Once upon a time there lived a foal of a donkey. He had no name, because he was only three days old and his owner had not yet had time to come up with a name for him. The donkey was very cheerful, very curious and constantly poked his nose where it was needed and where it was not needed.
On the fourth day of his life, he was walking around the yard and saw a small hole in the sand. This seemed very strange to the donkey. He spread his hooves wider, leaned over and smelled what it smelled like. Suddenly a terrible monster jumped out of the sand - a round belly, many, many paws, and everyone was reaching for the donkey! It was a spider beetle, an antlion, sitting in a sandy hole, waiting for the ants. The foal, of course, is not an ant, but still he got scared and screamed at the top of his lungs.
His owner came running to the cry. He saw what was happening and began to laugh.
- That's how the brave man got scared of the insects, the antlion! Well, now I know what to call you. You will be called Harpalion, the lord of lions. This is how the donkey got his name.
Time passed, the donkey grew and grew and finally grew into a big donkey. One day he stood in the stall and chewed hay. And while he was chewing, various thoughts were wandering around in his donkey head.
“I guess I’m still an extraordinary donkey. For example, one of my friends is called Long-Eared, another is Gray. But there is no such donkey in all the earth whose name would be Harpalion. It’s not fitting for a donkey with that name to carry luggage on its back and listen to being urged on.”
And our donkey decided to go around the world to look for a better life.
He jerked his head - he tore off the halter, kicked his hooves - broke the door and ran out into freedom.
A donkey runs through fields and plains. The grass all around is tall, there are more than enough thistles! He stopped, waved his tail and roared with joy so that the echo echoed far around.
A lion was passing by, heard a donkey's bray and wanted to know who had such a beautiful voice. He jumped out of the bush, saw a donkey and was surprised. He had never seen such an animal. The voice is almost like a lion's, the tail with a tassel is just like a lion's, but still not a lion!
- Who are you? What is your name? - he asked the donkey.
“To Harpalion,” answered the donkey.
- Harpalion? - the lion was dumbfounded.
“Yes,” the donkey confirmed with dignity. “I’m stronger than everyone in the world and smarter than everyone in the world.”
“I’m very glad to meet you, if so.” “Let’s be comrades,” the lion suggested.
“That suits me,” answered the donkey. And the two of them moved on.
Soon a river blocked their path.
“Now the most unpleasant thing will begin,” said the lion, shivering. - We'll have to soak the skin!
- Nonsense! - the donkey snorted. -Only fleas are afraid of water.
The lion roared with insult and rushed into the river. The donkey also slowly entered the water. He often had to wade luggage across small rivers. And this time everything was fine as long as he felt a solid bottom underneath him. But then the cold water tickled his belly, then he had to lift his muzzle, and then things got really bad - the bottom dropped out from under his feet. The donkey immediately plunged headlong and almost choked. He struck with his hooves, emerged, plunged again, emerged again.
Meanwhile, the lion had long since jumped out of the water, shook himself off and looked in bewilderment at his new comrade, who was still floundering in the middle of the river.
Finally, the donkey made it to the shore. He wheezed, wheezed, snorted, coughed and sneezed.
- What's wrong with you? - asked the lion. - You said that swimming is a mere trifle!
“It is so,” said Harpalion. “But you see, I noticed a fish in the water and hooked it with my tail to treat you to dinner.” The stupid fish could not understand what kind of honor was being shown to it, and resisted with all its might. So I had to tinker with it.
-Where is the fish? - asked the lion.
“Yes, right at the shore I saw that it was just a bony pike, and I threw it away.”
The friends dried off a little and moved on. They walked and walked and came to a high wall. The lion, without thinking twice, jumped over it in one leap. And the poor donkey first raised his front legs, threw them on top of the wall, pushed off with his hind legs and hung on his belly - his front hooves on one side, his hind hooves on the other.
Leo was very surprised.
- What are you doing there? - he shouted.
-Can't you see I'm weighing myself? — the donkey barely said.
Then he desperately kicked his hind legs and fell to the ground.
“It’s an amazing thing,” he said to his companion, “no matter how many times I weigh myself, it’s always the same thing - I’m over-tightening my head, and that’s all.” However, this is understandable, who has so much intelligence...
“You’re smart,” the lion agreed, “but don’t be offended, but it seems that you boasted of strength in vain.”
“Well, you know,” the donkey was indignant, “I have no less strength than intelligence.” Why go far, let's measure our strength on the spot. Try to break down this wall.
The lion nodded his shaggy head, raised his paw, swung it and hit the stone wall. The wall still stood and remained standing, and the lion painfully hurt his paw.
The donkey got to work. First, he carefully examined the masonry and noticed a stone at the bottom of the wall that was not held very firmly. Then he turned around, took his time and kicked the wall once, twice. The stone flew out and a large piece of the wall collapsed, hitting the lion's second paw. “Yes,” the lion said respectfully. “Until now, I thought that there was no beast stronger than a lion.” It turns out I was wrong. What else can you do? he asked respectfully.
“And I also know how to eat thorns,” said the donkey, who by this time was very hungry.
- Well, it’s impossible to believe this! - exclaimed the lion.
Harpalion looked around, chose the most magnificent thistle bush and began to chew the prickly leaves and prickly flowers with pleasure.
“Now I see that you are truly an extraordinary animal and you don’t bear your name for nothing,” said the lion. “You were born to reign over all beasts.” Let's go quickly, I'll introduce you to my relatives. I'm sure they will be happy to call you their lord.
“That suits me,” agreed the donkey.
The lion took off with huge leaps forward. The donkey could barely keep up with him.
Soon they reached a desert area where rocky cliffs rose among the yellow sands. The lion ran up to the highest one and roared deafeningly. In response, the same menacing growl was heard, and shaggy relatives began to gather from all sides.
Our donkey, I must admit, became timid at the sight of the lion tribe. But then he remembered that his name was Harpalion, and he became dignified, flapped his ears and put his tail aside.
Lev said:
- Brothers, I brought you an amazing beast. I think that we cannot find a better ruler anywhere.
- Why do we need a lord? - asked the lions.
“But you don’t know what he can do.” He catches fish with his tail, he is so smart that his head always outweighs his butt, and he is so strong that stone walls crumble from the blow of his mighty legs. But the most important thing is that he can eat thorns. Besides, his name is Harpalion.
“Well, if so,” said the lions, “let him be our king.”
And the donkey to Harpalion became the ruler of the lions.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru