The Thief Who Sneezed

The Sultan, while touring his sultanate, was camping in a small town one night. Towards the end of the night, a commotion arose in the camp. Someone had spotted a thief inside the nearby house.

The Sultan woke up and instructed his officers and servants to capture the thief. It was clear that the thief had not exited the house; he must have been hiding somewhere inside. “You must trap him!” commanded the Sultan.

Despite a thorough search of all the rooms, the thief could not be found. Morning arrived, and around a hundred curious neighbors gathered around the house. The Sultan grew impatient, eager to resume his journey to the capital.

Suddenly, a sneeze broke the silence, coming from a rolled-up tent. The servants quickly rushed over, unrolling the tent to discover the thief, who had concealed himself inside.

As the officers prepared to punish him, the thief pleaded, “Wait, wait! I have something to say to the Sultan—privately.”

Once alone with the Sultan, the thief spoke, “My lord, must you allow them to beat me when I should be rewarded instead?”

The Sultan, taken aback, asked, “Rewarded? For what?”

“Your men were about to give up the search, and you were preparing to leave. What would people say of your officers? They would think them so incompetent that they couldn’t catch a thief hiding right inside the house! It was to spare them from ridicule that I sneezed! After all, your dignity is far more important than my life!” the thief explained.

“Hm!” The Sultan pondered the thief’s words. He allowed the crowd to see the captured thief but ultimately decided to set him free on his way to the capital.