There was an island the King of which loved animals. He had built a zoo with many beasts and birds. But he did not have a particular creature about which he had heard much. That was the chameleon. No chameleon was available on that island.
The King announced that one who can bring him a chameleon shall receive a lump of gold. It was rarely that the people of that island went out for countries beyond the sea. However, a lump of gold was a great prize. So, three friends sailed in a boat and reached a country after a month's voyage. But chameleons were not available in that country. They walked on to reach the next country. There, they could see only a picture of the chameleon. They were informed that the creature was found in plenty in a neighboring country.
They reached their destination at last. The three friends went in different directions, looking for a chameleon, to come together in the evening at an inn. The one who entered a forest met a hunter. "Can you get me a chameleon?" he asked.
"No problem. Wait here till i get one," said the hunter. In an hour he returned with a chameleon. The traveler put the creature in a box, which he bought from the market nearby, and returned to the inn. The other two friends had not been able to get any. But one chameleon was enough. They walked back to the seashore and sailed for their island.
It took them another month to reach the island. From time to time they threw bits of food into the box that contained the chameleon, through a chink.
"How happy the King would be to see the blue creature!" said one of three friends upon their landing on the island. "What do you mean by blue? I had opened the box one day and observed it. Green it was there is no doubt about it," said the second friend.
"Both of you are wrong. It is brown. There is no mistaking about it," asserted the third friend.
They stuck on to their own points of view and argued forcefully while passing through a forest. They opened the box and let the chameleon come out fully so that they could see it in the broad daylight.
Well, the chameleon looked white! The friends were so surprised that they took their hands off it. Instantly the creature slipped into the forest never to be found again.
- A Folk tale from France.
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