It was in the domain of an evil, cruel, heartless khan.
There lived in those places a not old poor man with his son. Khan oppressed him, forced him to work for nothing, and fed him from hand to mouth. The poor man could not figure out how to get rid of bondage. One day he went to the forest and took his son with him. They walked and talked.
“The neighbors envy my intelligence and dexterity,” my father said. “I can steal an egg from a magpie’s nest and the magpie won’t notice.” But I can’t fool the khan...
The son showed his father to the tree - at the very top of the head there was a magpie’s nest.
– Try to get the egg without the magpie seeing it.
The father walked up to the tree, wrapped his boots around it and climbed. The son grinned, pulled out a knife, and quickly cut the soles off his father’s high boots. The father took a magpie egg from the nest, went downstairs and gasped: the high boots turned out to be without soles!
- What a son! - the poor man laughed. “You can probably outwit the khan.”
He told his neighbors about his son’s dexterity, and word spread that the poor man’s son was very smart and cunning.
Soon the khan called the clever boy to his palace.
“I heard,” the khan said in a menacing voice, “that you are smart and cunning.” Is this true?
“Yes, Your Serene Khan,” the poor man’s son boldly answered.
- Ha-ha-ha! – the Khan laughed roaringly. - Ha-ha-ha! You're just a braggart!
The khan's fat belly swayed with laughter, his cheeks shook, and his eyes were red and angry.
- Here I will test you. Listen: in the house, in my yard, there is a hand mill. If you manage to take it away tonight so that no one sees, it will be yours. If you fail, I’ll take your head off your shoulders. Understood?
“I understand,” the poor man’s son calmly answered. - I'll try.
In the evening, the khan released ninety-four evil dogs from their chains and ordered two Bator (Bator - hero, hero) to continuously turn the hand mill all night. Then he called the court executioner and ordered him to sharpen the ax.
- Ha-ha-ha! - Khan laughed as he went to bed. - Let's see who can outwit whom!
At night, the boy made his way to the khan’s courtyard, saw dogs, bators, and returned home. You can't get a mill with your bare hands!
At home, he collected a full bag of bones, took a large cup of salamat and again went to the khan's courtyard. He gave all ninety-four dogs a bone and, while they were fighting over the bones, he began to make his way further. He placed the cup of salamat at the door of the house where the hand mill stood, and hid himself.
One batar wanted to go outside and relax. He ordered the second one not to leave the mill.
“When I come back, you’ll rest,” he said. Bator went out into the yard and saw a large cup of salamat at the door.
- O kind, caring Khan-father! - said the delighted Bator. – He took care of us, prepared a treat!
He ate all the salamat, licked the cup, returned to his friend and told him everything.
– Did you leave me salamat? - he asked.
- No, I ate it all...
The second batar got angry, began to swear, and started to fight. The Bators grappled and rolled out into the street. That's exactly what the cunning boy needed. He made his way into the house, grabbed the mill and ran away.
When the khan came early in the morning to see if the mill was still there, the bators were still fighting.
- Stop! – the khan shouted imperiously. -What's the matter?
“Yes,” one bator began to explain, pointing to the other, “he ate all the salamat that you brought...
- What salamat? - the Khan roared in a wild voice. -Where is the mill?
But there was no mill. There was nothing to do, the khan returned home.
In the morning the boy came to the palace and brought a hand mill.
“Khan-father, here is your mill,” he said mockingly.
- Well, wait a minute! – the khan said fiercely. - I'll teach you a lesson. Listen: if tonight you manage to take the three best pacers away from my yard, they will become yours. If you don't take me away, I'll cut off your head. Understood?
“I’ll try,” the poor man’s son bowed to the khan. In the evening, the khan locked the three best pacers in the barn and posted two guards. He called the executioner and told him to sharpen the ax, and he went to bed.
The cunning boy put on the khan's robe and went to the guards at night.
- Well? – he asked the guards in a hoarse khan’s voice. – Has this guy come yet?
“No, Khan Father, he didn’t come,” they answered. - Rest assured, he won’t deceive us.
“Look, he’s cunning,” the boy warned. - Don't miss the horses...
After some time, he came again and brought the guards a large bottle of milk vodka.
“You’re probably frozen, you’ve been standing there for a long time.” Drink a cup and you will warm up.
“Thank you, Khan Father, for your concern,” the guards bowed, “it’s very cold outside.”
The boy poured them a cup, placed the bottle against the wall of the barn and said sternly:
- The vodka will be right here. Don't drink anymore, you'll get drunk.
As soon as he left, the guards poured themselves another cup.
Soon the boy in the khan's robe returned to the barn again.
“Did that sly guy show up?” – he asked in a hoarse voice. “Now he probably won’t come.” I was afraid. I allow you one more cup of vodka.
- Let it be your way, Khan Father! – the guards responded cheerfully and quickly drank a cup of vodka.
“It’s going to get cold, you can have one more, but no more,” the boy said and left.
As soon as he disappeared into the darkness, the guards rushed to the bottle. We got drunk and went to bed. The cunning boy crept up to them, pulled out the key, unlocked the lock, jumped on the pacer, took the other two by the reins and galloped off home.
In the morning, the khan came to the barn and was dumbfounded: the barn was open, there were no horses, drunken guards were lying on the ground, near the wall.
The enraged Khan pushed them aside and asked menacingly:
-Where are the horses?
But the guards began to make excuses, as if the khan himself had been giving them vodka to drink all night. The khan waved his hand at them and went to the palace. Arriving at the palace, he ordered that that cunning guy be brought to him immediately.
- I will not tolerate such dishonor! – the khan shouted at him angrily. “Are you planning to disgrace me?” Well, no... Here's another task for you: steal my wife's sable fur coat tonight. If you can do it, the fur coat will be yours. If you get caught, I’ll cut off your head, burn down your yurt, and take away your father’s last ram.
The boy nodded silently: okay, I’ll try.
In the evening, the khan ordered his wife to put on a sable fur coat and go to bed in a room on the top floor of the palace.
“Make sure this guy doesn’t take off your fur coat,” the khan angrily warned his wife. And he sat down by the bedroom window with a bow and arrows at the ready.
At night the guy approached the palace, looked at everything, thought it over and went to the cemetery. He dug out the dead man who was buried that day from the grave and dragged him to the khan’s palace. He put it on his shoulders, climbed up the wall to the bedroom where the Khansha was sleeping, and leaned it against the window as if a living person was looking into the bedroom. Khan saw, shouted with joy, pulled the bowstring and shot. The man outside the window waved his arms and flew down. I finally got rid of it! – thought the pleased khan. “We need to bury it as quickly as possible before something happens again.” The khan woke up the servants, together with them he raised the dead man and stayed to see that they buried him better.
And the cunning boy, while the khan was busy with the dead man, made his way into the palace, dressed up in the khan’s robe and woke up the khansha in the dark.
“I killed a thief,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Now you can sleep peacefully.” How did you sleep, wife?
Hansha stirred and sighed.
- Why are you groaning? – the boy asked the khanshu, well, exactly as the khan himself would have asked.
“I’m hot, because I’m lying in my fur coat so that the cunning one doesn’t steal it.”
- You can take off your clothes. There is nothing more to fear.
The Khan took off her fur coat and immediately fell asleep. The boy grabbed his fur coat and walked through the door.
As soon as he left, the khan appeared. I woke up my wife and asked:
– Did you sleep well, wife? Hansha got angry:
- What are you really saying? You just woke me up and asked me, but now you won’t let me sleep again.
- When did you ask? - Khan was surprised. - I just arrived.
- Don't lie! - the Khansha shouted. “You came and ordered me to take off my fur coat.”
-Where is the fur coat? - the khan yelled, attacking his wife with his fists. But the fur coat disappeared.
Early in the morning a cunning boy appeared at the palace. He was wearing an elegant sable fur coat. He stopped on the threshold.
“Please accept morning greetings, Khan-father, and you, Khan-mother,” he said mockingly. – How did you sleep, was it a good night?
Khan clenched his fists and rushed towards the guy.
- Go away! – the Khan growled hoarsely. - I'll take your head off my shoulders!
But the cunning guy is already gone.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru