One day a mouse climbed into Lai's house and began to chew his shoes. Cat Barking grabbed her. The mouse squeaked pitifully. And Lai heard this squeak and shouted to the cat:
- Hold it properly, don’t let it go! If you catch the mice that are chewing my shoes, I will give you a lot of milk!
“No, she won’t run away from me,” said the cat and killed the mouse.
And Lai gave her a lot of milk.
The mouse's wife complained to the leopard. The leopard went to the turtle and said:
- O our Sultan, I came to you with a complaint about the cat. She killed the mouse!
- How so! - the turtle got angry. “I said that no one has the right to kill another!”
“Yes, the animals have stopped respecting you,” said the leopard. - They don't follow your orders.
The turtle sent for the cat. The messenger ran after her, but did not find her and returned with nothing.
-You didn’t find her? — the leopard was surprised. - But she lives in Lai’s house!
“Ah,” said the turtle, “so the mouse was killed there?” What was she doing in Lai's house?
“She wanted to eat his shoes.”
Then the turtle said:
- Oh, leave me with this Lai! He's a dangerous man.
- Are you afraid of Lai? - the leopard asked mockingly. The turtle thought this was offensive, and she ordered to call Lai along with the cat. The cat came to the Sultan first, and Lai hid behind the house.
- What is this, cat? - said the turtle. - Why did you kill the mouse?
“I killed her because she ate my master’s shoes,” answered the cat.
- You serve man! - exclaimed the turtle. - Why do you live with Lai?
“I live with him because he feeds me,” answered the cat.
The turtle looked at his stones and said:
- You, cat, are very guilty. After all, I issued an order so that none of the animals kill each other. But to understand this matter to the end, you need to call Lai himself.
Lai heard all this and ran into the house himself.
- Hello, Sultan! - he said.
“Listen, Lai,” the turtle shouted at him, “every day you do something in our country!” Why did you persuade the cat to kill the mouse?
“She chewed my shoes all the time,” Lai answered.
“Even if she did this,” the leopard interjected, “you can’t blame her.” She must eat something!
“I’ve never heard of human shoes serving as food for mice,” Lai objected. “If this had been the Sultan’s order, I would not have ordered the mouse to be killed.”
The turtle looked at his laws and said:
- You, Lai, and your cat - you are both to blame and must be punished.
“Well,” said Lai. - Look at your laws, should the punishment be great?
“The best thing would be to punish them both with sticks,” the leopard exclaimed joyfully.
“Yes, Lai,” agreed the turtle, “you should be punished with sticks.”
- And the cat? - Lai asked.
“A cat is another matter,” said the turtle. - You are most to blame. Wild dog, bring two sticks!
The leopard wanted to grab Lai, but he threw him to the ground and shouted:
- Oh, so? Today you will find out who Lai is! You will all say goodbye to life.
He grabbed the leopard with one hand and the turtle with the other, knocked them together and threw them to the ground. The leopard immediately gave up the ghost, and the turtle prayed:
- Spare me, Lai, now I see how great you are!
“Eh, you, great Sultan,” Lai shouted to her, “look again at your laws and tell me who is to blame.”
“I’m to blame,” answered the turtle, “I’m very, very guilty.” You can look at my laws for yourself.
“Your laws are simple stones,” Lai answered. - What kind of justice can there be in them?
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru