58. The King and his Monkey
A king appointed a pet monkey to be his royal sword-bearer and bodyguard.
One day, the king went into the royal gardens. The day was hot, so the king decided to nap in the shade of a tree.
"Let no one disturb me!" he commanded the monkey.
After a while, a bumblebee flew by and landed on the king's nose. The monkey raised his sword and brought it down upon the offending insect, lest it disturb the king.
He killed the bee, but he also killed the king.
Thus a foolish friend is more dangerous than the most dangerous enemy.
Inspired by: The Panchatantra, translated by Arthur Ryder.
Notes: It is in Book 1, Story 34. There are many variations on this folktale type, such as the gardener and the bear, and the carpenter and his son, etc.
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