That's how it was. Far to the north lived a nomad with his son. He had a large herd, so he worked a lot - herding deer. The herd grew, and the nomad grew old. Then one day he became thoughtful and said to his son:
“My son, I’m already old and soon I’ll probably leave you and die.” It will be difficult for you to cope with the herd alone. We need to find you an assistant. After all, there are orphans who go from camp to camp.
“And then one day a young man came to the herd of this nomad. He was an orphan. The three of them began to live... Deep snow fell, and the nomad's son and the orphan began to alternate in grazing deer. This orphan was an agile and intelligent young man. Herding deer, he spent days learning to throw spears and soon became a dexterous spearman. But the nomad’s own son was lazy, did not like to learn javelin throwing and develop his strength, he sat mostly in the canopy. And when he went to the herd, he often fell asleep, and the deer scattered in different directions.
Even further north lived a large family. Those distant neighbors had five sons and two daughters. The sons of those neighbors are all skilled spearmen. They say that no one wielded spears better than them. And their youngest son is a good runner: no one overtakes him.
The orphan and the son of a lonely nomad began to graze the deer together. But the nomad’s son, having come to the herd, goes to bed, and the orphan continuously practices throwing a spear, gaining more and more strength. One day, when the lazy son of a nomad woke up, the orphan said to him:
- Look, sleep, but in moderation, otherwise you will become completely weak. Learn to control your spear better. After all, there are other years when unknown people suddenly appear. You must be able to defend yourself.
This orphan soon learned to ride reindeer and lasso deer. He matured, grew a lot, and began to wield a spear like a real warrior. Even in the herd, he constantly waved his spear over the heads of the deer.
The orphan often taught the lazy son of a nomad, saying:
– Know that reindeer food in the tundra is often covered with snow, and then it is difficult for the reindeer to get it. Our ability to seek out new pastures can help with this, so we must be strong. And if the enemies attack in deep snow, then we must be able to defend ourselves with spears. I advise you to practice with the spear more often.
But the lazy son of the nomad answered:
- Why are you lecturing me? After all, you depend on me for everything. You have no father, no herd. And I have a father and a large herd.
When the orphan heard such words from the sloth, he trained even harder in his strength.
Several years have passed since the coastal residents came from the coast to exchange. A nomad once said:
“We’ve run out of bearded seal soles in stock, we’ve run out of straps for reindeer sleds, we’ve run out of binding straps for sleds, the whale runners have worn out, and the seaside guests still don’t come to us.” You will envy our neighbors. Recently, seaside guests came to them and brought bearded seal skins for soles, belts for reindeer sleds, binding belts for sleds, and also runners. Should I go to our northern neighbors?
His pupil, an orphan, and his son said:
- I guess you should go. Perhaps they will give you something.
The next day at dawn the nomad left. And so, when the big day approached in the evening, he arrived at the neighbors with a large family. I stopped at the very first yaranga. The owner's sons ran out and unharnessed the reindeer. Then the owner said:
“Now come in and eat.” When the guest entered, the owner asked:
-Why did you come to us? . The guest replied:
“I travel around looking for sealkin skins for soles, belts for reindeer sleds, binding straps for sleds, and whale bone runners. The coastal residents didn’t come to us this year, so I had to go.
The owner said:
– We have to envy our northern neighbors. So the coastal residents came to them and brought a lot of everything. Go see them. Well, if you don’t get anything there, then you’ll stop by to see us on the way back. We'll give you what we can.
The guest replied:
- I guess I’ll go! The owner said again:
“If you find anything there, don’t drive past us.”
The guest replied:
- I’ll definitely come by!
As soon as the guest left, the owner said to his sons:
“If this man comes to us with things, we will kill him, and take the things and deer for ourselves.”
When the nomad approached the camp of distant inhabitants. then I saw that the deep snow on top was covered with ice.
I thought: Probably the south wind brought rain from the sea. I arrived at the camp. The owner came out and said: - Come in! When he entered, they greeted him warmly and began to treat him. While eating, the owner asked the guest:
“You’re probably traveling across the tundra on some business?” The guest replied:
- Yes, I’m traveling on business about soles, about belts for harnesses and sledges, about bone runners. After all, the coastal people did not visit our camp this year, so we have nothing in stock.
The owner asked:
– Which side did you go around those distant neighbors from? The guest replied:
“I was driving through their camp.” The owner asked:
– What did the father of five sons tell you? The guest replied:
“The father of five sons said this: If you don’t get anything there, then you’ll come to us on the way back.” We'll give it what's possible. We have the necessary things.
The owner said to the guest:
- Of course, you will take all the necessary things from us. but you need to go to another place.
The guest replied:
- No, I’ll go to those distant ones again. The owner said:
- Don't mind! If you go to those neighbors from here again, your life will end, you will leave your body. You must leave here tonight. When you drive past those neighbors' deer, you'll probably recognize them. If you are not noticed and you are safe, then go further straight to your camp.
As night fell, the nomad left. Having ridden around a herd of a man with five sons, he was convinced that the path was safe and began to hurry to his camp.
Meanwhile, the father of five sons watched all night waiting for the nomad to return. At midnight I couldn’t stand it and randomly began to catch up with my former guest. And he ran away all night without stopping. But, unfortunately, his reindeer were tired, they rubbed the fur on their sides and cut their legs on the crust. At dawn, he heard rustling and blows from deer behind him. Thought:
"This multi-family is catching up with me."
Indeed, when I looked back, I saw someone catching up. Now the multi-family was approaching, although the nomad was traveling quickly. Now the one who was catching up began to overtake him. When they drew level, the pursuer threw his spear at the nomad’s team and pierced the thigh of one deer. And the nomad jumped off his sledge, ran up slowly and took out a spear from the thigh of his deer. The pursuer also jumped off his sledge. The nomad now went towards his pursuer with a spear in his hands. He began to back away, trying not to fall. Nomad said:
- The one who holds the spear in his hands only looks forward; beware now!
Threatening with a spear, he pressed the enemy to a snowdrift; he stumbled and fell on his back. The nomad jumped up to the fallen man and pierced him with a spear, killing him. After that, he buried him here in the snow. He placed a spear to the side of his head with the tip up, and put a hood on the tip and tied it with a cord. Then, having killed his reindeer, he returned home on the team of his pursuer.
The sons of the murdered man, without waiting for their father, went in the morning to look for him. As they walked they said:
“Probably our father brought the grass to the ground again that night.”
When the brothers approached the spear, they learned from the hood that it was their father who had been killed. The younger brother said:
- This is our father's hood.
Having made sure that their father was killed, they returned home. After that they began to be careful.
And the nomad who escaped persecution returned home, but did not say anything to his son and pupil.
One day the orphan said to the young man:
– We have two strangers’ deer in our herd. Our father came on these reindeer when he went for bearded seal skins. I guess he did something he didn't want to tell us about.
The young man replied:
- He would have told us.
With the onset of winter, when the pastures were covered with snow, the young men drove their herd to the foot of the mountains. They roamed at the foot of the mountains for a long time. A lot of time passed, and again they ran out of material for soles, the runners on the sledges were worn out, the reindeer harness was torn, and the binding straps for the sledges ran out. Another winter has arrived; all the nearby pastures are covered with a thick layer of snow. It became difficult for the deer to get food from under the snow. All day long the orphan traveled across the distant tundra, looking for food for the herd. Meanwhile, two distant camps again received material for soles, belts and runners from the coastal inhabitants in exchange for deer meat and skins. But the most distant neighbors, who once shared with the reindeer herder, got the most things. It’s one day’s drive to the large-family pasture, and from there it’s half a day to the distant neighbors. The orphan thought about this as he rode reindeer through the deep snow in search of good pastures. One day, when he returned, he said to his teacher:
“I drive around all day looking for places with shallow snow. And only near the multi-family camp did I discover a mountain, at the foot of which there was shallow snow. This is where you should move your herd tomorrow. If we stay here, the deer will be completely exhausted.
The next day the herd was driven to the foot of that mountain. The nomad's son said:
“It would be nice to go visit these large families and eat hot food with them.”
Sirota said:
- If you want, go. And I will remain among the herd, because this is not the first time for me to be in the snow. The nomad's son said:
– You always resist!
The orphan replied that he could not leave other people’s deer, because he was not the owner. Then the nomad's son said:
“Our father would probably say that without him you feel like the owner of the herd.” But I must be a real master: after all, I have a father, and you don’t.
The orphan then said this:
- Well, let's go if you want!
And so we rode on the reindeer. They came to those families with many families, They were well received there. They took the guests to the first yaranga, to the elder brother's yaranga. There the young men placed their reindeer. The nomad's son had a sleigh with a bell. Then the owner of the yaranga said:
- Come in! The nomad's son tried to enter first. Having entered, he sat down at the front wall of the canopy. The orphan hesitated a little and also entered. And the first young man, it turns out, had already undressed. The orphan did not undress, but sat down next to the exit and leaned his head against the wall of the canopy. Meanwhile, the owner and his wife began to talk quietly in the corridor. The owner said to his wife:
“The father of these young men killed our father.” They are our enemies. Prepare hot food and feed them: Let them not suspect anything.
The orphan overheard everything. His friend heard the conversation, but did not understand anything, so he asked:
-What are you talking about there?
As if he had not heard the question, the owner said loudly to his wife so that the guests could hear:
“The father of these young men is a good friend of our father. The young man asked again:
-What are you talking about there? And the owner again says loudly to his wife:
– These guests are our best friends.
The orphan understood everything and looked sternly at his companion, without saying anything. The woman brought boiled meat into the canopy. While eating, the owner said:
- These are our real friends!
But the orphan became even more wary: he didn’t take off his siskin or his pants before going to bed. After eating, everyone went to bed. But the orphan could not sleep after what he heard from his master. The nomad’s son lay down and immediately fell asleep. The orphan lay down, closed one eye and looked with the other. After a while the owner sat down, filled his pipe and lit a cigarette. After smoking, he threw his pipe hard against the other wall to check whether the guests were fast asleep: But the guests did not move. After that, the chamber pot rattled, but even now they didn’t wake up. Then, leaning towards his wife, he said:
- These two are fast asleep. Hurry up, get dressed, let's go call the brothers.
The husband and wife got dressed and, lifting the curtain, quietly went out. As soon as they left, the orphan who was watching them immediately jumped up. And the owners came out and began to wake up the other brothers. The orphan heard the owner, approaching his brother’s yaranga, say:
“Get up quickly and get dressed, there are two visitors sleeping soundly in my canopy.” The owner called two brothers, and the mistress called two.
Meanwhile, the orphan poked the nomad’s son in the thigh with his fist, and he immediately woke up. Sirota said:
“Get dressed quickly, now they’re coming to kill us.” The young man pulled off his siskin and his pants and quickly put them on.
Sirota said:
“You sleep too carefree and don’t want to see anything.” After all, I told you that in our herd there are two strangers’ deer. Where are they from? When I talked about this, I wanted to alarm you, but you did not listen to me.
When the young man got dressed, they immediately left the yaranga in the dark.
A voice was heard from behind:
“The ones we have to kill are fast asleep in the canopy.” The young men, leaving the yaranga, took their sledges. When the nomad’s son grabbed his sleigh, a bell rang on it and it could be heard far away. This young man said:
-Where should I put the bell? Sirota said:
- Tear it off and put it in your bosom, you won’t hear it.
He tore it off and put it in his bosom. - Having run away with the sledge, the orphan beckoned his reindeer. The deer ran up. The orphan harnessed them, then said to his comrade:
- Whistle and your reindeer will come running. The nomad’s son wanted to whistle, but he couldn’t do anything out of fear. Sirota said:
- After all, I told you that our father came after a trip to buy bearded seal skins on other people’s reindeer. I already guessed then, but now I found out that he killed the father of these brothers. And then you told me: Father would have told us. Try whistling again, maybe the deer will hear.
The young man finally whistled with difficulty. The deer ran up. The young men harnessed them to the second sledge and drove them off.
And the five brothers gathered together and without noise began to approach the yaranga of their elder brother. When they approached, the elder brother said quietly:
“I’ll be here in the corner, and you’ll stand on the sides and behind the canopy.” Once you are seated, say:
"Ready!" Those two are sleeping opposite this place. One is at the front wall near the lamp, the other is here, near the exit. Spear them directly through the canopy walls.
So they settled in and said: Done. The elder brother ordered:
- Colitis! The brothers struck with their spears through the walls of the canopy, pierced the deer skins, but no one groaned from their blows. They pulled the spears back and began to see if there was any blood on the spears. But there was no blood either. Then the elder brother quickly opened the curtain. The canopy was empty, there were no guests. The elder brother said:
- Look, where are their sledges?
The brothers ran out and saw that the sledge was gone too. The elder brother said:
- Let's chase, they ran away!
The brothers went to the herd. The elder brother called his reindeer. Two deer came running. The second brother called his reindeer. Two deer came running. So each of the brothers called his deer. They harnessed the reindeer to the racing sleigh, and the elder brother said:
- Shall we catch up now?
And so the brothers with spears rushed off on five sledges. And the young men also hurried forward all night on their reindeer. At dawn they heard a rustling behind them. The orphan said to the young man:
“They’re chasing us, we can already hear a rustling sound!”
And indeed, after a while the brothers overtook the young men and blocked their path ahead, jumping off the sledge. The orphan said to his friend:
- Well, they overtook us. Let's eat takogyt (plantains), and then dress better and tighten up!
They ate plantains. The nomad's son dressed himself well and pulled himself up, as the orphan ordered. Then the orphan said:
– Now take a spear and train!
At dawn, the orphan slaughtered his deer and gave them as a sacrifice to the silyak (deity). The son of the nomad did the same. After this, they began to practice with spears around the sledges.
And the five brothers, getting off their sledges, also changed into battle clothes and ate plantains. Then the elder brother was the first to rush towards the young men with a spear. An orphan ran towards him. So they fought with spears and began to fight. When the dawn flared up and rose high, the orphan threw his opponent into the snow with a spear. Having knocked him down, he jumped on his neck and put his spear to his chest. Defeated said:
- Wait to kill, let me catch my breath!
But the orphan pierced the enemy with a spear and killed him. After this, the second brother rushed towards the orphan. And again they fought with spears. This second one began to crowd the tired orphan. That's when it became difficult for the orphan! The orphan gathered all his strength and hit the second brother’s spear, knocked out the spear, and knocked the enemy onto his back. Having knocked him down, he jumped on him and pointed his spear.
The second loser said:
- Wait to kill, let me catch my breath! But the orphan pierced this one with a spear and killed him. Tired of fighting, he barely crawled off the killed enemy. Having risen, he said to the son of the nomad:
“Now you fight, I’m tired.”
Meanwhile, the third brother ran to the battlefield with a spear. The nomad's son rushed towards him. The orphan encouraged:
- Be bolder, be bolder! That's it, that's it!
This young man turned out to be strong, he restrained the third brother of his pursuers, threw him onto his back with a spear, jumped on him, and put the spear to his chest. The defeated one said:
- Wait to kill, let me catch my breath!
But the nomad’s son did not spare him, pierced him with a spear and killed him.
After this he also killed his fourth brother.
The youngest of the brothers could not stand it, got scared, and ran home. But the young men caught up with him near the house. The youngest of the brothers began to ask:
- Don't kill me. After all, I carried out the will of my older brothers. I did as I was told. Spare my life and for this take half of my flock and half of all things. And my sisters will be your wives. I promise to be your brother.
The orphan agreed and said this:
- I would have said so right away. Be it your way. The young men married the sisters of that younger brother, deer, and divided all their property in half with him. After that we went home to our place. When they arrived, the orphan said to his stepfather:
- Why didn’t you tell us about what happened to you in the camp of a large-family nomad? Our brothers almost killed us out of revenge for our father. Now you won't be the master. It's time for you to retire. Our herd has doubled. We ourselves will be the masters.
After that, we went to the battle site, picked up the dead brothers, and buried them at home. Then they began to live together. Since then they have had a lot of deer.
All.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru