One poor man nicknamed Musil-Mukhad lived or did not live. He had many children.
So he sowed the field, and the harvest time came. The father and his eldest daughter Raiganat went to the field. The girl began to reap, and Musil-Mukhad knitted sheaves. And then under one sheaf he saw a large serpent.
“Musil-Mukhad,” said the snake, “give your daughter to me, and you will get a great benefit for it.”
Musil-Mukhad was so frightened that he was unable to tie the sheaf. The girl asked:
- What are you doing, father? Why don't you knit a sheaf?
- How to knit, my daughter? This snake asks me to marry you to him, and promises me great benefits for this.
“Okay, it’s better to stay without me than for the whole family to starve,” answered the daughter. “Give me in marriage to the snake, just ask how he can please you.”
Then Musil-Mukhad approached the snake and said:
- I will marry my daughter to you, but how will you please me?
“And you and your family will never lack for anything for the rest of your life.”
After this, the serpent led the father and daughter to the same field. There was a hole in the middle of this field. They entered the hole and went down the steps carved from stone. They saw a wide street with fortified houses on it. All roads are guarded by azhdaha.
They entered the hole and went down the steps.
Seeing them, the azhdahas began to breathe fire. But the snake forced them to bow. We entered the rooms, and all the things there were made of gold and silver, the floors were covered with carpets. The snake turned around and told Raiganat to step on his tail. She stepped on the tail, and out of the snake's scales came a young man whose beauty cannot be described. The girl and father were delighted.
The young man said:
- Musil-Mukhad, now don’t think about anything; I am your son.
Azhdaha is a dragon.
Opening the chest, he took out the tablecloth and turned to his father:
- Take this tablecloth, go home and say: “Tablecloth, turn around!” - and all sorts of dishes will appear on it. When you finish eating, say: “Tablecloth, roll up!”
Musil-Mukhad went home and, as soon as he had walked halfway, he could not stand it, threw the tablecloth on the ground and said:
- Turn around, tablecloth!
The tablecloth unfolded, and on it appeared all sorts of dishes that there are in the world.
Musil-Mukhad came home and called his wife and children to eat. The wife brought the children and asked:
- Where is your food? I don't see anything yet. And where is Raiganat?
— Raiganat got married and lives happily. “Look here,” he said, threw the tablecloth on the floor and said: “Tablecloth, turn around!”
The tablecloth was spread throughout the room, and a variety of dishes, fruits and drinks appeared on it.
- Eat what you want, drink what you want, treat whoever you want.
Everyone was happy and lived for several days as they wanted.
And then the news about Raiganat and her husband spread throughout the village.
Three envious people lived next door to the Musil-Mukhad family. They began to say:
- What an amazing thing, Musil-Mukhad immediately gained weight, his children became healthier. How did they get rich?
And so they found out about the tablecloth and one night they stole it. In the morning, the children got up and started looking for a tablecloth to eat, but there was no tablecloth. That day they remained hungry.
Then Musil-Mukhad went to his son-in-law and told him that the tablecloth had been stolen. His son-in-law gave him hand millstones and said:
- If you order: “Millstones, millstones, spin!” - they will spin and grind flour. When you are satisfied, say: “Millstone, millstone, stand still.” They will stop.
Musil-Mukhad took the millstone and went. When he had walked halfway, he placed the millstones on the road and said:
- Millstones, millstones, spin!
The millstones began to spin, and flour fell out of them. Then he ordered them to stop.
Almost dying of joy, he went home.
He placed millstones in the large room and said:
- Millstones, millstones, spin!
The whole room immediately filled with flour.
And so they began to bake bread and eat it, and sold the rest of the flour.
But envious neighbors again stole the millstones and flour. Again Musil-Mukhad went to his son-in-law in tears and told him that the millstones had been stolen. He gave him a donkey.
- Go home and say: “Donkey-donkey, pur-pur” - and coins will fall out of it.
Musil-Mukhad went home with the donkey. He brought the donkey into the same large room, tied him to a strong nail and said:
- Donkey, donkey, pur-mur.
The room was filled to the ceiling with coins. He gave the donkey a full cup of dates and laid him on the coins.
Musil-Mukhad became even richer. But again the same thieves managed to steal the donkey along with the coins.
Thieves kidnap a donkey with coins
Musil-Mukhad again went to his son-in-law and cried. Son-in-law asked:
- Why did you come? What's happened?
“I swear, son-in-law, I’m already ashamed to come to you.” Now the donkey has also been kidnapped.
- Okay, my father. We can easily find all these things.
The son-in-law brought three large sticks with sharp thorns.
- Go home with these sticks, sit at the doorstep and say: “Palki-malki, tark-mark!” On the head to those who stole the tablecloth, millstones and donkey. Rumble, don’t stop until everything is brought home.”
Taking these sticks, Musil-Mukhad went home and, when he had walked halfway, he could not stand it and said:
- Sticks-malki, tark-mark!
And they began to beat Musil-Mukhad with sticks.
- Oh, I said it on purpose, stop! - he shouted.
The sticks stopped.
He came home and sat down at the doorstep, and the thieves were already waiting for him. They came up and asked:
— Neighbor, have you found the stolen property? We all grieve for your losses.
“How will I find what was stolen?” answered Musil-Mukhad. “You better sit down, I’ll show us one thing.”
All the neighbors gathered and sat down near him. Musil-Mukhad put all three sticks in front of him and ordered:
- Hey, little sticks, the thieves of my tablecloth, my donkey and my millstones will be hit on the head until they bring these things to my house. Non-stop, tark-mark, rumble!
The sticks jumped up and began to beat the thieves. The thieves wanted to hide at home, but the sticks chased them and beat them until they began to beg
Musil-Mukhad to save them and did not promise to return everything stolen.
Musil-Muhad said:
- It's none of my business. Until the stolen goods are returned to my house, the sticks will not stop.
Then the thieves returned everything they had stolen and began to ask Musil-Mukhad:
- Have mercy, neighbor! Save us!
“Sticks, stop!” he ordered. After that he put them in a corner and said:
- Look, if a thief comes to me, beat him without stopping!
Since then, thieves have been afraid of Musil-Mukhad. And he and his children lived the way they wanted.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru