Near a pond, a peacock and a tortoise lived together as companions.
The peacock lived in a tree and remained content, feeding on grains and seeds. His friend, the tortoise, lived in the pond; every now and then, he would emerge from the water to converse at length with the peacock.
One day, a fowler arrived at the spot and ensnared the peacock in his net.
He began leading the peacock toward the marketplace with the intention of selling him.
At this, the peacock spoke to the fowler in a deeply pleading voice: "You may take me wherever you wish. However, before I depart, I beg to meet my friend—the tortoise who dwells in this pond.
For surely, I shall never have the chance to meet him again." The fowler agreed.
Upon seeing the peacock held captive, the tortoise was overcome with sorrow.
He said to the fowler, "If you release my friend, the peacock, I shall give you a precious gift." The fowler consented.
The tortoise dove into the pond and emerged moments later, holding a magnificent diamond in his mouth.
Upon beholding the diamond, the fowler released the peacock in exchange for it.
Once the fowler had departed with the diamond, the tortoise advised the peacock to fly far away and find a safe place to hide.
Heeding his friend's counsel, the peacock flew far away.
Meanwhile, on his journey, the fowler was seized by greed.
A thought crossed his mind: he should have demanded not just one, but two diamonds from the tortoise in exchange for the peacock's release.
Driven by this thought, he returned to the pond to confront the tortoise.
He told the tortoise, "I should have received two diamonds instead of just one in exchange for setting the peacock free."
Upon hearing his words, the tortoise realized that the fowler had succumbed to the vice of greed.
So, the tortoise said to the hunter, "Very well, I will fetch you the matching diamond to go with this one; just hand me the first diamond for a moment."
The hunter gave the diamond to the tortoise.
The tortoise took the diamond, entered the pond, and did not return for a very long time.
This incident became known to everyone, and people began to say that the hunter should not have returned the first diamond, nor was the tortoise under any obligation to provide two.
Since then, the saying became famous: *Neither taking one, nor giving two*.