A Long Bow Story in English for Kids

As the title suggests, A Long Bow Story revolves around a farmer and bunniah. It is a story of confrontation and the battle of intelligence. Young kids can learn about being agile and smart through this story. In this article, we will briefly explain the story of the farmer and bunniah in a language that is comprehensible to young kids.

A Long Bow Story 

On one occasion, a bunniah, or banker, walked along a country road when he overtook a farmer going in the same direction. Originally, the bunniah was grasping, as was the case with most of his class, and lamented his lack of opportunities to make money that day. Still, upon seeing the man in front, he immediately brightened up.

‘That is a piece of luck,’ he said to himself. ‘Let me see if this farmer is not good for something’, and his pace quickened.

Upon bidding one another good day very politely, the bunniah said to the farmer:

‘I was just thinking how dull I felt when I beheld you, but since we are going the same way, I shall find the road quite short in the such agreeable company.’

‘With all my heart,’ replied the farmer, ‘but what shall we talk about? A city man like you will not care about cattle and crops.’

‘Oh,’ said the bunniah, ‘I’ll tell you what we will do. We will each tell the other the wildest tale we can imagine, and he who first throws doubt on the other’s story shall pay him a hundred rupees.’

Since the farmer was the bigger man among the two, he begged the bunniah to begin, and he privately determined that he would never hint to the bunniah that he did not believe his story. Thus politely pressed, the great man started:

‘I was going along this road one day when I met a merchant travelling with a great train of camels laden with merchandise –‘

‘Very likely,’ murmured the farmer; ‘I’ve seen that kind of thing myself.’

‘No less than one hundred and one camels,’ continued the bunniah, ‘all tied together by their nose strings — nose to tail — and stretching along the road for almost half a mile — ‘

‘Well ?’ said the farmer.

‘Well, a kite swooped down on the foremost camel and bore him off, struggling, into the air, and because of them all being tied together, the other hundred camels had to follow –‘

‘Amazing, the strength of that kite!’ said the farmer. ‘But — well — yes, doubtless, yes — well — one hundred and one camels — and what did he do with them ?’

‘You doubt it ?’ demanded the bunniah.

‘Not a bit !’ said the farmer heartily.

'Well,' continued the bunniah, ‘the princess of a neighbouring kingdom was sitting in her private garden, having her hair combed by her maid, looking upward as her maid tugged at the comb while looking upward as she looked up, when the wretched kite, with its prey, flew overhead, and as luck would have it, the camels gave an extra kick just then, the kite lost his hold, and the hundred and one camels fell directly into the princess' left eye!’

‘Poor thing !’ said the farmer; ‘it’s so painful having anything in one’s eye.’

‘Well,’ said the bunniah, who was now warming to his task, ‘the princess shook her head and sprang up, clapping her hand on her eye. “Oh dear !” she cried, “I’ve got something in my eye, and how it does smart!

‘It always does,’ observed the farmer; ‘perfectly true. Well, what did the poor thing do ?’

The maid came running to her assistance at the sound of her cries. “Let me look,” she said; and with that, she twitched the princess’s eyelid, and out came a camel, which the maid put in her pocket (the farmer grunted) – and then she just twisted up the corner of her headcloth and retrieved a hundred more from the princess’s eye, and popped them all in her pocket with the other.

The bunniah gasped as if he were out of breath, but the farmer looked at him slowly. ‘Well ?’ said he.

‘I can’t think of anything more now,’ replied the bunniah. ‘Besides, that is the end; what do you say to it ?’

‘Wonderful,’ replied the farmer, ‘and no doubt perfectly true !’

"Well, now it's your turn," replied the bunniah. 'I look forward to hearing your story. I am sure it will be an interesting discussion.

‘Yes, I think it will,’ answered the farmer, and he began:

‘My father was a very prosperous man. Five cows he had, three yoke of oxen, half a dozen buffaloes, and goats in abundance, but of all his possessions, the thing he loved best was a mare. A well-bred mare she was — oh, a very fine mare !’

‘Yes, yes,’ interrupted the bunniah, ‘get on !’

I am getting along,' said the farmer; "don't hurry me!" Unfortunately, one day, he rode that mare to market with a torn saddle, which galled her so badly that when they returned home, she had a large sore on her back.

Yes,’ said the bunniah impatiently, ‘what next ?’

'It was June,' said the farmer, "and in June, there are dust storms and rainstorms at times." Unfortunately, the poor beast got dust in its wound, and, with that dust, along with the heat and the wet, the wheat sprouted and began to grow.

‘Wheat does when it gets a fair chance,’ said the bunniah.

‘Yes, and the next thing we knew was that there was a wheat crop on that horse’s back as big as anything you ever saw in a hundred-acre field, and we had to hire twenty men to help reap it! ‘

‘One generally has to hire extra hands for reaping,’ said the bunniah.

‘And we got four hundred maunds of wheat off that mare’s back !’ continued the farmer.

‘A good crop !’ murmured the bunniah.

‘And your father,’ said the farmer, a poor wretch with hardly enough to keep body and soul together — (the bunniab snorted but was silent) — came to my father, and he said, putting his hands together as humble as could be –‘

The bunniah here flashed a furious glance at his companion but bit his lips and held. his peace.

‘ “I haven’t tasted food for a week. Oh! great master, let me have the loan of sixteen maunds of wheat from your store, and I will repay you.”

‘ “Certainly, neighbour,” answered my father; “take what you need, and repay it as you can.” ‘

‘Well ?’ demanded the bunniah with fury in his eye.

‘Well, he took the wheat away with him,’ replied the farmer, ‘but he never repaid it, and it’s a debt to this day. Sometimes I wonder whether I shall not go to law about it.’

In a quick calculation, the bunniah ran his thumb up and down his right hand's fingers.

‘What is the matter ?’ asked the farmer.

The wheat is cheaper; I will pay you for the wheat,' said the bunniah, as he remembered that he was required to pay the farmer 100 rupees by his arrangement.

Even today, when a person owes a debt, they say: 'Give me the money'; or, if not the money, at least give me the wheat.

A Long Bow Story

Moral of A Long Bow Story 

The moral of the story is that presence of mind and honesty are great qualities. We should possess these qualities, as in difficult situations, they can be our saviour.

Note to Parents

Needless to say, short stories are an excellent tool through which young kids can learn morality and ethics. A longbow story and other tales also help young children develop survival skills.