Somehow there was a famine due to severe drought, and people and animals had nothing to eat. Then the antelope decided to go to Mav and ask him for rain. She came to him and said:
- Let it rain on our land. If you fulfill this request, kill me for your lunch when the yams of the new harvest are ripe. Mavu agreed and sent so much rain that all the fruits grew very well. When he wanted to taste fresh meat, he remembered the words of the antelope and sent his messengers after it.
Mavu's servants came to the antelope, but she told them to tell him that she was still very young, she should grow up a little, and then let them come for her.
The servants left and told Mav everything; Mawu agreed to wait. And no matter how many times they came for the antelope, she kept saying that she was still too young.
Several years have passed. Returning one day from an antelope, the servants met a leopard that lived next to the antelope.
-Where are you all going, my friends? - the leopard asked them.
The servants answered. Then the leopard said:
“The antelope will never grow larger—that’s its breed.” And there is no need to wait, catch her and take her to Mav.
The servants returned to Mavu and told him everything that the leopard had told them. Mavu got angry and ordered the servants to immediately catch the antelope.
The servants caught the antelope, put a rope around its neck and led it to Mavu. On the way they met a leopard.
-Where are you going, antelope? - he called out to her maliciously.
“Yes,” the antelope answers, “he sent Mavu for me to chew his bones while eating.”
- But you don’t have teeth?!
“I was looking for someone with teeth, but I couldn’t find one!” The leopard was offended here: who doesn’t know how strong a leopard’s teeth are! And that means who, if not him, should be Mavu’s assistant! He took the rope from the antelope's neck and put it on his own.
They came to Mav. The servants left the leopard in the yard. He sees a child crying nearby. He hears his mother console him:
“Don’t cry, son, today your father will kill a big beast!” Just now they brought him. There will be a nice treat!
The leopard shuddered at these words, and the antelope’s cunning immediately became clear to him. He threw the rope off his neck and took off running, fortunately no one saw him!
And on the way he met an antelope, grabbed it and brought it home.
But the leopard did not immediately eat the antelope, but ordered her to first collect firewood and make a fire.
Here is an antelope walking along the road, collecting firewood and muttering something under its breath.
-Who are you talking to? - asks the leopard.
And the antelope is silent.
The second time the leopard heard the antelope muttering and again asked her about the same thing.
The antelope answers:
“Mavu’s servants have come for you.” So I shout to you:
“Run quickly!”
Then the leopard jumped out of the house and ran into the forest. He left and never came back.
So the antelope outwitted the leopard.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru