One man, originally from the city of Ambaki, who was engaged in the trade of mats that he made himself, wandered into places far from his homeland. During all the time he spent in foreign lands, he never had the opportunity to meet a pregnant woman or hear the voice of a child.
He was so surprised by this that one day he turned to a local resident with a question:
- Why have I never met a pregnant woman in your area and never heard a child cry? After all, you have wives... Are they all barren?
The residents of this area began to say about the stranger selling mats:
– He’s probably a sorcerer and knows some remedy against infertility...
And somehow they went to their leader Kimalauezo.
“Yes, this man is probably a sorcerer,” decided the leader of Kimalahueso. - Call him to me. I want to talk to him.
The mat seller, having learned that the leader was ordering him to come to him, was terribly frightened. “What have I done?” - he thought. But still he went.
- Listen, alien, you wonder why we don’t have pregnant women and crying children... Are you a sorcerer? - Quimalaueso asked him.
- No, I’m not a sorcerer... I just asked the man. But where I come from, there is an old woman who can make women give birth to children...
Then the leader said:
- Listen, man, when you decide to return to your home, warn me about it. Heard? Look! Don't forget! After all, my wife cannot give birth either.
And the seller of mats promised the leader to fulfill his request.
And so, when the mat merchant was going to his native Amba-ku, the leader sent with him his four elders - Tandala, Bole, Zengele and Ganga Bole, so that they consult with the wise old woman.
In Ambak, a mat seller led the elders to the witch. Having listened to the request of the leader, who was very sad because his wife could not give birth, the sorceress assured the strangers that she could cure the unfortunate woman of infertility.
“I will prepare medicine for her, and you will take it with you,” said the old woman.
In the forest, on the shore of the lake, she filled five calabashes with magical water and medicine. Handing them over to the envoys of Kimalahueso, the sorceress punished:
“Tell your leader that his wife drink the medicine from one calabash for nine days.” And when the drug runs out, let the leader place this empty calabash near his bed. And this must be done every time until the magic water runs out in all the calabashes. And they will have as many children as the number of calabashes a woman empties.
The envoys set off on their way back. On the way, one of them thought: “If we give all the calabashes to the leader, his wife will give birth to five children... What about our wives?”
He told his companions about this, and they, after consulting, decided to give the leader only one calabash and take the rest for themselves.
Less than a month had passed before people began to whisper:
- Hey! Did you hear? And the leader’s wife seems to be pregnant...
– And Bole’s wife is also pregnant... Have you heard about this? - Thandala's wife...
- And Zengele too.
- Yes, and Gangu Bole’s wife...
– Ege-ge... But why are only these five women pregnant?
All five women gave birth on the same day. All five gave birth to boys. Very beautiful. And the leader’s son was born especially handsome.
But the newborn boys cried, cried, cried all the time, day and night without stopping. No one could understand what was wrong with them.
Then the mothers called the sorcerer and were very surprised when he told them that all the boys were siblings. And he also said that the boys will not cry only if they all live together and see each other constantly.
And mothers began to carry their sons from one hut to another. The boys spent one day with one mother, another day with another, the third day with a third, then with a fourth, and with a fifth. Everything was repeated all over again. This went on for a whole year. And when the children learned to walk, they moved from house to house on their own.
All five boys bore the name Lau, to which were added the names of their fathers. They grew up together and lived together. Where one went, the rest went too. They were all extraordinarily beautiful, but the most beautiful of all was Lau Kimalahueso, the son of the chief. He was so handsome that not only women admired him, but even the hearts of men were filled with delight at the sight of him.
But Lau Kimalahueso's mother died. And at this time, rumors about his beauty reached the ruler of Angola. And he sent a messenger to the leader of Kimalahueso with a request to send his son to him: the ruler of Angola wanted to look at the young man. But the leader of Kimalahueso ignored the request of the ruler of Angola. Again he sent envoys to the leader of Kimalahueso, and again the leader did not answer. Then the ruler of Angola became angry and for the third time sent messengers with a threat: either the leader of Quimalaueso would send his son to him, or he would send his army against him.
And then Lau decided to go to the ruler of Angola.
“My father,” he said, “let me go.” Otherwise he will start a war against us. Let go. And so that you don’t miss me, I will make my image out of wood. You’ll feel sad, look at my image – and the melancholy will be gone.
The father agreed, and Lau went into the forest in search of a tree from which he could make his image. And in order to make an image that was exactly like him, Lau had to look at himself in the mirror for a long time. The young man had magical powers and therefore was able to convey all his properties to the wooden image - the way he looks, the way he talks, the way he laughs, the way he eats... And he placed this wooden image in the sacred hut, next to the hut in which he himself lived.
Early in the morning, Lau left for Luanda, accompanied by a huge retinue. He was carried on a stretcher. But in the very first village through which Lau and his people passed, the people took a stretcher with a young man and carried it in their arms to the next village. Then the residents of this village brought Lau to the next one. Thus, he reached Luanda itself, where the ruler of Angola was already waiting for him.
The ruler liked Lau very much. And the ruler decided to become Lau's godfather. He reported this to Lau's father, Chief Kimalahueso. And the leader agreed.
But then the time came when Chief Kimalahueso felt very lonely, despite the fact that there was an image of his son in the sacred hut, and decided to marry a second time.
One day his new wife met the four Lau brothers. Struck by their beauty, she exclaimed:
“There are such wonderful young men here, and I became the wife of an old man!”
“You say that these young men are beautiful... But what would you say if you saw the leader’s son,” said one woman who knew the leader’s son.
– Does my husband have a son?
- Eat. And how beautiful!
– But my husband never told me about this! Where is this son?
- He's in Luanda. Lives with the ruler of Angola. But if you want to see what kind of son your husband has, then when your husband leaves, go into this now locked hut, and there you will see the image of your son.
And one day, when an opportunity arose, the leader’s wife opened the door to the hut, which her husband usually kept locked, and saw the image of an extraordinary young man. And deep melancholy crept into the woman’s heart. Such melancholy and anxiety that her hands were no longer resting on anything, and she could think of nothing but him.
- Why are you not the same now as before? You forget everything. You need to be reminded of everything... And you do nothing... What's wrong with you? – the leader asked her.
“I’m offended by you,” said the wife. - Why did you hide from me that you have a son?
“I didn’t hide anything from you.” My son has been living in Luanda for a long time, and he is being raised by the ruler of Angola himself. That's why I didn't say anything about him. But if you want to look at him, I will ask the ruler to let my son visit us...
“Is the ruler of Angola dearer to your son than you, his father?” Let's go after him now. At your feet, that's where it should be.
- How can I bring my son back to me if the ruler himself is raising him? No! This is impossible.
“Well, then I’m leaving you!” – said the leader’s wife. And she argued with her husband for a long time, proving to him that her stepson should live with them.
Without waiting for the young man to arrive, the woman, unable to cope with her passion, secretly conveyed to her stepson through a reliable person the words of her love.
She thought about him and only him all the time. She saw only him everywhere. She imagined him waking up in the morning and how she was kneeling in front of him, how he was eating and she was kneeling in front of him, how he was getting ready to go somewhere and she was kneeling in front of him.
Lau was already married at that time, and therefore, perhaps, his stepmother’s feelings did not touch him at all. Pity for the love-crazed woman did not stir in his soul, and no one knew about it - neither the leader nor the godfather of the young man - the ruler of Angola.
And the stepmother continued to insist that the leader summon his son. And finally, Quimalaueso, plucking up courage, turned to the ruler with a request to allow his son to spend a few days with him. Lau was told about his father's request. But Lau replied that he couldn’t go to his father now because he was busy with important matters.
Upon learning of this, the stepmother became completely furious. No, the father must have asked his son to come too indifferently, since he refused to come home. And again the leader sent his request to Luanda to send his son to him. Then Lau got ready to go.
Now Lau was returning to his home with the same honors. The people accompanied Lau's stretcher from the first to the last village. But just before his arrival, Chief Kimalahueso was about to leave for war. And, leaving, he gave instructions on how his son should be received. The people he sent met the young man on the border of the possessions of the leader of Kimalahueso.
For the gala dinner, the stepmother, violating the custom that prohibits killing any animal in the absence of her husband, ordered the slaughter of a goat. When the goat was slaughtered, Lau hid the animal's heart and liver without anyone noticing. Even though Lau was raised in Luanda, the young man still respected the customs of his land,
The next day, the stepmother ordered the pig to be slaughtered. Lau hid his entrails again. And on the third day, and on the fourth, everything repeated. A few days later, Lau's four brothers decided to come and visit him. The stepmother, who entertained her stepson with feasts from the first day of his arrival, was also present when the brothers met. And at this feast she suddenly pretended that a thorn had stuck into her leg. The four brothers bent down and began to examine the leg, but saw nothing. Only when the stepson leaned towards his stepmother did she pretend that he had relieved the pain.
The next day, the stepmother pretended to be sick. Lau sent her medicine. But she said that only her stepson himself could help her if he came to her.
The four brothers persuaded Lau to go to the sick woman. And when he entered, the woman grabbed a knife and began to inflict wounds on herself.
- And... that's why you came! Kill me! – she screamed louder and louder. - Stab...
But no one heard these screams. Nobody came to see them. And a few days later, when the leader returned, the stepmother showed him the wounds on her body.
– Are you asking me who did this? - she shouted. - Your son, your son!
The leader called Lau to him and asked him how he dared to raise his hand against his stepmother. But the young man was silent - he did not deny his guilt and did not make excuses.
Then the next morning, the leader of Quimalaueso ordered the horns to be blown: to convene a council of elders.
-What happened? Our leader only returned yesterday, and today he is already convening the elders? – people were surprised, hearing familiar sounds.
And the elders came to the chief's hut.
“I called you to tell you about an unpleasant event.” But first, convene the leaders of neighboring countries and our people,” the leader of Kimalahueso ordered.
The next day, many chiefs, elders and ordinary people gathered under a large tree near Quimalaueso's hut.
“Listen to what I tell you,” Chief Quimalaueso began. – When my son returned from Luanda, I was at war. When I returned from the war, my wife complained to me about my son. She said he tried to kill her and showed me many knife wounds. I called my son and asked him why he wanted to kill his stepmother. But he didn't answer me. I asked him many times. And he was silent all the time. Now I want to judge him. One of the elders asked Lau:
“Why did you treat your stepmother so cruelly?” Maybe she insulted you?
Lau was silent.
“Tell me, why did you want to kill the woman, your father’s wife?”
Lau was silent.
- Why don’t you answer? After all, you have committed a great crime, and we will judge you!
But Lau remained silent.
Then the drums began to thunder and the women with small hatchets in their hands began the dance of death. They seemed to strike the criminal’s head with these hatchets and exclaimed: “We will punish, we will punish Lau, the son of Quimalaueso!”
But when there was silence for a moment, one of the Lau brothers suddenly stepped forward:
“Tell me, leaders and elders, do you know who is responsible for the death of Zasambe?”
“You know that,” the leaders and elders answered in unison. And Brother Lau said:
- Listen, people!
“We’re listening, we’re listening,” it was heard all around. And Brother Lau told this story:
– Once upon a time there were two brothers who were as similar to each other as two peas in a pod. The eldest was called Musambe, and the youngest was Zasambe. Having become men, they married and separated. Now one of them lived with his three wives in one village, the other with his three wives lived in another.
One day both of them thought at the same time:
“I haven’t seen my brother for a long time. Tomorrow I’ll go and visit him...”
And the next morning both set off at the same time. But they didn’t meet along the way because they went different ways. The elder brother went to the younger brother's house, and the younger brother went to the elder brother's house. And their wives greeted them very unfriendly.
- Why are you back so soon? - they said. “We just had time to say goodbye, and you’re already intruding on us with your greetings.”
In vain the guest tried to explain that he was her husband’s brother.
Musambe asked his brother’s wives for a bench - he wanted to sit down and rest...
- Go get it yourself! Don't you know where she is? Zasambe asked for water.
- Take it yourself... Don’t you know where the jug is?
And both brothers, unable to explain to the evil wives what happened, decided to return back. This time they met on the road and each told the other about what happened to him in his brother’s house.
Having discussed everything, they went in different directions. And suddenly a terrible suspicion crept into Musamba’s soul:
- What was my brother doing in my house? Did he sleep with my wives?
And, overcome with jealousy, he turned around and fired. Zasambe only managed to scream:
- Ayue, I'm dying!
Repentance overwhelmed the brother, and he rushed to Zasamba shouting “My brother, my brother!”, but it was all over. Brother died. And then Musambe hid the corpse in the bushes.
-What happened to my brother? I found him dead on the road. If you had greeted Zasambe warmly, he would have waited for me,” he said to his wives when he came home. And together with them he went to inform his widows about the death of his brother.
And the narrator concluded:
– So who is to blame for Zasambe’s death? Aren't they women?
- You're right! Right! - people approved.
“Then we’ll move the trial to tomorrow,” everyone decided.
The next day Lau was approached with the same question:
– Explain to us why you wanted to kill your stepmother? Don't be afraid, tell the truth!
But Lau was still silent. And again the drums thundered, and again the women performed the dance of death, accompanied by exclamations: “We will punish, we will punish Lau, the son of Quimalaueso!”
And then the second brother stepped forward.
- Listen, leaders and elders, do you know who is to blame for the death of the hunter? he asked.
And the elders answered:
- You know that. And second brother Lau said:
- Listen, people!
“We are listening,” everyone answered.
And second brother Lau told the following story:
– Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife. The husband was a skilled hunter. He usually returned from a hunt not with one killed animal, but with two or three, or even more, and in order to drag the prey into the house, he had to call the whole family, all relatives for help. And then they all ate the killed animals together.
But then one of the hunter’s relatives died. And after him, the rest soon died, except for the old uncle.
The saddened hunter stopped going hunting. Was he really capable of carrying all the loot home alone? After all, he usually killed not one animal, but two, three, four, and even more.
And then he decided to go fishing. But the river became shallow and the fish disappeared.
“Now we will die of hunger,” said the wife. And she asked: “Maybe you’ll start hunting again?”
- Ayue! How can I go hunting - after all, I usually kill not one animal, but several. Who will help me carry the loot home now? All our relatives died.
- And you kill only one... Then you can deliver it yourself.
– Do you think that a real hunter can calmly watch wild animals run around? No, it's impossible...
But the woman pestered her husband so much that he finally agreed.
As before, he went hunting with his three dogs - Uii, Gunza and Kabila. This time he killed only one antelope and brought it home himself.
The next time he also killed one antelope. But the third time he came across two large antelopes, and he killed them both. Not knowing how to drag the prey home, he stood near the killed animals and grumbled:
“What people say is true: a man is a man, and a dog is a dog... If there was at least one person here right now, he would help me.” But there are only dogs with me... Will they help?
The dogs looked at each other, lowered their muzzles to the ground and approached their owner.
- We can help you, master. True, your wife feeds us poorly, always scolds us and beats us with a stick, but we will help you - you didn’t offend us. From now on, you, master, will understand the language of all animals. Just make sure you don’t say a word about this to anyone. If you say so, you yourself will die and destroy us. Now tie two large poles and tie the animals to them. “We will carry them in our teeth,” said the dog to Uia.
So the hunter did. Together they carried the spoils home. Before reaching the house, the other dog said:
- Well, master, carry on further yourself, now you can handle it alone. The hunter first carried one antelope. He brought it and, still not catching his breath, went for the second one. And his wife followed him:
-Where are you going?
- Yes, for another antelope that I killed.
When he brought the second antelope, his wife asked curiously:
- How did you get these big animals?
- You know, I met one hunter, he helped me - he dragged the animals with me almost to the house. After all, I also killed a small antelope, which I gave to him because he helped me.
- Why did you give him the whole antelope? Why didn't you just invite him to eat with us?
- Yes, I don’t know him at all, he’s from foreign lands.
The woman became so angry that she refused to eat the antelope meat. But the hunter, the old uncle and the little son ate well. The dogs also got meat.
One of the antelopes, a javali, was very fat. The hunter cut off a piece of fat from it and hung it in reserve. One day, when his wife was preparing beans for dinner, the hunter asked her to put a piece of lard there. The wife put in the lard, but didn’t eat it. Because the fat came from an antelope.
After eating, the hunter lay down to rest under a tree. His son was eating the rest of the beans, sitting next to his father. And the wife kept grumbling and grumbling at her husband.
When the child ate, he dropped pieces of food onto the mat. Then the ants attacked them.
One small ant, a white salale, stole a larger piece, and then a large-headed ant, a red kisonde, chased after it.
- Why are you taking food from me? Why don't you pick out a good piece for yourself? – the little ant got angry.
But the big-headed ant, as if not hearing, continued to snatch a piece from the salalah.
“You do this because you have a big head and are stronger than me.” Okay, take it, since you're so big-headed! - said the little ant and gave his piece to the big-headed ant.
The hunter understood what the ants were talking about and laughed loudly.
- Why are you laughing? - asked the wife.
- It’s so simple, I laughed and that’s it, I remembered one conversation...
- What conversation?
- This doesn't concern you.
- But still...
- Here it is! I told you this doesn't concern you.
- Oh... you don’t want to say that because you’re probably laughing at me...
They argued for a long time, and the angry wife left the hunter to go to her parents. The mother was delighted at the arrival of her daughter:
“That’s good, daughter, I did that and left him!” Why was he laughing? Maybe you smelled bad or had something smeared on your face. And before, he always told you everything. Ayue! He did something bad, very bad! He insulted you!
But my father was wiser:
- Calm down! Can't a husband think of something without telling his wife? Can't he really laugh at something he finds funny? All of you women are like that! You all love quarrels!
This is how the hunter and his wife lived apart for many days. Finally the old uncle said to the hunter:
- Go get your wife. What has happened has passed. It's time to forget about the quarrel.
But the hunter did not want to go after his wife, and she herself did not return.
A lot of time has passed. The old uncle kept insisting on reconciliation. Finally, agreeing, the hunter went to his wife’s parents. But she persisted:
“Until you tell me what you were laughing at, I won’t leave here.”
His wife's stubbornness broke the hunter.
“Well, okay,” he said. - Tomorrow I will come and tell you everything. I just want people to hear what I’m going to tell you, everyone – both old and young.
The next day the hunter came to his wife's parents. His three dogs were also with him. And the people - both old and young - were already waiting for the hunter. Everyone wanted to know what he would say:
“You all know,” the hunter began his story, “what luck I always had on the hunt.” Usually I killed not one animal, but two, three and even more.
To bring home the prey, I had to call my relatives for help, and they came to help me, and then we all ate the meat of the killed animals together. But then, one after another, all my relatives died, and only one old uncle remained.
Saddened, I stopped hunting. I decided to fish. But the river became shallow and the fish disappeared.
Then my wife told me: “Now we will die of hunger.” And she asked: “Maybe you’ll start hunting again?” But I refused because no one could help me carry the loot.
But women - you all know very well what women are - if they set their minds to something, they will never give up. And my wife repeated to me every day: “Go hunt, otherwise we will die of hunger!” So I went hunting.
On the first day I killed one animal and dragged it home myself. On the second day, I also killed one animal and brought it myself. But on the third day I killed two antelopes. Not knowing how to drag them home, I began to grumble: “People say the truth: a man is a man, and a dog is a dog... If there was just one here now, he would help me. But only dogs are with me..."
My three dogs looked at each other, lowered their muzzles to the ground and came towards me. One of them said: “We can help you, master. True, your wife feeds us poorly, always scolds us and beats us with a stick, but we will help you - you didn’t offend us.” And she also told me that from now on I will understand the language of all animals and insects. She just asked me not to tell anyone about it. Because otherwise I will die and they will die.
As soon as the hunter said this, the dog Ui, the same dog that spoke to the hunter, died. People looked at each other in surprise and began to whisper.
But the hunter continued:
“I tied the antelopes to two poles, and the dogs dragged the prey home. Before reaching the house, another dog said to me: “Well, master, carry on further yourself, now you can handle it alone.”
And then the second dog died.
And everyone - old and young - screamed in fear: . - Enough! Don't tell me any more!
But the hunter continued:
“My wife wanted to know why I was laughing.” So let him listen... When my wife asked how I brought the animals, I told her that an unfamiliar hunter helped me and that I gave him one small antelope as a reward for his help.
And then the third dog died.
Everyone - both old and young - jumped up and began shouting: ,
- Enough! No need to say more! Shut up! But the hunter continued:
- No, let me finish! My wife wanted to know why I was laughing, now let her listen... This greedy woman was so angry that I gave the small antelope to someone else's hunter that she refused to eat with me. Only my old uncle, my son and I ate.
One of the antelopes had a fat jaw. I hung a piece of her lard from the ceiling. A few days later, when my wife was cooking beans, I asked to put a piece of lard in there. She put it in, but refused to eat the beans.
After eating, I lay down to rest, and my son, sitting on the mat next to me, finished the beans. The wife kept grumbling and scolding.
You know that children always drop pieces when they eat. Well, the ants came to pick up the crumbs. One of them, a white salale, stole a larger piece, but was chased by a large-headed ant, a red kisonde. “Why are you taking my food away? Why don’t you pick out a good piece for yourself?” – the little ant got angry. But the red kisonde, as if not hearing, continued to snatch a piece from the salalah. “You do this because you have a big head and are stronger. Okay, take it, since you are so big-headed,” said the little ant to the salalah and gave the big-headed ant his piece.
I understood what the ants were talking about and laughed. My wife wanted to know why I was laughing, and I replied that it was none of her business. She got angry, went to her parents and lived there for many days.
My old uncle told me several times to go get her. And I finally agreed. And my wife said that she would return home only if I told him why I laughed that time. And so I told everything.
And the hunter died. The next day his wife died. A day later, the wife’s mother died, then the father, then the old uncle, then everyone died - both old and young who listened to the hunter’s story. And second brother Lau concluded:
– So who is to blame for the death of the hunter? Isn't it a woman?
- You're right! You are right! – the elders exclaimed.
And the trial was postponed until the next day.
The elders and chiefs gathered again. Again the leader began to interrogate Lau. Again Lau was silent. Again the drums thundered, again the women danced the dance of death, accompanying it with exclamations: “We will punish, we will punish Lau, the son of Kim Laueso!”
– You, leaders and elders, do you know who is to blame for the deaths! Senor "Crippled Villager"? – asked the third brother.
- You know that! And the third brother Lau said:
- So listen!
– We are listening!
And the third brother Lau told the following story:
– “The crippled villager” once felt very bad. And at this time, a famous sorcerer, “Eagle, a steppe inhabitant,” passed by his house, and “Crippled, a villager” asked him for help. “Eagle, a steppe inhabitant,” of course, agreed to help the poor fellow. After all, they were godfathers! And he left various healing potions for his godfather. After some time, the godfather felt better, and “Eagle, the inhabitant of the steppes” said to him:
- Now your fate is in the hands of your wife. If you take good care of you, you will recover quickly.
And the wife of “Crippled Villager” had a mother who was also seriously ill. And the wife was constantly running from one hut to another - now to her mother, now to her husband. And one day she angrily asked her husband:
- Why is it your godfather who only treats you? If only I could help my mother! If he had given her his feathers, she would have quickly gotten on her feet.
- Eagle feathers? What are you doing?! - the husband shouted. - Its feathers are legs and arms. If you tear out his feathers, he will neither walk nor fly...
And “Eagle, a steppe inhabitant” himself, outraged by the woman’s request, in a rage tore out several feathers from himself and left, abandoning his sick godfather.
The woman picked up the eagle feathers and ran to her mother. The “crippled villager,” left alone, died. And the third brother Lau concluded:
– So who is to blame for the death of the “Crippled Villager”? Isn't it a woman?
- You're right! Right! – the elders exclaimed. And the trial was postponed until the next day.
The next day everyone gathered again near the chief's hut. Again the drums thundered, again the women danced the dance of death. And so the fourth brother Lau addressed the congregation:
“You chiefs and elders, do you know how the marriage between brother and sister ended?”
- You know that!
- Then listen!
– We are listening!
And the fourth brother Lau told the following story:
– Once upon a time there lived a brother and sister. The brother was a little older than the sister. Their parents had been gone for a long time. They died when the children were very young.
There was no one else where the brother and sister lived. This is how they grew up, alone. He killed birds, small animals or collected wild fruits. She carried water, collected firewood and prepared food.
And so, when my sister became an adult, my brother began to notice that she sighed very often, so often that he once asked her:
-You probably ate a lot of something? Why do you often sigh?
- No, I won’t tell you why I sigh. You still can't help me.
“Tell me, maybe I’ll help,” her brother answered. Finally, the sister opened up to her brother:
“Here, where we live, there is not a single man except you.” And I'm already an adult. Who will I marry?
And then the brother broke up with his sister. But time passed, and they met again.
My brother built a new hut. And the sister again began to sigh and seduce her brother. In the end, the brother relented.
After finishing his short story, Fourth Brother Lau addressed the elders:
- Tell me, wise people, who is to blame for their sin? Isn't it a woman?
- You're right! Right! – the council of elders agreed.
And now Lau Kimalahueso spoke:
– You, the leaders and elders, are wise people, and you know why a wife cannot be related by blood to her husband?
- You know that!
- Because the wife, no matter how well her husband treats her, one fine day may cheat on him and leave for another...
- You're right! Right! And Lau Kimalahueso continued:
“My stepmother said that I wanted to kill her.” But it wasn’t me, it was she who inflicted the wounds on herself with a knife. She - may I be forgiven for speaking about this - wanted to seduce me... It was she who demanded that I return home, it was she who ordered the slaughter of animals in order to feast with me in the absence of my father and her husband, and thereby violated the customs of our native land. And I hid the hearts and livers of these animals, unnoticed by everyone. Here they are, look everyone...
One day my stepmother, mad with love for me, pretended to be sick and demanded that I myself bring her healing potions. I didn’t want to go, but my brothers persuaded me, and I went. And when I arrived, she, in a rage, began to inflict wounds on herself with a knife, shouting: “But why did you come! Kill me! Stab!..” And when my father returned, she told him that it was I who wounded her.
And Lau's four brothers confirmed everything he said. And Chief Quimalaueso nodded silently in agreement when the council of elders sentenced his wife to death.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru