One day a poor farmer was plowing the land. Suddenly, with a plow, he dug out a jug of gold from the ground. The delighted farmer put the jug of gold in a bag and hid it in a safe place.
At this time, a horseman appeared from afar.
“If he saw how I hid the gold, he will go and prove me to the padishah,” thought the farmer. “Then they will torture me!” I’d better call the horseman, we’ll split the gold in half!”
- Hey, hey! “Come here!” the farmer shouted to the horseman.
“What’s the matter, huh?” asked the man who arrived.
“He didn’t see, I shouldn’t have called him, I’d better hide the gold from him,” the farmer thought and asked the horseman:
- Hey, brother, tell me which of this pair of oxen is better?
“Did you really call me because of these stupid words?” said the indignant rider and rode away from the farmer.
“I think this man noticed that I was hiding gold. Otherwise he would have treated me well! Maybe he went to prove the padishah against me? Again doubt crept into his soul, and he shouted again:
- Hey! Come back! I'll tell you the whole truth!
The horseman did not want to return, but thought: “It’s not for nothing that he brings me back and says: “I’ll tell you the whole truth.” Apparently he knows something interesting,” and he returned again.
- Well, what do you want to tell me? - he asked the farmer.
“Oh, is it really necessary to talk about gold?” - The farmer hesitated again and said:
- I bought this ploughshare for steel, but they tell me that it is not steel. What do you think?
- Eh, fool! Why did you bring me back again in vain? But I think you're hiding something! A? - and without waiting for an answer, the rider rode off.
“Honestly, he saw gold! Now he will go and prove me against the padishah!” - thought the farmer and shouted at the top of his lungs out of fear:
- Hey... hey! Come back! I swear, now I’ll tell you the whole truth! The interested rider returned again. The farmer was about to tell him everything, but suddenly changed his mind again and said:
“I want to sell one of these old oxen and buy a younger one instead.” Can you advise me which one should I sell?
- Damn you, fool! Get lost! “I won’t come back again, even if I burst out screaming,” the disgruntled horseman shouted and rode off. And the farmer repented of what he had done and thought:
- Oh, I did something wrong! It would be better to share the gold with him and calm down. Well, now he will certainly go to the padishah and prove it against me! - the farmer said out loud.
He stopped plowing, grabbed a jug of gold, ran home and said to his wife:
- Oh, wife! I found gold, now we will get rich! Only my heart is restless.
The wife was delighted with the gold and asked: “Why?”
“When I found the gold and began to hide it, a horseman appeared on the road. It seemed to me that he saw gold and, of course, would go and prove me against the padishah. Let me go to the padishah myself and give him the gold. What do you say to this?
- You'll do well! - answered the wife.
“Then for now, you hide this bag with a jug of gold somewhere, and I’ll bring the oxen home, then I’ll go to the padishah.” Saying this, the farmer went to the field.
The wife realized that her husband was really going to take the found gold to the padishah. She went, found a stone the size of a jug, put it in a bag, and hid the jug of gold.
The farmer managed his affairs, took this bag on his shoulders and headed straight to the palace to the padishah. He approached the palace gates and asked the guards:
“Didn’t a horseman ride into the palace?” ‘
“Hundreds of horsemen are constantly passing by!” they answered him.
“Well, then I need to go to the padishah himself,” said the farmer.
- There is no need for you to pass! Tell us why you came, and we will tell the padishah.
“I have a secret, I will reveal it only to the padishah himself.” - said the farmer.
Just for fun, the guards let the simpleton through the gate. At this time the padishah was walking through the courtyard.
- About the padishahs! “Open this and take it for yourself!” said the farmer who rushed to the padishah, placing the bag in front of him.
The courtiers rushed to the bag, opened it and pulled out a large stone.
- What to look at? Why did you bring the stone here? - said the padishah. The confused farmer smiled naively and said:
- O almighty ruler! I tell my wife that this gem is ten pounds, my wife says eight. Judge between us: am I speaking the truth or is it my wife?
- Put this fool in prison, don’t let him bother you with all sorts of nonsense! - said the angry padishah.
The farmer was sent to prison.
“After all, I found a full jug of gold!” — the puzzled farmer spoke to himself. With his head in his hands, he showed the roundness of the jug. By moving one hand up from the elbow, he showed the height of the jug. With his fingers he depicted the neck of the jug. Then, in bewilderment, he grabbed the edges of the collar of his robe with his hand and said “tavba.”
The jailer observed the behavior of the farmer through the door crack and reported this to the padishah. The padishah ordered the prisoner to be brought.
- Hey, stupid! What were you showing with your hands in prison? - asked the padishah. - Does it look like the shape of a jug?
- Oh, sir, I left my drinking water jug at the edge of the field, and I got stuck here. Of course, my jug was stolen by a thief. If they let me out of here and I find my jug with the thief, he, of course, will say “this is my jug,” then I will go to the judge with a complaint. The judge will definitely call both of us and force us to indicate the signs of the jug. Then I will go through the same movements in front of the judge that I did in prison. Of course, the judge will demand the jug and make sure that my testimony is correct. Then the judge will order the jug to be given to me. It was in prison, my lord, that I remembered the shape of my jug.” Saying all this, the farmer feigned tears.
“He’s lying all the time, he’s obviously hiding some secret!” - said the padishah. - Put him in prison again! “The padishah ordered the jailer to set fire to raw wheat straw and red pepper in the prison.
Choking from the acrid smoke, the farmer shouted:
- Let me out, I’ll tell you the whole truth!!! He was released.
- I will say my words only in the ear of the padishah! - said the farmer. He was brought to the padishah. He came up to him and said in his ear:
- Hey, padishah! Since you did such a disgrace to me, don’t even think about doing it again! The smoke from straw is very acrid!
- Drive this fool away! - shouted the frightened padishah.
So the farmer got rid of the padishah’s punishment and kept his jug of gold.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru