There was a king who often went out at night in disguise, to discover the condition of his subjects. On one such night he ran into a group of five rough-looking men.

“Who might you be?” asked the king

“Well, friend to tell the truth, we are a band of thieves ,” one of the group told him.

“Ha, that is good,” said the kind, “for I too am a thief.”

When the thieves heard this, they were delighted, and one, who seemed to be the most outspoken, exclaimed:

“Well met, brother. Come and join our band. We were planning a robbery for this very night; and as you came along, we are just about to elect a leader. But before doing so, each one of us was to describe his special skill. Now, brother,” he said to one of the band, “Tell us what you can do the best.”

The first thief said:

“I am an expert at fixing rope ladders in place at the very first attempt. When I have done this, hundreds of my companions can use it.”

In his turn, the second thief said:

“My special skill is to break through walls swiftly and silently.”

The third said:

“My skill is a very rare and special and special one. Wherever a treasure may be hidden, I can smell its presence and lead you to it.”

The fourth one said:

“It is easy for me to understand the language of the animals, and this is often of more help than you might imagine.”

Then the fifth and last thief said:

“My special skill is that I can always recognize a person once I have seen, even on a pitch dark night.”

As the thieves were speaking, the king had been wondering what it might be best for him to say. So when they all turned to him, he told them:

“My skill is one that you may not yet have heard of. By a little movement of my beard I can save people from the noose of the hangman.”

When the thieves heard of this unique ability, they decided to choose him as their leader.

The thieves then put their heads together and, after some discussions, decided to rob the king’s place, which was nearby. As they were walking towards the place, a dog started to bark at them. The thieves asked their companion:

“Tell us, brother; what is the dog saying?”

The thief who could understand the language of the animals said:

“It is very strange indeed. The dog is hinting that one of us poor fellow is a king.”

At this fantastic notion, all of the thieves had a hearty laugh.

Soon they reached the palace, and went swiftly and silently to work. The first thief fixed the place a rope ladder, by which all of them climbed over the outer wall and into the palace grounds. The second thief broke through the wall of the palace itself. The third smelled out the hiding place the king’s treasure, and led his companions to it. They then tied the treasure into bundles, left the palace by the way they had entered, and once outside the palace walls, divided the booty equally among themselves. Them all of them went quickly to their homes.

Early, in the morning, the king sent out his guards, telling them to arrest the five thieves and have them hanged. But as the poor fellows were being marched to the gallows, one of them recognized the king, stepped forward, and said in a loud voice:

“Oh king, I can recognize you now, for you were with our band last night. Have pity on us, our gracious sovereign. Please move your beard and save our worthless lives, and all of us will solemnly promise never to steal again. Instead, we will enter your service and serve you faithfully for the rest of our lives.”

The king took pity on the wretched men and moved his beard. At once, their shackles were taken off, and they entered the service their ruler.

Article Posted By : sreevani  On May 08, 2013lView All Articles

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The king who moved his beard