After this, the Kid told the Buffalo to move to another place to graze - not far from the banana plantation. The leaves on the banana trees were already all burned. Only one trunk remained, among which there were many rotten ones. Dense, lush grass grew around. The buffalo was very happy and pounced on the fresh grass. Having eaten to his fill, he lay down in a secluded corner and began to chew gum, and the Little Goat guarded him, without leaving a single step.
At this time, the Tiger, making his way through the dense thickets, met the Monkey, and she said to him:
“You’re hiding in the bushes, aren’t you scared of the Buffalo?” You have such sharp teeth and terrible fangs, you have such huge claws! You can tear him to shreds! And aren't you ashamed to be afraid of the Buffalo? Who will believe in your agility and invulnerability if you, the king of forest animals, behave like the last coward?
Tiger replied:
- Yes, I’m not afraid of the Buffalo at all! But rather than engage in a fight with him and shed my blood in vain, I’d rather attack him from behind when he’s chewing his cud or falling asleep with his belly full. Then he won't be able to resist. In the meantime, I'll rest!
“Now you won’t be able to attack the Buffalo from behind, because he has made friends with the Kid, and he protects him all the time.” Just look, the Buffalo itself will pounce on you and rip your belly with its horns! We should finish off the Kid first. If he acts defiantly, as if inviting you to join the fight, do not be afraid! Break his spine, bite his head off!
- Are you telling the truth, Monkey?
– What’s the point in lying to you? After all, everything is clear, go and see for yourself!
Immediately the Tiger went in search of the Little Goat to tear him to pieces. And the Monkey climbed a tree to watch the Tiger from afar.
The Kid, apparently, already knew that the Monkey had set the Tiger on him. Before the predator had time to appear, the hornless Kid pounced on him with the words:
- Ah, finally you yourself have come! So I don't need to look for you anymore. I've been wanting to fight you for a long time, Tiger. I’m ready to fight with you in any way you want, even for several days in a row! Now look how strong I am!
Then the Little Goat butted the rotten trunk of a banana tree and kicked the neighboring trunk with his hind leg. Both trunks fell to the ground. The tiger was very frightened when he saw such strength and hid in the dense bush. He thought that the Monkey had deceived him. It never occurred to him that the trunks felled by the Kid were just rotten banana trees.
The Monkey immediately caught up with the Tiger and said:
- Stop, Tiger, why are you running away? What are you afraid of? I will now explain to you what happened. After all, you were fooled! You don't even realize that Little Goat knocked down the charred, rotten banana trunks! And you thought these were real trees! A rotten banana trunk and I might as well leave.
The Tiger stopped and asked the Monkey:
– Is it true that these were rotten banana trees and not real ones?
- I've never deceived you before. If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourself!|Then the Tiger turned back. Meanwhile, the Little Goat approached the shore of the pond and, seeing that the Tiger was approaching again, exclaimed:
- What, Tiger, did you want to die? Did it bring you here again? Don't you know that I just ate a tiger? There was only one head left, and I threw it into the pond. Here you can admire it!
The tiger looked into the pond and saw a tiger's head there. While he was looking at her, the Little Goat was chewing lembayung, and the juice made his whole mouth red, as if there was blood. And then he moved straight towards the Tiger. He thought that the Little Goat wanted to tear him to pieces in the same way as the other tiger thrown into the pond. The tiger began to run as fast as he could and disappeared into the forest. The Monkey was indignant when he saw that the Tiger was such a coward, and chased after him shouting:
[Lembayung is a tropical fruit with a bright red color. ]
- Wait, Tiger, wait! How stupid are you? The Little Goat is fooling you all the time! Can't you think of anything? Do you know what you saw in the pond? You think that this is the head of another tiger, but it is just a reflection of your own head! Little Goat's mouth was red because he was chewing lembayung. And you thought it was blood! Understand once and for all that the Little Goat cannot eat you, but you, on the contrary, must eat him, because he is a tasty morsel for you, believe me!
“Maybe you’re right, but I’d like to think about it first.”
- And the Tiger thought this: It’s enough to see the Little Goat at least once trying to devour me, and it immediately becomes clear that he has the courage to attack me. But does he really like tiger meat?
Meanwhile the Monkey continued:
– What else is there to think about? You are obviously very stupid indeed! They just bark at you, and you’re already shaking! Well, okay, if you're such a coward, I'll go with you myself. I will sit astride you and tie our tails tightly in a knot so as not to fall off. And I will give you advice all the way!
The tiger turned back again. A Monkey sat on his back, and their tails were tightly tied.
The kid knew that the Tiger would return - it was not for nothing that the Monkey kept egging the striped one on. As soon as he saw the Monkey approaching on the Tiger, the Little Goat angrily exclaimed:
- Hey, Monkey, why did you bring only one tiger today? After all, you have to bring two every day! Come on, bring him here quickly, I’ll rip open his belly and eat his heart!
And the Little Goat galloped towards the Tiger.
Hearing that the Little Goat wanted to gut him, the Tiger was scared to death. Not feeling his feet under him, he ran away with huge leaps and disappeared into the dense bush. The monkey fell off his back and he dragged it behind him. She kept hitting tree trunks, and sharp thorns dug into her. The beaten and wounded Monkey screamed in a voice that was not her own, but the Tiger, not paying any attention to these screams, continued to drag her along the ground. In the end there was nothing left of the Monkey except a piece of his tail dangling from the Tiger's tail. And since then the striped one has harbored a grudge against all the monkeys, because he considered himself deceived. And now every time he meets a monkey, he pounces on it and eats it without a trace.
It is also said that the Monkey King sacrifices two monkeys to the Tiger every day. If he had not done this, the monkeys would not have survived at all. The tiger hunts for them all the time or waits silently under the trees where they live. And he does not leave until he receives a pair of monkeys from the monkey king. That is why the king established such an order that the monkeys cast lots every day - those on whom it falls are given to be devoured by the Tiger.
It is also said that monkeys are despised by everyone for their vile behavior. If they behaved well, they would be honored and respected.
And the Buffalo and the Kid are still friends. That's the whole tale about the Buffalo and the Tiger. They were bosom friends, but became sworn enemies. Everything is in the power of Allah.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru