Panchatantra Mice Iron

tale:panchatantra_mice_iron

A merchant leaves iron scales with a friend, who later claims that mice ate the iron. The merchant says nothing, but takes the friend's son for a walk; returning alone, he reports that a hawk carried the boy off. When the friend protests that no hawk can lift a child, the merchant replies that where mice devour iron, hawks may well carry boys. The iron is promptly returned. Moral: a lie is best answered by its own logic. — Panchatantra (attrib. Vishnu Sharma)