Ermak came to the lands of Ob and began to live there. Lives for six months, lives for a year, or maybe two. And then Ermak finds out: a Khanty prince lives somewhere in the forests, and this prince has great power and rich land. Little by little, Ermak and twenty-five people began to make their way there. He came to the land of the Khanty prince and began to live there. Little by little, Ermak became friends with the prince. They began to live and eat together with the prince and became such friends that they would not spend the night without each other and they would not spend the day without each other. So one day, while drinking, eating, and having a friendly conversation, Ermak Timofeevich said:
- Prince, I have one conversation; I don’t know whether you’ll like it or not if I tell you.
“If you like it, we’ll judge it; if you don’t like it, we’ll reject it.”
“I keep thinking: we live here, in the dark forests, we don’t know anything, but we have a tsar - the owner of the Russian land.” There should not be people living against the will of the Tsar in Rus'. I think I’ll give you some advice, Prince: you, Khanty, need to accept the Russian faith. The prince says:
- Oh Urus, I don’t want to worship anyone. We do not yet feel the need for drink and food, and we are not going to ask the king for this. Therefore, we do not touch the king, and let the king not touch us.
Here the friends began to argue. Ermak says:
“If you don’t agree to accept the royal faith in a kind way, then you will accept it in a bad way.” We can force you with war.
“Oh Urus,” says the prince, “I don’t want to fight with you.” I don’t want to fight with you because you don’t have enough strength, even though you’re Russian. My people are not afraid of you. You can’t even cope with one of my shamans, not only with all my people.
Ermak says:
- Mmm, what kind of shaman do you have, you should show him to me. They brought a shaman. It turns out that he is an ordinary person. What magic does this person of yours have?
- But what magic. Here, chop it all up. If he does not come to life after this, then my cause will be lost, I will be defeated by you. If he comes to life, you will lose.
Ermak says:
“No,” he says. “How can you chop a person up in vain?” Things have come a long way with you and me. I think we need to swear. Here is your saber, and here is my saber. Let's put them crosswise on the table. Whichever of us wins the argument, the loser must kiss his saber.
So we agreed. They put the sabers on the table. Ermak Timofeevich took the shaman out into the street and ordered his men to chop him up.
They started chopping. Chopped into small pieces. As soon as those who were chopping turned away, the shaman jumped up and laughed.
Ermak again ordered to chop him up. They grabbed the shaman again and chopped him up again. And only those who chopped turned away. him,” he jumped up again and laughed.
Ermak says:
- And in fact, he is immortal with you. They tried to chop him up twice, but he kept coming back to life. The third time we'll come up with something different.
And Ermak ordered to build such a fire that its flames rose to the tops of the larches, to the tops of large fir trees. When the fire flared up with a large flame, they tied the shaman’s hands and feet and threw him on the fire, and surrounded the fire.
And the shaman burned, leaving neither ashes nor coals.
Ermak says:
- Well, that’s all the wisdom of your shaman, was there anything to brag about!
The prince says:
– Although my shaman did not have enough wisdom, but the people. mine, as long as it lives, will not succumb to you.
- But, prince, although you boast, you have not yet heard or seen my shaman.
“Well, brag about what kind of shaman you have,” says the prince.
“So I’ll go out into the street,” says Ermak, “and go somewhere to the side.”
Ermak took the gun, went out into the street and walked away. He loaded the gun, pulled the trigger and fired. He fired, and the echo first echoed on the midday side, and then swept along the Ob valley: the whole day from this shot there was a buzz all around and the whole earth shook. The prince and all his people were all frightened. They say among themselves:
- Wow, guys, it’s like the sky has fallen... What should we do now? - asks the prince. “Apparently, I’ll have to kiss the saber of a Russian hero.”
Those who are older and wiser say:
“Prince, don’t kiss his saber in vain.” We need to think about what and how.
Ermak entered.
- Here, prince, what is my shaman like, have you heard or not?
- Yes, Urus, I heard... The prince thought and said:
- Now we will take the oath. But before I kiss your saber, I need to agree on something else with you.
Ermak says: “Well, speak, speak, prince!”
“I think so, Urus: I will kiss your saber, but only on this condition: let my people continue to live as freely in these places as they have lived until now; Let it be so that he is not drafted into a soldier. That's what I wanted to say. Under this condition, I will take the oath. But so that there is no deception either on my part or on your part.
Ermak says:
- What you say is correct, I like it. But I want to add to this, and if you like it, listen. Your people will not fight. Let's make such an agreement. But your people will pay taxes to the king. Your people will not be called freemen, but freedaners, because you submitted. voluntarily.
Ermak Timofeevich sat down to write the contract. I wrote everything as they agreed with the prince. Both signed the agreement. Then Ermak kissed the prince's saber as a sign that he would fulfill all the terms of the agreement, and the prince kissed Ermak's saber as a sign that he was defeated.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru