“The one who separates from people will be torn to pieces by a bear, the one who lags behind will be eaten by a wolf,” says an old Bashkir proverb. “When you go after a wild animal, you need to go in harmony with each other, be friendly and help your comrade,” - this is what old hunters in the Urals say.
Yuldybai’s comrades were not like that, which is why the young hunter almost died.
Yuldybai was the son of an old, experienced Ural hunter Yankhara. The owner of the forest - a clubfooted bear, a lover of other people's calves - a sharp-toothed, thick-tailed wolf, a lover of ducks and chickens - a cunning fox, a long-eared cowardly hare - all of them were like obedient rams in the hands of the old hunter Yankhara.
Yankhary lived on the edge of a small village with his wife; they had an only son, whose name was Yuldybai.
From an early age, Yuldybai went hunting with his father. No matter how much they hunted, the young warrior never got tired. No matter what animal they met, Yuldybai was not a coward, but boldly helped his father.
“You are a faithful and reliable comrade,” old Yankhary said to his son, and this greatly pleased the young hunter Yuldybai.
But Yuldybai did not have to hunt with his father for long. An old hunter died. Yuldybai was left alone with his mother. They lived poorly.
Young Yuldybai took his father’s quiver and arrow and began to go hunting alone. This is how he fed himself and his mother.
One day, two of Yuldybai’s peers asked to go hunting with him. Yuldybai agreed, and the three of them went into the forest. It was summer. The hunters found themselves in a raspberry patch. Just as red beads decorate a girl’s neck, so raspberries adorned the forest edge. Not far from the hunters, near an old elm tree, someone was walking heavily. It was a bear. The bear growled in a terrible voice at the sight of the hunters.
“Take out your daggers, all as one, let’s attack the clubfoot!” Yuldybai said to his comrades.
He pulled out a dagger and, like an arrow shot from a bow, rushed at the bear.
And Yuldybai’s companions became afraid and ran back without looking back. They ran home and told Yuldybai’s mother that her son had been torn to pieces by a bear.
“That’s not what friends in trouble do!” They left my son to be torn to pieces by a bear, and they themselves ran away like hares!” Yuldybai’s mother shouted.
She took her husband's old sword and said:
- Where is my son's body? Come along, show me! If you are a coward in front of me, then I will not rush at the bear, but at you!
They went to where Yuldybai stayed with the bear. We went through a raspberry patch. They quietly approached a huge old lonely elm tree.
They heard a weak, inarticulate groan and heavy sighs.
A dying bear lay under a large tree. A deeply embedded dagger stuck into his chest. A bloody Yuldybai lay near the bear. He was unconscious.
The three of them skinned the bear and wrapped the weakened Yuldybai in it; They smeared his wounds with bear fat and carried him home in their arms.
Yuldybai soon recovered. Since then, in the village they began to call him a hero, and two of his goods
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru