A Greedy Traveler
Outline:
Traveller… passing through forest… river flowing… tiger came often to drink water…old…could not hunt…lured greedy travelers by showing gold bangle…traveler overjoyed…took bath…got stuck in mud… lion ate him up.
Moral… greed has its downfall.
Story:
One day a traveler was passing through a forest. It was almost dark and the thick trees cast frightening shadows on the ground. The traveler was tired, dirty, and thirsty, but he knew the forest was full of dangers – so even though there was a cool river flowing by, he decided to press on.
Suddenly, however, he found his way blocked by none other than a ferocious looking tiger. The traveler was terrified and stood rooted to the spot, expecting the tiger to pounce upon him and maul him any moment. But, contrary to his expectations, the tiger smiled at him benignly and offered to give him a gold bangle if he but sat and kept the old beast company.
The traveler was tempted at the sight of the glittering metal and got down from his horse. The tiger was a good talker and kept the traveler busy with tales of the jungle. Later on, the tiger suggested that he take a bath in the freshwater of the river. The foolish man, his suspicions completely allayed, proceeded to do so but got stuck in the mud.
The cunning old tiger then showed his true colors and grinning wickedly, ate up the helpless traveler. In later years; grandmothers would tell this story to the children of the neighboring villages to illustrate the moral “Greed has its downfall – it never goes unpunished.”
