Once, a merchant was travelling with his caravan. They stopped near a village and camped for the night. Near their camp stood a tree which looked like a mango tree. The merchant saw the tree and said to his servants, “This tree does look like a mango tree but it is a poisonous What Not tree. Do not eat its fruit!” Unfortunately, some of his servants ignored the warning out of hunger. They ate the fruit and died. The next day, some villagers came to the camp site expecting to see dead people but they were in for a surprise as the merchant and his men were alive. They asked the merchant, “How it so happened that you are alive? Why did you not eat the fruit of this tree?” The merchant replied, “I noticed that the fruit of this tree had not been plucked by anyone. Thus, there was something wrong with them. They were not to be eaten!” Everyone appreciated the merchant’s wisdom.
The Clever Merchant and the What Not Tree
