The Hatseller and the Monkeys

BaMusa the hatseller was a joyful man. He traveled from town to town selling hats. He piled the hats high on his head.

“Hee Manun nin koi kadi sa!” he sang, which means, “What a wonderful business hat selling is!” 

Ever since he was a little boy, BaMusa had made and sold hats. His parents and grandparents were hatmakers. They taught him how to make hats at a young age.

In the fall, the family would go to the fields to collect rice stalks. Rice stalks look like tall grass. The family used them to make a type of hat. It had a wide brim, or edge. During the rainy season, they made a different kind of cap. Those caps had colorful patterns on them. 

BaMusa was well-known in the neighboring towns. People in the towns nearby knew him for his joyful spirit and hard work. Wherever he arrived with his hats piled high on his head, children would follow him. They would sing along as he sang his favorite song:

“Hee Manun nin koi kadi sa!
What a wonderful business hat selling is!”

This is the story of how BaMusa learned an important secret for success.

One day, BaMusa heard that a great festival was to take place in a neighboring town. There, he could sell more hats than he’d ever sold before. He spent many days making hats for this event.

He began his journey in the early morning. He planned to reach the festival by evening. But he was in such a hurry, he did not eat any breakfast.

Halfway to town, BaMusa grew tired and hungry. He stopped to rest under a shady mango tree. He unloaded the hats from the top of his head and put them on the ground next to him. Then he covered his face with one of the hats to keep the sun from his eyes.

BaMusa soon fell asleep and began to snore loudly, kuru tu-tu-tu, kuru tu-tu-tu.

Little did BaMusa know that the fruit from this tree attracted monkeys. Soon monkeys came to the tree to eat the mangoes. BaMusa’s snoring let them know he was there. 

As usual, monkeys are very curious and smart. They crept down from the tree, yolee, yolee, yolee—quietly, quietly, quietly—and sneaked around BaMusa. They saw his stacks of colorful hats. They liked the hats. Each monkey took one.

Then they climbed back up the tree and imitated BaMusa. They covered their faces and snored, kuru tu-tu-tu, kuru tu-tu-tu.

Soon BaMusa awoke from his sleep. He was rested but still hungry. He wanted to get going and looked for his hats. But they weren’t beside him anymore! He only had one hat left on his head. Where were they? Had they been stolen?

BaMusa called for help. “Hee Manun! Help! Help!” he cried out.

When the monkeys heard this, they answered him:

“Hoo, hoo-hoo!
Hoo, hoo-hoo!”

BaMusa looked up. He saw the monkeys wearing his colorful hats and realized what had happened. But he was so hungry, he could not think of what to do.

He raised his arms in the air. “Give me my hats back!” he yelled.

The monkeys stared down at him and replied, “Hoo, hoo-hoo!,” shaking their arms wildly.

BaMusa threw a branch at them, hoping to scare them off. But the monkeys just threw leaves at him in return.

Then BaMusa picked up a stone and threw it up into the tree. The monkeys picked mangoes and threw them down at BaMusa.

By this time, BaMusa was faint with hunger. He was incredibly hungry. He collected the mangoes that the monkeys had thrown and sat down to
eat. He ate until his stomach was full.

Finally, BaMusa could think clearly. Now he knew what he must do.

BaMusa removed his last hat from his head. He shook it up in the air at the monkeys, shouting at them.

All the monkeys did the same, grabbing the hats off their heads, howling, “Hoo, hoo-hoo! Hoo, hoo-hoo!”

BaMusa dropped his hat—tot!—to the ground.

And all the monkeys dropped their hats—tot, tot, tot, tot, tot!

Without losing a second, BaMusa collected all his hats.

He stacked them back on top of his head and set off again for his destination. He arrived at the festival not a moment too soon.

BaMusa’s happiness from his recent luck was so great that he sold every single one of his hats.

And so it was that BaMusa learned a lesson from the monkeys:

It is with a full stomach that one thinks best.