At sunset, three thieves took refuge in a cave near one of the cities. They remained all night planning to steal money from one of the villages. In the morning of the next day, they disguised themselves as wealthy merchants and went to the market. When they reached the moneylender’s shop, one of them entered it, while the other two remained talking outside.
The one who entered the shop expressed his urgent need for money and said to the moneylender: I hope you will lend me a thousand pounds. The moneylender said to him: For how long? He said: Two months. The moneylender said to him: Then you will pay me 2000 pounds. The thief said to him: No problem. The moneylender counted the amount and gave the man a check, asking him to bring two witnesses to sign it. Soon the thief returned with his two companions. They pounced on the moneylender, gagged his mouth, tied him with ropes, took the money, and hurried with it to the cave.
When the thieves entered the cave, they spread out the money they had with them and began counting it. One of them said: I suggest we buy a palace to live in instead of this desolate cave. Rather, let’s form a company and travel and earn money to build several palaces. Let’s go to the gambling club; perhaps we might win in one night what trade earns in months. They remained for a period discussing these proposals and others until one of them said: I’m starting to feel hungry. I’ll go to the restaurant and buy delicious food and a delicious drink.
Before he reached the door of the cave, the other two ambushed him to kill him. Each said to himself: I’ll stay awake until my companion falls asleep, then I’ll kill him and all the money will remain for me alone to do with it as I please. They sat waiting, and after a while he came to them with roasted meat and a drink, but he didn’t enter the cave until they pounced on him and killed him. Then they ate the roasted meat and drank the beverage, but the dead thief had mixed it with deadly poison, so they both fell to the ground as lifeless corpses, and none of them rose again. After a few days, the police came to the cave and removed the bodies of the three thieves. One of them said: Forbidden money does not only disappear, but it also removes its owners with it.