THE FOOLS AND THE DRUM

By Ramaswami Raju

TWO FOOLS heard a Drum sounding, and said to themselves, There is some
one inside it who makes the noise."

So, watching a moment, when the drummer was out, they pierced a hole in
each side of it, and pushed their hands in. Each felt the hand of the
other within the Drum, and exclaimed, "I have caught him!"

Then one said to the other, "Brother, the fellow seems to be a stubborn
knave; come what will, we should not give in."

"Not an inch, brother," said the other.

So they kept pulling each other's hand, fancying it was the man in the
Drum. The drummer came up, and finding them in such an awkward plight
showed them with his fist who the man in the Drum really was. But as
his fine Drum was ruined, he said, with a sigh, "Alas! Fools have
fancies with a triple wing!"