Mary Eliza Isabella Frere (1845-1911) was an English author of the first English-language field-collected book of Indian folk stories.

"The Blind Man, the Deaf Man and the Donkey" is a strange but compelling tale of two co-dependent friends who nonetheless mistrust each other. They find a donkey and a large container... and then when sheltering from a storm in what they mistake for a temple, they find a Rakshas' (terrifying monster with elephant tusks) treasure. While attempting to trick the Rakshas and steal the treasure, the two are still also intent on swindling each other... then karma deals a strange twist to the tale.