Khan Santemir and Khan Tokhtamysh were kunaks. If one of the khans came to visit another, the owner arranged a rich feast - all kinds of dishes were there! And then they went hunting.
Once Khan Santemir was visiting Khan Tokhtamysh. The guest wanted to go hunting. How could Khan Tokhtamysh fail to please his guest and fulfill his wishes! The horses were saddled, the dogs were brought out, Tokhtamysh was equipped, and his guest - Santemir - was always ready for the hunt. They set off on their way.
The khans loved falconry most of all. And this time they hunted with falcons and competed to see whose birds were better. Tokhtamysh's falcons won. And Khan Santemir decided to get falcons from the court of Tokhtamysh at any cost. He began to ask the kunak to give him several birds, but Tokhtamysh did not agree. And he didn’t want to sell - he didn’t need the money. Tokhtamysh was rich, his storerooms were full of gold, silver and precious stones, and countless herds of Kabardian horses grazed on the high mountain pastures. Santemir realized that he would not be able to get Tokhtamysh’s falcons. And he decided to use a trick.
What could you come up with when Tokhta-mysh’s falcons were guarded by an unapproachable and cruel man, like his ruler? “But no matter how harsh and dexterous he may be, any khan must be more cunning than a simple hunter,” Khan Santemir decided.
He stayed longer than usual to stay with his kunak, and finally he managed to find out the word with which he could get into the room where the falcon falcons were raised.
No wonder people say: “He who seeks will find.” As soon as Khan Santemir learned the cherished word, he went to where the Khan’s falcons grew under seven castles. When the guard blocked his way, Khan Santemir uttered the cherished word and added that he had come for his falcons. The guard believed that Tokhtamysh himself had sent his friend, and gave Santemir two falcons. And he didn’t even say goodbye to the owner, didn’t thank Tokhtamysh for the treat, but quickly went home.
The next day, Tokhtamysh, walking through the garden, began to boast about his falcons, told his entourage about the last hunt and finished laughing:
“Vollagi, my guest, the khan, was so upset that my white-tailed falcon defeated his falcons that he even left without saying goodbye.
In response to this, one of those close to him timidly remarked:
“My lord, why did you give him the falcons, do you want him to defeat you next time?”
When Tokhtamysh heard this, he couldn’t believe his ears. He did not immediately understand that Khan Santemir had taken away his two falcon cubs, and when he realized, he flew into a terrible rage. In anger, he could not say a word for a long time, and then suddenly he stamped his feet and shouted:
“Tell me you were wrong, you wretch!”
But he again told how Khan Santemir received the falcons.
Tokhtamysh immediately called on his faithful servants and ordered the execution of the guard who was guarding the falcons, the burning of the village of Khan San Temir, and his capture.
Tokhtamysh’s people burned the village of Santemir, and he managed to escape and save himself. One woman was expecting a child at that time and went to another village to visit her father. There she gave birth to a wonderful boy.
The inhabitants of the village heard that Khan Tokhtamyshch had given the order to kill all the boys who would be born in this village, and they began to hide the babies. And the woman decided to give the baby to be raised by an old man who had only one son, and he was a fool. The old man was delighted and named the wonderful boy Edidge.
A lot of time has passed. Edidge grew up, and the old man kept hiding him from people - he never let him out of the dungeon where he grew up. But the rumor that the old man was growing an extraordinary boy reached Tokhtamysh. How could the khan live in peace after this? He sent a detachment of his warriors, ordered them to find Edidge and kill him.
Tokhtamysh's servants began to scour the entire village.
One day they dismounted in the courtyard of atalyk Edidzh. The old man immediately realized: since the khan’s servants came to his house, the khan was probably on Edidge’s trail. So, there is no point in hiding the young man. He didn’t even show that he was confused: he brought out his stupid son. They rejoiced at the war - Tokhtamysh promised a big reward, they grabbed the boy, took him outside the village and killed him.
But Edidge remained alive.
Edidge grew by leaps and bounds and soon became a handsome, slender horseman, fearless and kind. The old man loved him deeply, but he was still grieving - he could not forget his own son, whom he had killed in order to save Edidge. And when Edidj became a real warrior, the atalyk told him how Khan Tokhtamysh killed his father and mother, how he was looking for Edidj and how his stupid son was killed instead of him. Now, the old man said, the time has come to punish Tokhtamysh for his cruelty.
“But,” the old man added, “Tokhtamysh is the strongest and most evil of all the khans.” It will not be easy to defeat him, and if he even suspects you, he will immediately order your execution! It is impossible to get to Tokhtamysh. But there is a custom to send horsemen from one khan to another to visit. Now it’s our khan’s turn, and you will go as the eldest among them.
Sending his warriors, Khan Santemir said to Edidzh:
“On the way, a monster with seven heads will block your path. Only the brave can escape from it. The monster will not touch you, and when you come to Tokhtamysh, they will ask you how you managed to escape from the seven-headed dragon? And you answer: “I didn’t see what you’re talking about. I saw a monster with seven tails and one head. I cut off seven tails, left one head and came to you.” Whatever they ask you, answer in the opposite way. They will think that you killed me and came to serve Khan Tokhtamysh, and will receive you as an honored guest.
Edidj and his companions appeared to Khan Tokhtamysh - they were supposed to serve with him for a whole week.
No one knows how long or how long Edidge stayed with the khan, but every day he was obliged to go to the khan for instructions. And every time Edidj entered Tokhtamysh, he rose on his throne, as if greeting him. The khan's wife noticed that the khan was paying honor to his servant - among the Kabardians it is customary to stand up when only an older, respected person enters. Was there anyone more important than Khan Tokhtamysh! The khan's wife did not dare to tell him about this, she was afraid of his anger, and she decided to cheat. One day she quietly pinned the khan’s clothes to the throne on which he was sitting. At this time Edidge entered. As always, the khan wanted to get up, but could not rise from the throne. But he did not show that he hesitated, and gave Edidzh an order. He left, and Tokhtamysh turned to his guasha wife and calmly asked:
-What does this mean?
“Please, khan, tell me who this young man is?” – she answered the question with a question.
- Why are you asking, guasha, who is this young man?
“You don’t even notice, khan, that you are paying him homage—you get up when he appears.” This is a sure sign that the young horseman will destroy you.
The words of gouache sank into the soul of Tokhtamysh Khan. He did not answer, but thought to himself: “I can only die at the hands of the one whose family I destroyed. We need to find out if the young man belongs to this kind.”
The Khan ordered to gather the wise men of the village. They thought and thought and decided: to brew more strong maxyma and have a feast. And so they did. Tokhtamysh Khan appointed Edidzh as a cupbearer - the young man stands at a huge tub in the middle of the courtyard and pours mah-syma. And Tokhtamysh’s subjects look at him closely to find out what kind of person he is. This went on for a long time, but no one could answer the khan’s question. Here one old man says to another:
– On the banks of the Kuma River lives the wisest old man in Kabarda. He is already one hundred and ten years old, he knows everything. Only he can tell what kind of family this young man is from.
How long will it take for the news to spread - the conversation of the old men reached Tokhtamysh Khan. And the khan ordered to urgently bring the sage. I learned about the conversation between the old men and Edidge and understood what Tokhtamysh was up to. Edidge whispered to his riders:
“Keep our horses separate from the khan’s horses, and let them be ready.” And cut the girths of the Khan's horses.
Soon they brought the old sage to the village, and Tokhtamysh and him approached Edidzh:
“Come on, Edidge, treat the oldest in our region with your strong maxyma!”
And Edidge did not raise an eyebrow, did not show that he guessed why they had brought the sage. He filled the cup with intoxicating maxyma and presented it to the elder. The sage drinks maxyma, and he gazes intently at Edidge.
The old man drained the cup to the bottom, said a toast in honor of the khan, and ended it like this:
- He stands there and stands here, his face looks like Balkiy, and his hair looks like Kutlin.
And the khan realized that Edidge was the one he was looking for. The khan instantly ordered his soldiers:
“Edij is the one I’ve been looking for for so many years, grab him!”
And the sage, having fulfilled his duty to the khan, whispered to Edij, wanting to save the beautiful young man:
- Draw your sword, son, jump on the tub and start fighting, otherwise you will perish.
At that same moment, Edidj pulled out his sparkling sword, killed Tokhtamysh with one blow and, clearing the way for himself, ran to the fence. As soon as he jumped over the fence, he saw his soldiers. At the same moment, Edidj jumped onto his horse, and they galloped at full speed.
Tokhtamysh Khan's warriors wanted to rush in pursuit, jumped on their horses, but the cut girths broke, and the riders fell from their saddles and did not go anywhere.
Edidj returned with his warriors to Santemir Khan. Before they even had time to dismount, they learned that enemies had attacked the village and kidnapped Santemir’s daughter. Khan called Edij and said:
“The enemies took us by surprise. Our guards were killed, I was tied up, and my daughter was captured and taken away. I just managed to shout to her that you will free her.
Edij promised the khan to return his daughter, and the warriors, without unsaddled their horses, set off again.
They rode for a long time, or for a short time, but they finally saw a fire near the road, left by the enemies - the coals were still smoldering in it. The remains of dinner and gnawed bones lay around.
In the old days, Kabardians had a custom of telling fortunes using a lamb shoulder. A wise man will take a bone, look into the light and see everything he wants to know.
Edidzh took the lamb shoulder, looked and saw: the enemies had stopped for a rest and were having lunch. And then I saw that the enemy had his own sage, who knew how to tell fortunes from the shoulder blade. This means that they already know that the chase is galloping. How can we be here? Edidj ordered his soldiers to pour out all the water that was in their suluks. They poured out the water and a river formed. Then Edidge ordered to turn the saddles backwards, mount the horses and pretend that they were crossing the river. And so they did.
The sage Tokhtamysh looked at the shoulder blade and saw that the Edij warriors had turned back.
“Let’s rest, the chase has turned back,” said the sage. They had a good rest and slowly set off on their journey. They rode slowly through the desert, and people and horses suffered from unbearable heat and thirst. And when they reached the forest, the horses began to nibble green grass, and then headed to the watering hole.
Meanwhile, Edidge, having deceived the enemy army, turned to his horsemen:
“I will go to our enemies and become their cook, and you follow me at a distance.” After a rest, I will leave a piece of meat under a bush, which means everything is in order. But if you don't find meat, rush to the rescue. Come very close and make a fire - I will know that you are nearby.
And Edidj galloped after Tokhtamysh’s warriors, caught up with them and asked to be hired as a cook. Some did not want to accept him, but Edidge insisted that he be taken to the leader.
“I could deal with those who detained me,” he said. “But I’m a warrior and I obey order, so I asked you to take me to you.” I need to go ahead, give me permission, because there is a whole army of you, and I am alone: how can a whole army be afraid of one boy? I am a small person and do only what I am told. Skip it, and if you doubt anything, give me any test!
The leader liked the handsome young man, his good manners and wise words. And although the sage Tokhtamysha whispered to him: “It seems to me that I saw exactly this young man when he was crossing the river, my lord!” – the leader didn’t seem to hear and continued the conversation with Edidge:
“And I, a nice young man, also do only what I’m told to do.” But I don’t want you to come to our khanate before me. It would be better if you came back now and came to us in a week!
Edidge didn’t object a word – he just thought deeply. The leader of the army turned to him again:
- What, nice young man, don’t you like my decision?
“I don’t like it,” Edidge answered.
- What to do, I’ll have to take you with me. Do you agree to be our cook?
- Well, if there is nothing else, you will have to be a cook! And Edij became a cook in the enemy army. He quickly made friends with the soldiers and gained confidence in the leader. After each halt, as promised, he left a piece of meat under the bush.
They passed the desert and reached a green forest. They let the horses go to graze, and settled down to rest. The time has come to drive the horses to water, and the river winds far, far away like a narrow ribbon. They began to argue: some said that everyone should water their own horse, while others said that several people should drive all the horses to water.
They argued for a long time and in the end decided that half of the horsemen would drive their horses to watering, and then drive them straight to the main road. The rest will come there too. With that we parted ways. And Edidge is in no hurry, as if he is cleaning up after lunch, and then slowly heads towards the main road.
Soon Edidge's riders arrived at the parking lot and did not find a piece of meat under a bush. They realized that they had to hurry and galloped off. Having approached the enemy army, we turned off the road and lit a fire. And Edidzh lit his fire. Edidzh's warriors caught up with their leader and first of all finished off those cooks who were with him.
Then they galloped further, caught up with the foot riders of Tokhtamysh and fought with them. And Edidzh carried Sai-temir’s daughter out of the hut, put her on his horse and rushed off like the wind. His warriors galloped to the watering hole, captured all the enemies and turned home.
It was difficult for Edidge's riders; they were very tired. There was a murmur among them: how long can you gallop tirelessly? They stopped obeying Edidzh.
Night fell, and the army approached a wide river - they needed to cross it, and from there it would be within easy reach of home. But the warriors are completely out of their hands, they don’t listen to Edidge, he’s tired, but what can we do?
They stopped on the bank of the river, and Edidzh ordered everyone to take as many stones as they could carry. But the exhausted and dissatisfied warriors did not carry out the order: few people collected many stones; some took several pieces, while others even bent down and didn’t pick up a single pebble! And when they crossed the river, the warriors, completely exhausted, abandoned what they were carrying.
And finally they returned to their village and went home. And when we rested and looked at what kind of stones they brought, it turned out to be pure gold!
They scolded themselves for disobeying wise advice
Edidzha, but the elbow is close, but you can’t reach it - you had to do what you were told on time.
And Edij went straight to Santemir Khan. The khan was glad that his daughter was alive and well, and gave her to the young man as his wife. He arranged a magnificent wedding - a feast for the whole world. And Edij lived peacefully and happily with his beautiful wife.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru