This happened in the country of the Torajas even before the arrival of the Dutch. There lived in one family a man named La Dana. His father was a peasant, and he himself was a peasant, neither rich nor poor. La Dana was cunning, like Abu Nawas, quick to come up with an invention and knew how to get out of the water unscathed.
One day La Dana went with his friend to a funeral festival. Meat was distributed there according to seniority: who got the head of a buffalo, who got a leg, heart or lungs, who got a rump. The two friends accounted for a whole carcass. So they began to ask the owners:
-Give us a live buffalo instead of meat. We'll fatten him up.
The owners agreed. For them, the main thing was to fulfill their duty, and whether the guests slaughtered their buffalo or fattened it, that was their business. They gave them a buffalo. La Dana had one hind leg, and the rest was the share of his comrade. They drove the buffalo to their village, and La Dana began to graze it so that it would gain fat.
Less than a week has passed, La Dana says to his friend:
- Let's slaughter our buffalo, I want to eat my share.
The friend did not agree. He began to persuade La Dana to wait until the buffalo fed. But La Dana didn’t want to know anything - we’ll slaughter a buffalo and that’s it.
“If you don’t want to eat meat yourself, give me my share.” I’ll cut off the buffalo’s back leg, and if you want, fatten him up to his health!
- What are you saying! - answered his friend. “If you take your share, the buffalo will die.”
But La Dana kept repeating his point. His friend began to persuade him, promising to give him the other hind leg, if only the buffalo remained intact. La Dana agreed:
- Well, if so, let's fatten him up. He rejoiced to himself: now both hind legs of the buffalo belonged to him. La Dana began to herd the buffalo again.
A week later, La Dana said again: “I need to slaughter the buffalo, I really need the meat.” The friend got scared and began to promise La Dana the front leg of a buffalo if he would give up his own. But this was not enough for him, and he became louder than before.
“I’m not okay with you,” the friend sighed. - Well, if you want, take another front leg. You have four legs, but I have the head and carcass.
“Well, good,” La Dana replied. He went and began to herd the buffalo again.
A month later he again came to his friend:
- Let's kill the buffalo. I haven’t tried meat for a long time, and our buffalo has already gained weight.
- What a character you have, La Dana! - his friend answered. “It can’t be that a buffalo can fatten up its sides in one month.” Let's keep him a little longer!
But La Dana never agreed:
- Take care of your health, but I want to take mine.
- Well, how can you! - says his friend. “After all, if you cut off four of a buffalo’s legs, it will die immediately.” So be it - take the carcass for yourself, and let me have only the head.
La Dana responded to him:
- Well, if that’s the case, let’s get him some more! A month has passed, La Dana says to his friend:
- The buffalo needs to be slaughtered. I got into debt - I’ll sell the meat and pay off at least a little.
The friend had no time for that, he just waved his hand:
- What kind of person are you, La Dana! Take yourself a buffalo, but don’t pester me anymore!
La Dana was delighted and drove the buffalo to pasture.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru