The story revolves around four friends who encounter mysterious footprints and deduce various conclusions about a woman and a camel based on scant evidence. Their deductions lead to misunderstandings, and they are accused of being thieves. To prove their intelligence during a tense encounter with the king, they cleverly explain their observations while dining. They successfully argue about the food, revealing the origins and qualities of the rice and meat. The king, initially angered and confused, is eventually won over by their wit and reasoning. Ultimately, he recognizes them as clever men rather than thieves, illustrating themes of intelligence, reasoning, and the folly of jumping to conclusions.

चार गो साथी हलन । एक दिन बतिअयलन, कि हमनी के कहीं घूमे के चाहीं । सड़क पर जाइत हलन, तो ओकरा पर गोड़ के चिन्हा देखलन। ऊ में से एगो कहलन कि इयार एगो अउरत गेलवऽ हे। दूसरका बोलल कि ऊ अउरत गर्भिनी हल। तीसरका कहलक कि ऊ भाग के गेल हे। चउथा कहलक कि ऊ उत्तर तरफ गेल हे। आगे बढ़लन तो फिनो एक साथी बोलल कि इयार, ई राह से एगो ऊँट गेल हे। दोसरका बोलल कि ओकरा पर कुछ लादल हे। तीसरका बोलल कि ऊपर कुछ लादल तो हे, बाकि सवार नऽ हे। चउथा का बोलल, कि ऊ ऊँट एक आँख के कान हे।

तब तक औरत वाला आउ ऊँट वाला खोजइत ओहनी के पास पहुँचलन। ओहनी सब बात सुन लेलन, आउ कहलन कि तोहनी चोर मालूम पड़इत हें, काहे से कि सब बात बता देइत हैं। औरतिआ आउ ऊँटवाओलवा कहलन कि तोहनी बता दऽ न तो सजाय दिलबवऽ। सुन के चारो बोललन कि हमनी चोर नऽ ही। हमनी लाल बुझक्कड़ ही। एकरा पर भी ओहनी नऽ मानलन, आउ राजा के पास ले गेलन। रात हो जाय से राजा फैसला नऽ कैलन आउ ओहनी छवो के रख लेलन। रात के राजा के यहाँ खाना-पीना करे लगलन, तो एगो कहलक भात सामजीरा चाउर के हे। दोसरका कहलक कि बासी हे, तो तीसरका कहलक कि तेवासी हे। चउथा कहलक कि ई मांस कुत्ता के हे। राजा एहनी के बात सुन लेलन।

सबेरे राजा के कचहरी लगल, तऽ ऊ चारों से पूछलन कि खाइत खानी का-का बोलत हलऽ ? से कहऽ! ओहनी रात के सब बात कहऽ सुनौलन। राजा कहलन कि सामजीरा के चाउर बासी कइसे हल, खसी के मांस कुत्ता के कइसे हो गेल? ई बात के जबाव दे न तो गड़हारा भरा देबउ। तब लाल बुझक्कड़वन कहलन कि अपने के हिऔँ चाउर कूटा के कहाँ से आयल? राजा कहलन कि किसान हीं से ! तो किसान के बोलाबल जाय। राजा किसान के बोलौलन तो लाल बुझक्कड़ पूछलक कि ई बतावऽ कि धनवा तू तुरते कुबार के रोपले हलऽ कि दू दिन के बाद? किसान कहलक कि कुबार के ओही दिन नऽ रोपली हल। काम में बझ गेली हल, से दोसर दिन रोपली, आउ थोड़े मोरी बच गेल, तो तेसर दिन रोपली। तब बुझक्कड़वन कहलन कि हजूर बासी भेल कि नऽ ? राजा मान गेलन।

फिन राजा मांस के बारे में पूछलन तो बुझक्कड़ खसी ओला के बोलौलक। ऊ कहलक कि हम खसी के कुत्ती के दूध पिया के पोसली हल। राजा समझ गेलन कि खसी में कुत्ता के मांस हल। फिन लाल बुझक्कड़ कहलक कि राजा कमअसल हथ। ई सुन के राजा बिगड़ गेलन। एकरा पर दोसरका बुझक्कड़ कहलक कि काहे ला बिगड़इत ही सरकार, अपने अप्पन मतारी से जा के पूछ लिहीं! तब राजा माय से पूछलन, तो कहकथिन कि नऽ बेटा, तू तो असल हें। राजा कहलन कि सच-सच नऽ बतयबें, तो हम अप्पन मूँड़ी काट के मर जबउ। ई सुन के माय घबड़ा के कहलन कि जब हम रजस्वला हली, आउ नेहा धोवा के सिंगार कैले आवइत हली, तऽ हम्मर नजर एगो चमार पर पड़ गेल हल। ई से तू कमअसल हो गेलें। राजा ई सुन के अप्पन फुलबाड़ी में से एगो अनार तुड़़लन, आउ ओकरा एगो बरतन में बंद करके लाल बुझक्कड़ के पास भेजलन, आउ अपने आन के ओहनी के कह देलन कि तोर बात ठीक हवऽ, बाकि ई बतावऽ कि बरतन में का बंद हे? लाल बुझक्कड़ में से एगो कहलक कि हे तो इयार बाकि गोले-गोल हे। दूसरका कहलक कि गोले-गोल तो हे, बाकि दानेदार हे, तो तेसरका कहलक कि लाले-लाल हे। तऽ चउथका कहलक कि सीधे नऽ कहऽ कि अनार हे । राजा ई जबाब सुन के नालिस करें ओलन के कहलन कि एहनी चोर नऽ हे, लाल बुझक्कड़ हे !

See translation

Four friends were walking together. One day they decided that they should go out somewhere. As they walked along the road, they saw footprints. One of them said, “Hey, a woman passed by here.” The second one said that the woman was pregnant. The third one said that she had run away. The fourth one said that she had gone towards the north. As they continued, one of the friends said again, “Hey, a camel has passed this way.” The second one said that something was loaded on it. The third one said that it was loaded on top, but there was no rider. The fourth one said that the camel had one eye and one ear.

By then, the woman and the camel owner were searching for them and reached near. They heard all the talk and said, “You all look like thieves because you tell everything.” The woman and the camel owner said, “If you know, tell us or we will get you punished.” Hearing this, all four said, “We are not thieves, we are wise men.” Despite this, they did not believe them and took them to the king. As it got dark, the king did not make a decision and kept them in custody. That night, while having dinner with the king, one of them said that the rice was from a threshed grain. The second one said it was stale, the third one said it was leftover. The fourth one said that this meat was from a dog. The king heard their words.

In the morning the king sat in court and asked the four, “What did you say while eating?” They recounted everything that had happened the night before. The king asked how the threshed grain was stale and how the dog's meat was obtained? “Answer this, or I will punish you." Then the clever ones said, “Where did the threshed grain come from?” The king replied, “From the farmer!” So they called for the farmer. When the farmer was brought, the clever one asked, “Tell me, farmer, did you plant the seeds immediately, or did you wait two days?” The farmer said that it was not planted right away. He got busy with work, so he planted it the next day, and since he had a little time left, he planted it the day after that. Then the clever ones said, “So, honor, was it stale or not?” The king agreed.

Then the king asked about the meat, and the clever one explained it was from a goat. He said, “I fed the kid goat on the milk of a dog.” The king understood that there was dog meat in the goat. Then the clever one said, “The king is indeed a fool.” Hearing this, the king became angry. Another clever one said, “Why do you get angry, Sir? Go and ask your mother!” Then the king asked his mother, and she said, “No, son, you are indeed a true man.” The king insisted, “If you don’t tell me the truth, I will cut off my head.” Hearing this, his mother got worried and said, “When I was in my menstrual period and was coming after washing and adorning myself, I happened to see a chamaar (a low-caste person). That’s why you have come out as a fool.” Hearing this, the king plucked a pomegranate from his garden, sealed it in a pot, and sent it to the clever one, saying, “Your point is valid, but tell me what is inside the pot?” One of the clever ones said, “Well, it’s round.” The second one said, “It’s round, but it has seeds.” The third one said, “It’s red.” Then the fourth one said, “Don’t just say it’s a pomegranate.” Hearing this reply, the king ordered that they were not thieves, but clever men!