This happened at a time when many animals were still people.
There lived on earth a terrible, poisonous lizard, and his name was Mungoon-Gali. In his mouth he carried a bag of poison, killed people with it and ate them. And there were few people - Mungoon-Gali was very gluttonous!
Then the animals gathered (and in those days all animals and people were close relatives) and began to think about how to save the human race. And the animals decided to send the cunning, black snake Ooyu-bu-lui, so that she would outwit the terrible Mungoon-Gali and steal his bag of poison.
The cunning snake Ooyu-bu-lui agreed to do this, but thought to herself: “I’ll take away his bag of poison from Mungoon-Gali and keep it for myself. And I will become stronger than all the animals and people, and everyone will be afraid of me, the black snake Ooyu-bu-lui!”
The snake crawled into Mungoon-Gali’s lair, and he was sleeping. The snake woke him up and said:
- Animals and people conspired to kill you. But I am your friend and I will tell you the secret of how they want to do this. Just let me hold your bag of poison first, otherwise I’m afraid of you?
The stupid lizard obeyed and handed the bag to the snake. And she slipped out of the lair and disappeared into the thick grass.
Mungoon-Gali chased after her, but did not catch up.
Since then, lizards can no longer hunt people and eat only insects.
But the cunning snake Ooyu-bu-lui did not go to the fire, where people and animals were waiting for her, but left a bag of poison for herself.
All people and animals hated the snake and began to run away from it or tried to kill it.
Lizards also hate Ooya-boo-loui for deception. But if a snake bites a lizard, it does not die from it, because it knows a wonderful herb that cures a snake bite.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru