Once a wealthy merchant of Sindah took all his mer-chandise on his camels and set out to other cities to sell them. On his way he met two sharpers who pretended to be traders and requested to be taken with him.
The merchant trusted them and agreed to travel along with them. When they halted to rest, the two sharpers planned to kill the merchant and seize all his goods.
Ironically, the two sharpers, as they were cunning, plotted against each other and thought to kill the other and take all the goods of the merchant. So, they made food mixed with poison and fed each other not knowing the intention towards each other.
Both died and the merchant realized the cunningness of the sharpers. He was happy that he was saved and also got the goods of the sharpers. The Sultan was very pleased to hear the fable and asked his wife Shahrazad to narrate more of such fables. And Shahrazad started with the story of the thief and his monkey to the Sultan.
