Once a merchant found a baby monkey sitting alone by the side of the road he was travelling by from a distant market in another district. A part of the road ran past the forest. He was with his people. He stopped his cart and lifted the poor baby monkey.
Returning home, he ordered his servants to take care of the baby monkey. He named the baby Tiger because the baby was very courageous and never feared even the dog in his house.
In course of time, Tiger and Tony–it was the dog’s name–became good friends. Most often they went out together. As Tiger rode Tony, Tony didn’t object.
Tiger was very obedient to the merchant.
One summer noon, the merchant sat under the mango tree. Cool breeze lulled the merchant to sleep.
But the merchant couldn’t sleep because of flies that sat on his chest, neck, cheeks, hands, and wherever they could, being attracted by the sweat smells.
The merchant then brought Tiger to where he was taking rest and gave him the responsibility to drive off the flies, with his towel.
After sometime, when he saw a large green fly was disturbing the merchant time and again, and he found it hard to drive the fly away, he got so angry that he picked up the sword that was lying beside the merchant. Now, not using the towel to drive off the green fly, he became ready to strike it so the merchant could sleep well.
Tiger remained waiting for the fly to sit.
Then, as soon as the fly sat on the merchant’s left forearm, Tiger hit the fly: the merchant woke up and looked at his bleeding arm; he understood what had happened to him when he saw the sword in Tiger’s hand.
Then, the moment the fly sat on his forehead and Tiger raised the sword to strike it, he caught hold of Tiger’s hand and released the sword in no time.
He didn’t chastise Tiger because it was his stupidity to trust Tiger with such a responsibility, and to keep the sword beside him despite being aware of a monkey’s nature.
The merchant learnt a good lesson and thanked his good luck that the green fly hadn’t sat on his forehead when he was fast asleep.
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