Page:Old Deccan Days.djvu/200

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XVIII.


THE BLIND MAN, THE DEAF MAN, AND THE DONKEY.


A BLIND Man and a Deaf Man once entered into partnership. The Deaf Man was to see for the Blind Man, and the Blind Man was to hear for the Deaf Man.

One day both went to a nautch[1] together. The Deaf Man said, 'The dancing is very good, but the music is not worth listening to;' and the Blind Man said, 'On the contrary, I think the music very good, but the dancing is not worth looking at.'

After this they went together for a walk in the jungle, and there they found a Dhobee's donkey that had strayed away from its owner, and a great big chattee (such as Dhobees boil clothes in), which the donkey was carrying with him.

The Deaf Man said to the Blind Man, 'Brother, here are a donkey and a Dhobee's great big chattee, with nobody to own them! Let us take them with us, they may be useful to us some day.'—'Very well,' said the Blind Man, 'we will take them with us.' So the Blind Man and the Deaf Man went on their way, taking the donkey and the great big chattee with them. A little further on they came to an ants' nest, and the Deaf Man said to the Blind Man, 'Here are a number of very fine black ants, much larger than any I ever saw before. Let us take some of them

  1. Musical and dancing entertainment.

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