Three hunters gathered to hunt. It was a long, short walk until we reached our camp for the night. They started looking for matches, but no one had any matches.
One of them says:
– Climb the trees; Where you see fire, we’ll go there. One of them climbed in and looked - a fire could be seen in one place.
- Well, go and get some fire from there. The other went to the place where the fire was visible. Came there; It turns out that some old man started the fire.
- Well, grandpa, hello!
- Hello, hello, grandson! Why are you walking around in need?
- What kind of need and trouble do I walk with? Our wives did not take care of the fire for us, I came to ask for fire.
- Granddaughter, my dear fire, I won’t give it for free: tell seven funny tales - I’ll give you fire.
The hunter stood and stood and went to his comrades. He came there and said:
“Grandfather doesn’t give his fire free or cheap. Says to another hunter:
- You go, maybe he’ll give it to you.
This man went and came there. The old man is standing.
- Hello, grandfather!
- Hello, hello, grandson!
“Grandfather, I came to ask for fire.” Will you give me fire or not?
“My fire is expensive and paid for, so I won’t give it to you.” Tell seven funny tales to the ladies.
– I don’t know how to tell. Where can I get seven funny fairy tales?!
Went to spend the night. He says to his two comrades:
– Grandfather says: if I tell seven funny tales, he will give me fire; If I don’t tell you, I won’t give it. The youngest of them says:
- Well, I'll go! I came there, the old man was sitting and heating it up.
“Grandfather, our wives didn’t take care of the fire for us.” Give us fire.
– My fire is expensive, paid. If you tell seven funny tales, I’ll give you them.
He started:
Over the whole summer I filled a bag full of mosquitoes and a full bag of midges, then I filled a bag full of gadflies. And I began to sell them. One mosquito-horse and cow, one midge-horse and cow, one gadfly-horse and cow.
Then he started killing cows. As many as I kill, I cut their skins into belts.
He cut and cut and began to skin the last cow, and she jumped up and ran...
- Grandfather!.. Look, the sky is about to fall!..
Then the old man turned into a pile of gold.
The younger hunter brought his comrades there, filled their sledges with gold and left.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru