The Reward of The Fisherman

There was once a king whose favorite food was fish. Everyday, he wanted to eat fish. He did not mind if it was boiled, steamed, curried or fried; but it had to be fish. If there was no fish at a meal, the king was very unhappy.

One day, there was a terrible storm and none of the fishermen dared go fishing in the sea. That day, no fish appeared on the king’s table, nor the next, nor the day after that.

The king knew why he could not have any fish to eat. However, he loved fish so much that no other food had any taste for him. So the king did not eat anything and he became very bad tempered. He sat on his throne and frowned. Not even the best dancers or clowns could bring a smile on his lips.

Finally, the king said that whoever brought him a fish to eat could name his own reward. Two days passed and no one appeared with a fish. But on the third day, a tall fisherman came with a fat fish he had just caught in the sea.

When the king saw the fish, he smiled. He felt hungry again. The palace cook was told to cook the fish at once. While he was waiting for the meal to be served, the king said to the fisherman, “My good man, tell me what you want for your reward. What do you wish to have for that marvelous fish?”

The fisherman, who was knelling in front of the throne, touched the floor with his forehead and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, as my reward I would like to have thirty lashes with the cane.”

“What!” said the king, “Say that again, I don’t think I heard what you said.”

“Your Majesty, I want to have thirty lashes with the cane in exchange for the fish,” repeated the fisherman.

“Thirty lashes! Impossible, my good man, impossible! You have saved my health and you want to have thirty lashes! How can I do that to you?” And the king lifted his hands in horror. “Listen,” he said again, “what about a bag filled with golden coins? Or a house in the city? Or perhaps a new boat? Don’t be afraid or shy. Tell me what you really want?”

“Your Majesty, I really wish to have thirty lashes with the cane,” replied the fisherman firmly.

“But why? Why such a strange reward?” asked the king in amazement.

The fisherman looked at the floor, but did not answer. The king shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I have said you can name your reward, and if that is what you want, then I shall give you thirty lashes. Though I must say you are the strangest person I have ever met.”

The king called one of his palace guards and whispered something in his ear. The palace guard took a long cane and he began to whip the fisherman’s back with it. Although the cane swished through the air, it fell so gently on the man’s back that the skin was not even marked.

Another palace guard counted the strokes in a loud voice. When he came to fifteen, the fisherman suddenly straightened himself and said in a loud voice, “Enough, enough, Your Majesty.”

The guard stopped and the king asked anxiously, “Did he hurt you? I ordered him not to beat you hard.”

“No, no, Your Majesty, he did not hurt me. Only half of my reward is for me. The other half belongs to one of your servants.”

“One of my servants? What has one of my servants got to do with your reward? Can you explain?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It was like this. When I came here with the fish I met this servant in the corridor. He gripped my arm and demanded half of the reward for the fish. If I did not promise him that, I would not have been able to present the fish for you. Your Majesty, I spent two days on the open sea to catch this fish. It would have been such a pity if you could not have eaten it fresh. Therefore I agreed and asked for thirty cane lashes. You have given me fifteen lashes, now could you give the rest of the reward to your servant?”

The king roared with laughter.

“That’s a good story and I admire your courage, wit and willingness to serve me. My servant will get what he asked for. Guards! Bring him here!”

The dishonest servant was brought in. he was given what he had asked for; half of the fisherman’s reward; fifteen lashes with the cane. And this time the palace guard made sure they were really hard ones. After this, the king sent greedy guard away from the palace.

The fisherman, however, was well rewarded for his honesty and courage.