Soon after that incident, in one village, an official foreman gave his daughter in marriage. He invited his friends, elders from distant and nearby villages, to the wedding feast. The merry fellow Kuoi also learned about this joyful event. He dressed up in a brocade dress, took the goat out of the yard and went to that senior official for the holiday.
Soon the district foreman on horseback caught up with him. He saw Kuoy in an embroidered robe and decided that this was his brother, an official. “Hello, venerable one,” says the foreman. “Where are you taking the goat?”
“I’m heading to the wedding,” Kuoi answers.
- For a wedding? – the official rejoiced. “That means we’re on our way, the two of us will have more fun on the road.” But tell me, sir, how will you get there on foot if you also have to lead a goat? After all, it takes half a day to go there on horseback!..
Kuoi laughed and answered:
- Well, you don't have to worry about that. Here's how to avoid getting to the wedding too early! I don’t want to hide it from you, sir: my goat is magical—it rushes, outrunning the wind. And you, sir, need to hurry up, otherwise you may not be able to keep up on your horse. What do I care? Even if I leave after noon, I still won’t be late.
The sergeant-major looks at the joker and wonders: is this man in a rich dress out of his mind? Is he making painfully strange speeches?.. Where has it been seen that people ride on goats!
“There’s something I don’t understand, venerable sir, how do they ride on goats?” If you have a magical goat, maybe we can race? Do you agree?..
- So you don’t believe me, sir? Well, you have to believe: in the evening we will meet at a merry feast!
- It's a debate, sir! If I lose, then my horse will become yours, and if you lose, then you will have to give the goat to me. So how?
- Just know in advance, venerable sir, that you lost the argument! – Quoi laughs. “Your horse is weak, how can he compete with my goat.” And I agree to argue, why not compete?
- Well, hold on! - exclaimed the district foreman, wanting to teach the braggart a lesson. - My horse is ready to race with your magic goat.
And the travelers decided that the winner would be the one who arrives at the wedding first. They drew up an agreement, signed the paper and then parted.
The foreman jumped onto his horse and galloped at full speed, waving his whip. And as soon as he was out of sight, Quoy grabbed the goat under his arm and ran along familiar paths straight through the jungle. Whether it took a long time or a short time, the cunning man managed to get to the house of the bride’s father before the foreman was even halfway there. He tied his goat to the pile of the house, went upstairs and sat down calmly - chewing betel nut, drinking tea, waiting for his enemy. While he was rushing headlong, Kuoi collected the chewed betel nut that was lying on the floor and placed it near him. Only in the evening the sergeant major finally appeared. The horse under him collapsed from fatigue, and he himself was sweating and could barely move his legs when he dismounted. He shook off the road dust and began to climb the stairs, confident that he had arrived earlier and, of course, won the argument. Imagine the amazement of the district foreman when, stepping onto the platform, he heard Kuoi’s friendly voice:
- A-ah, here you are, venerable one! Somehow you were delayed quite a bit on the way, I was starting to worry. Look how much betel nut I chewed out of boredom! Well, how's our agreement? Agree that your horse has become mine!.. Isn’t it?
The foreman looks and can’t believe his eyes. He shakes his head in frustration, he feels so sorry for the horse. But nothing can be done. And, so as not to lose money, he asked Kuoi to sell him a magic goat.
- My goat has no price! – the sly man answers. “And why should I sell it?” And even if you sell it, you, sir, won’t have enough money.
But the foreman gets excited and stands his ground. I borrowed ten bars of silver and let’s persuade Kuoi again. Kuoi persisted for a long time, and then he seemed to succumb to the foreman’s persuasion and sold him the goat. He himself mounted his horse and rode off.
Pleased with the purchase, the foreman remained to feast, and, as they say, the more wine, the more words, he began to publicly boast about his priceless goat. The district foreman couldn’t wait to show off on such a miracle in front of everyone. The foreman came out with an unsteady gait to the middle of the yard, just about to saddle his goat, but he just jumped to the side, and the unlucky owner plopped to the ground. People are standing around, laughing. The fooled foreman stood up, covered his face with his hands and trudged away.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru