Birbal The Detective :
The gardener of the royal garden, Kalu, was a hardworking man. He always lived in simple clothes, not spending much as he was a miser, too. Once, when one of his friends asked why he did not spend his money, the gardener replied that he was saving it for his old age. He had kept his money in a secret hidden place.
One fine morning Kalu went crying to Birbal, “Sir, I am ruined. Someone has stolen my life’s savings. I had worked hard and saved a thousand gold coins but they are gone.”
“Where had you kept them, Kalu?” enquired Birbal.
“I had dug a hole under the pear tree in the royal garden and kept my money hidden there.”
“But why there?” enquired Birbal.
“Sir, I work in the royal garden the whole day. I can watch over the money and so it is the safest place to keep the money in.”
“I see, but did anyone else know about this place?” enquired Birbal.
“No sir, only I knew about it.”
“Alright! Give me some time to solve the case.”
Then Birbal thought, “One could know about the money bag only if one dug up under the tree. Yes, I know what to do now.”
Birbal asked all the Vaidyas and Hakims (people who cure by natural ingredients mixed to make medicines) to come to his mansion. He posed them a question, “Does any part of the pear tree serve as medicine?”
All of them declined but one of them said, “Pear as a fruit is very good for health but its flowers and leaves are of no use for us.”
Then an old and experienced Vaidya got up and said, “Sir, recently I made a paste of some herbs and mixed it with the paste made of the roots of a pear tree. That I gave to a
particularly wealthy patient of mine. His name is Seth Hazarimal and he was suffering
from jaundice.”
“Oh, now please call Seth Hazarimal.’
When the Seth arrived, Birbal enquired, “Did you eat a paste of herbs and roots of pear tree to cure your jaundice?”
“Yes sir. That is why I am standing before you in good health.”
“Who got the roots of the pear tree for you?” Ask Birbal.
“My servant, Sir.” replied the Seth.
“Call your servant immediately.”
Seth Hazarimal’s servant was summoned. On his arrival, Birbal asked, “Did you dig up the roots of a pear tree?”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
“Where was this tree?”
“In the royal garden, sir.”
“Did you not take the bag full of gold coins you found there? Give them to me immediately.”
“B-b but Sir,” stammered the servant.
“Return the gold coins to me so that you will be forgiven or....”
“Sir, I will get the gold coins for you,” The servant ran off and returned with the gold coins.
“I forgive you. But you must promise never to steal again,” said Birbal. “As you have confessed, you can take five gold coins for yourself.”
Then Birbal called Kalu and gave him his bag full of gold coins. Birbal said, “Here’s your savings. I have kept back five gold coins to punish you for your carelessness.
Don’t ever be foolish enough to hide your money in such unsafe place.”
Kalu had learnt the lesson well. He bowed his head in thanks and left Birbal’s mansion.
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