In Crimea there lived a rich and respected Nogai. One day the thought came to his mind: “In this region, it’s true, I enjoy fame and respect, but outside of it they don’t know me at all. Shouldn’t I go to a foreign land to see people and show myself? Let fame spread about me in foreign lands too!” Having thought this, he found a comrade and set off on a journey up the Kuban. At that time, an influential prince named Kanokov lived in the Kuban. Approaching his estate, the Nogai met a shepherd and asked:
-Whose house is this?
“This is Kanokov’s house,” answered the shepherd.
– Will I be accepted in this house? - asked the stranger.
- Of course they will! - answered the shepherd. “The owner is glad to see every guest, and even if he is not at home, you will be greeted cordially there.” Please come in! - Having said this, he led the guest to the house and let his family know about his arrival.
- You are welcome! Sign in! - said the hostess. - The prince will arrive soon!
He entered a hospitable house, they gave him a kunatskaya, and he settled down there waiting for the owner. Every day the table was set for him, but one cutlery was set for the owner. The prince still did not return. The guest began to get bored, and then they started bringing girls into the house to entertain him with dancing.
After some time, the guest fell in love with the princess and told her about it. Hearing this, the princess said:
“Let what you told me be between us: I will remain faithful to my husband.” If the prince did not believe me, he would not have married me; and if I didn’t believe him, I wouldn’t have married him. Cheating on your husband is a great sin, so hide your desire! “They didn’t talk about it anymore and went their separate ways.”
But the next night the guest from the kunatskaya climbed over the fence and, approaching the house, pushed the door out of its hinges; Having quietly made his way to the bed on which the princess was resting, he grabbed the sleeping woman by the shin.
- Who is this? - asked the princess.
- It's me! – the guest answered.
- So you didn’t believe my words! - said the princess. “Don’t go any further than this and before the maids sleeping here notice anything and recognize you, get out of here as quickly as possible!”
But no matter how much she asked him, he didn’t want to listen. Then she grabbed an iron shovel standing by the fireplace and, swinging, smashed his face bloody with such force that he fainted. After that, without even letting the maid know about it, she grabbed the fainting guest with a strong hand and threw him out the door. Then she went to bed as if nothing had happened and fell into a deep sleep.
A little later, the guest came to his senses and, bleeding profusely, wandered into the kunatskaya. It so happened that just at that time the horsemen rode up to Kunatskaya and dismounted from their horses. Their leader entered the kunatskaya and, finding a bloodied guest there, asked him what had happened to him; he, not knowing that it was the prince who had arrived, told him everything sincerely.
Kanokov immediately sent to the house for rags and ordered the guest’s wounds to be bandaged. The guest did not realize that it was the owner until it was time to go to bed. When he saw that the newcomer had gone to sleep in the house, as if in his own, he realized that it was the owner, and was very frightened.
When the prince entered the house and greeted the princess, she did not tell him a word about what had happened to the guest, and the prince did not let anyone notice that he knew about everything.
The next day the prince went into the kunatskaya and asked the guest:
- Well, dear guest, now tell me why you came? Have you come on some business or do you want to get riches?
“I didn’t come for the sake of wealth,” answered the guest, “and not for the sake of any business; I came to see you, but God covered me with shame, and I also dishonored myself; do me a favor, let me return home!
“You came from a foreign country,” answered the owner, “how can I let you go?” I would disgrace myself! “He begged the guest to stay for a few days.
There was a huge feast, and when the time came for the guest to go home, he presented him with several horses from the herd and saw him off with great honor, accompanied by a whole retinue. When they said goodbye, the guest returned again and said to Kanokov:
“I won’t take your gifts and don’t want to meet you if you don’t give me your word to come to my land to visit me.” In the first caravan you turn to, they will show you the way to me!
- I’ll come! - the prince said to the Crimean guest, and after that they said goodbye and parted.
Several years have passed. Kanonov could not fulfill his promise to visit his friend. Nogai kept waiting, but finally lost patience and, taking with him several comrades, went to his friend Kanokov to find out what had happened to him: he had made him wait too long.
When he approached a familiar village, he was amazed by an unexpected sight: the village was as if it had never happened - it was all burned down. The army that had ravaged it was already leaving. Kanokov was obviously not at home. Then the Nogai stopped his comrades and told them:
- The aul devastated by the army is the same one where I used bread and salt from the prince, I must find out what happened to one woman. If you want, then be my comrades; if not, go home!
Having said this, he galloped off, and his comrades followed him. At the outskirts of the village, they saw a woman under a large tree who was being robbed by horsemen who surrounded her. The Nogai immediately recognized Princess Kanokova. The Nogais rushed at the enemies with a boom, killed them and freed the captive. With the freed princess, the Nogais returned to Crimea.
When Kanonov returned, he did not find his village: everything was destroyed by fire, the inhabitants fled or were captured, property was plundered, and the family did not exist. His heart sank from pain, and the light became distasteful to him. Meanwhile, he did not know that the princess was taken by the Nogai to the Crimea, where she, having become his sister, lived under the protection of his mother in contentment and luxury.
Tormented by grief, Kanonov remembered the Nogai.
- Let me go to my friend in Crimea! - he suddenly decided and, not even finding the companions he was wearing, he set off.
When he reached the Nogai tents, he asked the first person he met:
-Where is so-and-so's house? Take me there!
Kanokov, in a torn dress, was led into the kunatskaya. The owner was not at home. Kanokov had to live with the Nogai for quite a long time, and since he was poorly dressed, little attention was paid to him there.
Finally the owner returned home, accompanied by a large retinue. Entering the kunatskaya, he immediately recognized Kanokov, but did not even show that he knew who he was. “So this is how the friend I counted on acts! – thought Kanonov. “Why did I come here?”
His soul became very heavy, and he did not know what to do with himself. When night fell, the Nogai, without saying a word to anyone, brought from the house to the Kunatskaya a chest full of accessories for a man’s suit, asking the guest to change clothes and apologizing that he had not noticed his suit earlier.
The next day he spread a rumor that the prince, his friend, had arrived from Kuban that night. Kanokov, as if he had just arrived, was received with great honor. Then the Nogai asked his guest what he needed.
“No matter what happens to me, I gave my word to visit my friend,” said the guest. - And here I am, but now I am without a family and without property; The enemy ravaged my village in my absence, and I left alone and beggarly.
“I’ll help the trouble somehow,” answered the Nogai. - And if in my country you find a woman similar to your wife, then I will marry her to you!
After this, the Nogai began to take his guest to all the villages, to see if there was a woman somewhere similar to his wife. One impoverished khan had a daughter who had already been betrothed to some young man. When Kanokov was shown this girl, he said:
- She looks like my wife!
The rich Nogai began to pester the poor khan so that he would marry his daughter to Kanokov.
Khan, seduced by the Nogai’s wealth, refused the young man and married her off to Kanokov. When she was brought to Kanokov and he went to his wife on the very first night, he found her in tears.
- Why are you crying? – asked Kanonov.
- How can I not cry! – answered the young woman. “My father’s greed brought me to ruin!”
“How could your father’s greed destroy you?” - asked the husband.
– I’ll explain it to you now! - the wife answered. “Your friend, a Nogai, seduced my father with wealth, he refused my beloved fiancé, a poor young man, and married me off to you!”
“If this is so,” said Kanokov, “then God forbid that I take you away from someone else!”
With these words, Kanokov left the young woman and returned to the kunatskaya, where he went to bed.
When the owner came into the kunatskaya the next day, Kanokov said:
- May God save me from wanting to take away someone’s wife; although you consider me capable of this, I have a different opinion on this matter!
- What should I do? – the Nogai answered. “There is no other wife like yours in our country!”
It should be said that all the time when Kanokov was staying in someone else’s house, his wife, living with the Nogai in contentment and luxury, did not know about her husband’s stay here. Realizing that the right moment had come to thank the prince, the Nogai said to his mother:
- Mother! I want to introduce a guest into our family circle. Ask your sister to dress up properly!
The princess was dressed in an elegant dress. As soon as Kanokov entered the Nogai’s family room, husband and wife recognized each other and remained for some time at a loss as to what to do in this case. Seeing their predicament, the Nogai said:
- Here, dear guest Kanokov, you have found your wife. God bless you! She was like my sister! In this matter, you turned out to be higher than others thought you were. I wanted you to repay me for what I did to you, but it turned out differently: I owe you! Let's go to the kunatskaya!
With these words they left the Nogai’s family room. After Kanokov stayed with the Nogai for some time, he sent him home, giving him a lot of wealth, a herd of horses, a lot of unauts and household utensils, and the princess unauts, and he himself escorted him to Kuban. Meanwhile, the village of Kanokov was rebuilt little by little, as the fleeing people began to gather from everywhere. With the news of the arrival of the prince and princess, the Nogai himself galloped to the village:
- Your prince and princess are returning with unauts, a herd, a herd of sheep and other livestock. Prepare a house for him to stay in!
The whole village rejoiced at the good news; Everyone prepared a house for him and hastened to go out to meet their masters. They met the prince and princess with great honor and led them into the house.
After this, the Nogai returned to his home, Crimea.
Who turned out to be the more noble of these two friends?
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru