Once a king lost a valuable ring. He looked all over for it, but it was not to be found anywhere. He sent out a notice saying that the astrologer who could tell him where it was would be rich for the rest of his life. Now, there was a peasant by the name of Gambara, who had no money and could neither read nor write. “would it be so hard to play the astrologer?” he wondered. “I think I’ll try.” So he went to the king.
The king took him at his word, and shut him up in a room to study. There was nothing in the room but a bed and a table with a great big astrology book on it, and paper, pen, and ink. Gambara sat down at the table and began turning the pages of the book without understanding a word. Every now and then he made marks on the paper with the pen. As he didn’t know how to write, he made some very strange marks indeed, and the servants brining his lunch and his dinner thought that he was a very wise astrologer.
Actually, it was these servants who had stolen the ring. Because they felt guilty, they imagined from the wise looks Gambara gave them whenever they went in that he suspected them. But the astrologer was only trying to look like he knew all about astrology. Fearful of being found out, they did all they could for the peasant astrologer. “Yes, honourable astrologer! Your least wishes, honourable astrologer, are commands!”
Gambara, who was no astrologer but a peasant and therefore cunning, felt at once that the servants knew something about the ring. So he thought of a plan.
One day, at the hour they brought in his lunch, he hid under the bed. The head servant came in and found no one in the room. Under the bed Gambara said in a loud voice, “That’s one of them!” The servant put the dish down and ran away in fright.
The second servant came in and heard a voice that seemed to come from underground. “That’s two of them!” He too ran off.
Then the third came in. “That’s three of them!”
The servants talked things over. “We’ve been found out, and if the astrologer reports us to the king, we will be killed.”
So they decided to go to the astrologer and tell him that they had stolen the ring. “We are poor men,” they began, “if you tell the king what you have learned, we will be killed. Please take this purse of gold and don’t tell the king about us!”
Gambara took the purse and replied, “I won’t tell the king, but you must do as I say. Take the ring and make that turkey out in the farmyard eat it. Then leave everything to me.”
The next day Gambara went to the king and said that after much study, he had learned where the ring was.
“Where is it?”
“A turkey has eaten it.”
They cut the turkey open and
discovered the ring. The king was very happy. He gave the astrologer a lot of money and jewels. He also honoured him with a dinner to which all the counts, barons, and other noblemen in the kingdom were invited.
Among the many dishes served was plate of gamberi, which means crayfish. Now crayfish were unknown to that country. Those served at the dinner were a peasant from the king of another country, and it was the first time people here had seen them.
“Since you are an astrologer,” said the king to the peasant, “you must know the name of these things on the plate here.”
The poor man, who had never seen or heard of them, said to himself,” Ah, Gambara, Gambara, you have been found out at last.”
“Bravo!” said the king, who didn’t know the peasant’s real name. “You are correct, the name is gamberi! You are the greatest astrologer in the world!”