One man settled in the forest, built a hut and started hunting. Every day he returned with rich booty, but a year or two passed, and all the animals around fled. Now the hunter had to wander through the forest for a long time to find prey.
Once a hunter wandered along forest paths for two days, but did not even meet a mouse. And suddenly he noticed a crocodile in the bushes. Apparently, the crocodile crawled far from the river and got lost in an unfamiliar forest.
The hunter rejoiced at the unexpected prey, raised his gun, and took aim at the crocodile’s head.
- Don't shoot me! - the crocodile begged.
- Why shouldn’t I shoot at you? My gun is already loaded. I am an accurate hunter and have never missed my prey.
And the hunter raised his gun again. The crocodile cried:
- Don't kill me! Please! The hunter slowly lowered his gun and said
“I wandered through the forest for two whole days and night, but did not meet any animal or bird. If I don't kill you and bring home meat, my family will starve.
- Don't kill me! - the crocodile began to ask the hunter. “I really want to live.” My throat is completely dry, and I can’t crawl to the water myself. Take me to the river, I will pay you well for it. You will have food, wine, and money. I'm very rich! I have a lot of gold and silver hidden at the bottom of the river...
The hunter thought and said:
“Okay, I won’t kill you, just don’t forget to pay me well.” But how can I carry you to the river? You are very heavy!
- Please save me! - the crocodile begged, and large tears rolled from his eyes. - See, I'm crying. You’ll carry it somehow, little by little, with stops...
“Okay,” the hunter agreed, “so be it, I’ll carry you to the river.” But I’m afraid that you might eat me on the way - what a huge mouth you have!
“Don’t be afraid of your mouth, be afraid of your teeth,” answered the crocodile. “And so that I can’t eat you, put a thick stick in my mouth and tie a rope around my muzzle.”
- Yes, but your paws are so strong! - the hunter objected. - It will be scary to carry you.
“Don’t be afraid of paws, be afraid of claws,” the crocodile answered again. “And just in case, tie my paws with a rope, I won’t even be able to scratch you.”
The hunter inserted a stick into the crocodile's mouth and wrapped a rope tightly around its muzzle. Then he tied the crocodile’s paws and put him on his back.
- Thank you! I knew you had a good heart! - the crocodile sobbed.
And the hunter carried him through the forest to the river.
He walked slowly, stopping often. Is it easy to carry such a carcass? Sweat rolled down the hunter's face, his legs buckled, but he walked and walked forward.
And then the river appeared.
“I’m tired, I don’t have the strength to carry you anymore,” the hunter sighed heavily. - Let me untie you, crawl to the water yourself. But the crocodile again began to beg the hunter:
- Please take me closer to the river! I am completely exhausted and dying of thirst. Besides, my paws had been tied for so long that they were completely numb.
There is nothing to do. The hunter sighed and carried the crocodile further. He carried it to the shore and laid it near the water.
- Well, is that all now? - asks the hunter.
No, take me somewhere deeper! - answers the crocodile.
The hunter left his gun on the bank and dragged the crocodile into the river. Now the water reaches the hunter’s knees.
- Will it be just right here now?
“No,” said the crocodile, “it’s still early.” Now the water reaches the hunter’s waist.
- And now?
“No,” says the crocodile again. “It’s still too shallow here.”
And when the water reached the hunter’s throat, he stopped:
- Well, now it's probably time. I can’t go any further, I’m afraid of drowning.
- Okay, now it’s just right! - the crocodile agreed, and large tears rolled from his eyes. The hunter untied the crocodile and said:
“I fulfilled your request: I left you alive and brought you to the river in such a hot season.” Was it easy for me! But I am a poor man, I have a large family, and now you must thank me generously.
- Don't worry! - The crocodile nodded. “I’ll thank you so much that now you won’t have any worries!” I'll eat you! Don't you know that good is repaid with evil?
Don't you know that good is repaid with evil? Don't you know what crocodile tears are? We cry when we are about to eat our prey. Ha ha ha!
“I didn’t know when crocodiles cry,” answered the hunter. “But I know that you are acting dishonestly.” You should pay for good with good, ask whoever you want!
The crocodile and the hunter argued for a long time and finally decided; ask the first three animals that come to the river which of them is right. As the animals judge, so it will be!
They hid under the shore and began to wait. Soon a gazelle came running to the river. - Who are you? - the crocodile asked her.
- I'm a gazelle!
- What do you want on my shore?
“I’m dying of thirst,” answered the gazelle. - Let me get drunk.
- I forbid you to drink from my river! - shouted the crocodile. “But if I like the way you answer my question, maybe I’ll let you get drunk.”
-What do you want to ask me? — the gazelle was surprised.
And the crocodile began to tell how he crawled far from the river to find prey for himself, and got lost in the forest.
“The hunter found me and wanted to shoot me, but I cried and persuaded him not to kill me, but to take me to a deep place in the river. And for this I promised him a ransom. But he didn’t know what crocodile tears were, didn’t know that good is always repaid with evil. And when I said that I wanted to eat it, he replied that it was not fair. Judge us! If you say I'm right, you can drink as much as you want!
The gazelle was very thirsty. She looked at the hunter and said to the crocodile:
-You can eat this man. He killed many animals with his fiery stick, but today his time has come. He should have known what crocodile tears were!
- Did you hear what the gazelle said? - the crocodile was happy.
“I heard,” the hunter said sadly.
The gazelle got drunk and ran away, and the crocodile and the hunter remained under the shore to wait for the other two animals so that they would judge them.
After some time, a jackal appeared by the river. As soon as he went down to the water, the crocodile called out to him:
- Wait, who are you?
- Jackal.
- What do you want here, on my shore?
- I came to get drunk.
“First, answer one question, and then drink to your heart’s content,” the crocodile decided.
He told the jackal how it happened. And then he asks:
-Can I eat this man?
“Of course you can, since you’re hungry,” barked the jackal. - Why think about it?! He will know what crocodile tears are!
- Well?! Heard? - the crocodile was happy.
“Yes,” the hunter answered in a fallen voice. The jackal got drunk and ran away quickly into the forest.
The hunter and the crocodile waited for a long time for the third animal, but no one showed up on the shore.
“I’m so hungry that I can’t wait any longer,” roared the crocodile. - Now I will eat you! You heard with your own ears what the gazelle and the jackal said. Any animal will tell you the same thing. We're just wasting our time.
But the hunter stood his ground:
“The third beast will say that you are right, then you will eat me.” In the meantime, let's wait!
Finally, a hare jumped out of the forest onto the shore. He looked around, ran to the river and was just about to get a drink, when suddenly he heard the hoarse voice of a crocodile:
- Stop! Who are you?
- Hare!
- What are you doing on my shore?
- Came here to get drunk. I always drink here at this time.
- And today I forbid you! - said the crocodile. — First answer one question.
And the crocodile began to tell everything from the very beginning. The hare listened attentively and said:
“Let me get drunk, and then I’ll answer you.” My throat is sore from thirst, and I am very afraid that you will drive me away from water if I answer incorrectly. But the judge should not be afraid!
The crocodile thought and agreed:
- Okay, drink! I want you to answer without fear whether I have the right to eat this person if I am hungry. The hare got drunk, shook the water from his mustache and said to the crocodile:
“I would answer you, but I can’t judge fairly near the river.” You will have to get ashore and crawl further into the forest.
“Why can’t you judge us here?” the crocodile was surprised - Maybe the sound of the water is preventing you from thinking?!
- No, that’s not why! My grandfather sorted out your grandfather’s lawsuit with one man on the river bank and did not live to old age. My father also once undertook to judge near the water and did not die a natural death. Because of this, I became an orphan so early. No, I agree to judge you only in the forest, away from the water!
“Okay,” the crocodile agreed reluctantly. - Just let the hunter carry me into the forest himself - it’s hard for me to crawl on land!
“I’m afraid to carry it on myself,” the hunter admitted to the hare. - Look what a mouth he has and what paws he has!
“Don’t be afraid of a big mouth and strong paws, beware of teeth and claws,” said the hare. “You carried the crocodile to the river from the forest, and you will also carry it to the forest from the river.” Otherwise I won’t be able to judge you!
“Okay,” the crocodile grumbled.
The hare threw a rope and a stick to the hunter. The hunter tied the crocodile's paws, put a thick stick in its mouth, and wrapped its muzzle tightly. And he dragged the crocodile to the shore.
When the water reached the hunter’s waist, the crocodile asked:
- Hare, maybe you can judge us here?
- No! - answered the hare. “You’re still in the water, not on land.”
The water reached the hunter’s knees, and again the crocodile asked:
- Hare, now can you tell which of us is right?
- No! - answered the hare. - Let the hunter move away!
The hunter dragged the crocodile to the shore, picked up his gun, put the crocodile on his back and carried it to the forest. Before he had time to take even three steps, the crocodile again asks the hare:
- Well, now can you judge us? We are already on earth.
“No,” answered the hare. “I can’t judge near the water.” Let's get to the forest...
And only when the hunter carried the crocodile far into the forest, the hare stopped:
- Now, hunter, throw the crocodile to the ground, now I will judge you. Hunter! Kill this crocodile! He deceived you, almost ate you. Your family would be left without a breadwinner. Kill him! Let everyone know that good is repaid with good, and evil is repaid with evil. Kill him! And never believe crocodile tears.
And the hunter shot the crocodile. Since then, everyone knows what crocodile tears are worth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru