In ancient times, one lioness injured her chest and was sick; she could not do hard work herself. She did not have her own children, so she took the children of the ancient people into her house so that they would help her.
Having learned about this, one man of the ancient people of Di-Tserreten, who had a stone head, approached the lioness’s house in her absence when she went to fetch water. The lioness drew water from the stomach of the oryx she had killed, and in the meantime Di-Cerreten came to her house to find the children alone. He sat down and
said:
- Oh children sitting here! The fire of your people is there at the top of the ravine that goes down the hill!
And the two children jumped up and ran away to their own. Di-Cerreten spoke again:
- O children sitting here! The fire of your people is yonder, just below the top of the ravine that runs down this side of the hill! And three more children went to their own. Di-Cerreten spoke again:
- Oh little one sitting here! The fire of your people is there, just below the top of the ravine that goes down this side of the hill!
And the child jumped up and went to his people.
Di-Cerreten spoke again:
- O children sitting here! The fire of your people is yonder in the bush, below the top of the ravine that runs down this side of the hill!
And the two children got up and went to their people.
He said again:
- O children sitting here! The fire of your people is the one at the top of the ravine that goes down the hill!
The two children got up and left. And he said again:
- O children sitting here! The fire of your people is at the top of the ravine that goes down the hill! And three more children got up and ran away to their own. And he again
said:
- O children sitting here! The fire of your people is there, at the top of another ravine going down the hill.
And the two children got up and went to their own. And Di-Cerreten remained there, waiting for the lioness to return. Meanwhile, the lioness took water and went to the house. She walked and looked, but there were no children in sight. Then she exclaimed, choking with rage:
“Why don’t the children... the children... the children... the children... do any work or even play here like always?” It must be because of this man who sits there, by the house, and who, judging by his head, looks like Di-Zerreten?
And she got very angry.
She exclaimed:
- Indeed, this is Di-Cerreten! She approached the house and shouted:
- Give me my children! And Di-Cerreten said:
- Our children are not here now! And the lioness cried:
- Get out of here! Get out! Give me the children! And Di-Cerreten said:
- They are not there!
The lioness grabbed him by the head and screamed in pain - because he had a head
stone:
- Oh-oh-oh! My poor teeth! It's all because of this damn big-headed guy who sat down here in front of my house! It's all because of him!
And Di-Cerreten repeated again:
- Our children are not here!
And he got up and left, he returned to his place, and the lioness was left at home alone in a rage
- after all, he came and took away from her the children whom she treated well.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru