

This time they reached the shoemaker's house. They did not pay heed to anything the shoemaker had to say. They put him in a sack and left to teach him a lesson. The shoemaker lay in the sack quietly. On their way, they passed by a church. One of the thieves said:

Thief: Chief! It is really hot. Let us rest for a while in the church. We can surely wait till evening to do the work. 

They left him there and all of them went inside the church. This church was on top of a hill. A swineherd was passing by. When he heard the swineherd's voice, an idea struck the shoemaker and he started shouting loudly. 

Shoemaker: I won't do it! Let me go!

The swineherd heard the shoemaker's voice and he came towards him. He asked the shoemaker:

Swineherd: You wait! Mate! What happened? What will you not do? Who put you in the sack?

Shoemaker: They want to get me married to the King's daughter but I do not want to get married.

Swineherd: Why mate? Are you crazy? Had I been in your place. I would have definitely got married to the princess.

Shoemaker: If that is the case, come I shall put you in the sack. Go and marry the princess.

Swineherd: Really?

Shoemaker: Of course, but first let me out! 

The swineherd let the shoemaker out of the sack and himself got inside it. The shoemaker tied him up and taking his pigs, got away from there. The thieves came out of the church in the evening, took the sack and left.

Chief Thief: Listen, let's throw him here in the mud. This will teach him a lesson!

The Thieves throw him in the mud and depart from there. While returning, they saw the shoemaker on the road and they were shocked!

Chief Thief: How did you get here?

Shoemaker: There was a magical place beneath that mud, there is a lot of gold and the guards of that gold are these pigs. I came out with their help and brought some gold with me too. Just going back to sleep there.

Chief Thief: Wait! Take us to that magical place. Beware, dare you even touch the gold!

Shoemaker:  but, I..

Chief Thief: Do as we say!

Shoemaker: Alright, if you insist..

The gang of thieves reached the spot with the shoemaker.

Shoemaker: If you want the gold them you must lock yourselves in the  sack.

All thieves tied themselves in the sack. The cobbler throw all of them in the mud and then left the pigs on them.

Chief Thief: Hey, he fool us again, hey brother, get us out, we will bother you further. Do not leave us like this. Please!

The thieves kept shouting, the pigs licked the thieves. Seeing this, the shoemaker laughed and went to his house. Thereafter, lived peacefully and happily with his wife.