A poor man was cutting down trees in the forest on the river bank. Only suddenly the ax is awesome! — and jumped off the axe. He splashed into the river and drowned.
The poor man cried bitterly:
- Oh, oh, I'm unhappy! How will I cut down trees now and earn bread?
At this time - stomp, stomp! - a lame old man, a juniper beard, a spruce cone nose, comes out of the forest and asks:
-What are you crying about, good man? What happened to you?
“How can I not cry if my ax fell into the river and I can’t buy another one!” How will I cut down trees now, how will I earn bread for my children?
- Okay, don’t cry, I’ll catch it for you! The old man threw off his sheepskin coat, took off his bast shoes - and plunged into the water! Not a minute had passed - he emerged from the water with a golden ax and said:
- Here, take it! This is your ax, isn't it?
- Oh, no! Oh no! It's not mine! - the poor man answers. The old man dove again and emerged with a silver axe.
- Oh, no, no! This is not my axe! - shouted the poor man.
The old man dove for the third time and pulled out an iron axe.
- This one is mine! This one is mine! — the poor man danced with joy. “Thank you, old man, for your kind help, for your service.”
The poor man took the ax from the old man’s hands and was about to run home.
- Oooh-ooh-ooh! - the old man called out to him. “Since you are so truthful and not greedy, then take these axes, gold and silver.”
The poor man came home with three axes and told his family everything.
One rich neighbor heard about this happiness. He took his ax and went into the forest. I came to the same place by the river, knock-knock on the tree... The ax was lightly attached to the ax handle - plop! - and fell into the water.
The rich man groaned:
- Oh, oh, I'm unhappy! Ay, ay, I'm lost! At this time, from the forest - stomp, stomp! - and a lame old man, a juniper beard, a spruce cone nose, hobbled and asked:
- Why, man, are you grieving?
- How can I not grieve: I was cutting down a tree, the ax slipped from the ax handle and fell into the water. Who will catch it for me now?
“Well, calm down, I’ll get him out,” said the old man and, throwing off his sheepskin coat, he plunged into the water!
Not a minute passed, he swam out with an iron ax in his hands.
- It's yours!
- No, not mine! - the rich man answers. The old man plunged into the water again and emerged with a silver ax.
- Is this one yours?
- No, not mine! Mine was better! The old man dove for the third time and pulled out a golden axe.
- Here, this is mine! — the rich man rejoiced. “I recognized him from a distance.”
As soon as he said this, the old man fell into the water with a golden ax - and disappeared. And the rich man, perhaps, is still sitting on the shore today and waiting for the old man to surface and bring him a diamond axe.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru