One merchant was once riding about his business on horseback. On the way, he saw a jackal stuck in a swamp. The jackal called the merchant and began to ask him to pull him out of the swamp.
“Jackals are known deceivers,” answered the merchant. “I won’t get you out.” But the jackal began to humbly beg him:
- No, no, brother, don’t think bad about us jackals. Do me a favor and get me out. I will be useful to you when you get into trouble yourself.
The merchant pulled out the jackal and rode on. Arriving in the city, he stopped for the night with a butter maker. The merchant tied his horse near the house at the hitching post, and he slept peacefully all night.
The next day, the butter maker left the house just before dawn, untied the merchant’s horse, sat astride it and got ready to ride.
By chance, at that very time, the merchant also left the house. Seeing the oil maker, he shouted:
- Hey, brother, where did you go on my horse?
“This is my horse,” answered the butter maker.
- No, mine. I drove it here yesterday.
- It's not true! Do you know that my hitching post gives birth to a horse every year? She gave birth to this horse this night.
- Wah! – the merchant was surprised. “Where has it been seen that a hitching post gives birth to a horse?!”
- Why not? - I have just such a hitching post. If you don't believe me, ask your neighbors.
Only swindlers lived in this quarter, and the butter maker was in charge. He called the neighbors. They all confirmed the oil maker’s words. What could the poor merchant do? He went to court to seek justice from the judge.
The judge called the swindler-oil maker. He put all his fraudulent neighbors as witnesses, and they, as one, showed that the butter maker’s hitching post gives birth to a horse every year. And the horse that the merchant calls his was just given birth by the hitching post last night.
Then the judge ordered the merchant to present his witnesses. The merchant remembered the jackal he had saved. He found him and went with him to court. On the way the jackal said:
“I’ll go to sleep on the veranda, and you, be careful, don’t wake me.”
They reached the court. The jackal lay down on the veranda, and the merchant entered the room and addressed the judge:
- My witness has appeared.
The judge ordered the minister to bring this witness. The servant began to call the jackal, but he did not respond. Then the servant went out onto the veranda and saw that the jackal was sleeping. He pushed him away:
-What are you doing here? Is it possible to sleep in court? Go, the judge is calling you!
The jackal stood up and stood before the judge.
- What is it, you didn’t sleep last night, or what, if you fell asleep here? – asked the judge.
“Sarkar (Sarkar is sir,” answered the jackal, pretending to rub his eyes, “this night there was a very big fire in one pond.” All the fish in the pond were boiled. So I sat on the shore all night, caught boiled fish and ate.
-What are you talking about? – the judge got angry. “Have you ever seen a fire break out in water?”
- But how do you, your honor, believe the butter maker? Can a non-living hitching post give birth to a living horse? - asked the jackal.
“That’s right,” thought the judge and ordered the guards:
- Seize the oil maker, return the horse to the merchant and let him go home.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru