Tenali Raman and the Thieves

It was a hot summer, and the well in Tenali Raman's garden was nearly empty. Watering his plants every day was hard work.

One night Tenali heard whispers outside. Peeping out, he saw two thieves hiding behind the bushes, waiting for the family to fall asleep.

Tenali smiled and spoke loudly to his wife. "Dear, there are many thieves about. Let us put all our gold and silver in a box and drop it into the well. No one will find it there!"

He filled a heavy box with stones, carried it outside and dropped it into the well with a loud splash. Then he went in and blew out the lamp.

The thieves rushed to the well. They pulled up bucket after bucket of water, pouring it out to reach the box. They worked all night, and the water flowed into Tenali's garden, soaking every plant.

At dawn, they finally pulled out the box and found only stones. Tenali stepped outside and said, "Thank you for watering my garden! You may go now, before the guards arrive." The thieves ran away and never came back.