There lived one tribe in a region that lay far from the sea. In the forests through which this tribe wandered, there were many kangaroos and koalas, but people were tired of eating game and wanted to try something else.
“Let’s go to the sea,” someone suggested. — The sea is full of fish. And so the tribe moved through the forest. People walked through the forest until they reached the sea at a large cape, near which there are many lakes and bays.
Fish swam in all these lakes and bays. That summer evening, when the tribe came here, midges hovered in a cloud over the grass and water, and people kept hearing splashes - it was the fish jumping after the midges.
The men rejoiced and talked about how much fish they would catch. The women chatted happily. They carried the children ashore to bathe them...
The men wove nets and nets and waded through the shallows. They threw spears, dived for fish and, having caught a fish, raised it high above them so that everyone could see their prey.
Along with people, dogs also came to the sea. These dogs were strong and fast; once they were people too. They usually ate game that they caught themselves: the scraps that people threw at them were not enough for them. In their native lands, the dogs never went hungry, because there were plenty of kangaroos there, and the dogs were good hunters.
At the new camp by the sea, there was no food except fish, and the dogs were starving because they did not know how to fish.
One day the men caught so many fish that they could barely drag them to the camp. They dumped a whole mountain of silver fish near the fire, and while the women fried them, the fishermen lay down to rest under the trees.
The dogs looked at this silvery mountain, and their hunger became unbearable.
The dog leader approached the men.
-Give us some fish. “You can’t eat it all anyway, but we’re completely hungry,” he asked.
- Get out, dog! - one of the men shouted. - Dogs don't eat fish!
-And we will! - said the dog leader.
- There are no kangaroos here, and we are completely exhausted from hunger. Give us fish so that we can eat and gain strength.
“Catch it yourself if you want to eat,” said another man. -And this fish is ours, we won’t share it with dogs.
“Dogs don’t know how to fish,” said the leader.
- Then die of hunger! - the first man shouted and threw a stone at the leader.
Then all the men jumped up and began to drive the dogs out of the camp with sticks and stones - and they mocked and laughed at them.
The dogs ran far into the forest, huddled in a circle and talked for a long, long time. And the tribe feasted in their camp until only bones remained of the fish. Not a single fish survived from the entire catch,
Then the people sat peacefully and talked until the moon rose, and when the moon rose, the dogs returned to the camp. They were full of anger at people.
The dog leader moved away from the other dogs, barked and rushed through the camp. He jumped high as he ran, and fire sparkled on his paws.
- May all selfish people be punished! - he shouted and began to cast magic.
From his witchcraft, it was as if the wind swept over the camp, and all the people who were there - women, children, men - turned into stones.
Since then, all selfish people have a heart of stone and there is no affection and kindness in them.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru