The Sultan, for the entertainment and warning of the crowd, ordered the Sufi to engage in single combat with wild lions in the arena.
A crowd of thousands gathered. The Sufi entered the circle, grabbed the lions by the ears and threw them out of the arena. The crowd went wild.
Then the Sultan ordered the Sufi’s hands and feet to be tied and thrown into the path of the elephants running into the arena. At the last moment the Sufi managed to roll away from under the very feet of the elephants. The crowd roared.
Then the Sultan ordered the Sufi to be buried up to his neck, and three skilled warriors to cut off his head. But every time one of them swung his saber, the Sufi dodged the deadly blow, so that the warriors soon began to get tired. At this point everyone present jumped to their feet shouting:
- Well, mystic trickster, don’t flinch and fight like a man!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru