Do you know what “argunchi” is? This is an ancient Tofalar game. The Tophs go out to the summer pasture and graze the deer together, driving them from place to place in search of new pastures. And in the evenings, young people gather in a circle, everyone grabs a deerskin belt with their hands, tied into a large ring. Inside the circle is the “driver”. He tries to catch someone, but he, without letting go of the ring, runs away to the side, dragging the entire circle with him. This is “Argunchi”.
One day, young people played at the camp until late at night. And then the boys and girls sat down with the old man, whom the young Tofs loved very much - he was the best storyteller in their village.
Everyone asks: tell me a story, tell me.
“Okay,” says the old man, “I’ll tell you.” Not a fairy tale, but a reality. Do you see that pointed peak over there - it sparkles even in the moonlight? Almost at the very top there is a large cave. They say that the Lord of the Mountains himself lives in it. But there was no daredevil yet who would reach the cave. Many have tried, but as soon as they reach half the mountain, the wind blows, clouds appear, lightning flashes, rain and hail lashes.
“Couldn’t anyone have climbed in?” – asked two brothers standing slightly apart from the others.
These were desperate, brave guys. And these brave men said:
- We'll go to the top. Who's with us?
- I! - responded the third young man, whom no one at the camp knew.
It's morning. The young men went to the foot of the mountain. There they said goodbye to their friends, broke out stronger sticks, checked the knives on their belts and climbed up. Sheer cliffs blocked their path. At the foot were the white bones of those who had come here before. And the third young man trembled. And for the brothers, the rocks were a toy. They jumped over them like a hillock, helped their comrade and moved on. The wind pushed them into bottomless crevices, tore off their clothes and blinded their eyes.
“I’ll be back,” said the third and left. And the brothers climbed higher and higher. Half the way has already been passed, and a cave is already visible high above your head.
Then it started to rain. It poured without interruption, and each stream was like a cedar trunk. The jets knocked the guys off their feet, the water foamed in the stones, but the brothers tied themselves with belts to the rocks, and the clouds could not do anything to them.
Then the fog came. The brothers lay down on the ground and crawled.
And their third comrade had difficulty getting to the camp. Suddenly he heard a dull noise behind him. An avalanche of water rolled after him. He didn’t even have time to scream before the water picked him up, carried him, hitting the stones, and threw him into a ravine. The shepherds found him there. When asked about the fate of his comrades, he lowered his head in sadness. And everyone decided that the brothers were dead.
But one day, to-fa arrived on a panting deer. He shouted:
- They're back! They are there, at the foot of the mountain! Everyone who was at the camp rushed to the mountain. At its foot, the emaciated, blackened brothers slept with their heads on the grass. Nobody dared to wake them up. Finally they woke up.
“People,” they said, “there, in the cave, all the wealth of the Sayans is collected - precious stones, and gold, and animals, and birds, and...
Everyone looked up and shouted:
- Run!
But the brothers did not have time to escape. Their strength is gone. An avalanche of rocks buried two brave souls. The brothers died. But people learned the secret of the cave on the pointed mountain. Other people - geologists - follow the trail laid by the brothers and find gold and mica, iron and cobalt in the mountains... The Master of the Mountains retreats before them, and mining villages grow on the banks.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru