Grandfather and grandmother lived there. They lived poorly. It’s a well-known fact that old people can neither work nor earn money, all they had was what they collected through alms.
They waited for spring. People began to sow.
So the woman says to the grandfather:
“Grandfather, you should at least sow a little millet.” I hid it for sowing with garnets. Then we would cook porridge, otherwise the crackers would be too hard for our teeth.
“Okay,” says the grandfather, “I’ll sow.”
He dug up a piece of land near the bushes and sowed millet.
The millet has sprouted and is growing. The sun warms it, the rain pours on it. Grandfather is happy about the millet, he couldn’t be happier.
So he went to look at his millet once. He sees a crane walking around in it.
- Shoo-shoo, damn you! - the grandfather shouted at the crane. - Look where you found a place for walking!
The crane got up and flew away.
The grandfather looked, and all his millet was ruined - trampled and beaten...
Grandfather became sad. He comes home and says to the woman:
“There was good millet, but the trouble is: a crane got into the habit of flying into it - it completely destroyed everything, trampled it with its long legs.” And there will be nothing to reap.
The woman grieved, and then she said:
- After all, you, grandfather, were a good hunter. And your gun is lying in the attic. Take him and go shoot the scoundrel crane. We will at least have meat instead of porridge.
The grandfather listened, took the gun out of the attic, cleaned it, filled it with shot and went to his strip.
He comes, lo and behold, the crane is trampling in the millet again. The grandfather got angry, took aim and was about to shoot at the thief.
And he raised his head and said in a human voice:
- Wait, grandpa! What are you planning to do?
- I will shoot at you! - says the grandfather. - You trampled all my millet with your long feet.
Crane says:
“I didn’t know, grandfather, that this millet was yours.” I thought it was lordly. I'm sorry.
“It’s a good thing to forgive!” says the grandfather. “I have nothing else, there was only one hope for this millet.” And now I have to die of hunger because of you.
The crane listened to his grandfather's complaint.
“Well, since you’re so poor,” he says, “then wait a little.” I'll bring you a gift for the millet.
He flapped his wings and flew behind the bushes.
The grandfather stands with a gun and thinks: “Apparently, the crane deceived me. It’s a shame I didn’t shoot him. What will I tell the woman?”
But just when he thought so, lo and behold, a crane flies from behind the bushes and holds a small bag in its beak.
He arrived and handed the little bag to his grandfather.
“On you,” he says, “grandfather, for your millet.”
The grandfather glanced sideways at the bag - a simple beggar's bag!
He shook his head and said:
- Why do I need her? I have enough of my own, brother. I am a beggar. And the beggar, you know, has a bag - all his wealth.
- Take it, grandfather: you don’t have one like that. This is a magic bag. All you have to do is put it in front of you and say: “Little bag, roll out, unwind, let me eat and drink” - and in an instant everything will be done. And when you’re full, say: “Little bag, roll down, roll up, put away the food and drink,” and the little bag will again become the same as it was.
“Thank you, if so,” said the grandfather and went home with the bag.
Grandfather can’t wait to find out if the crane told the truth about the bag. He sat down by the road, put the little bag on his knees and said:
- Little bag, unroll, unwind, let me eat and drink!
And a miracle! In an instant, such a rich table appeared before the grandfather that you wouldn’t see such a thing even among the lords: pies and loaves, fried and steamed dishes, various sweets and wines...
- Well done crane, you didn’t deceive me! - the grandfather was delighted.
The grandfather ate and drank, then he ordered the bag to roll up, put it in his bosom and walked on cheerfully. Comes home:
- Are you alive, grandma, are you healthy?
- Alive, alive! How are you? You've been walking for a long time. I already thought that the wolves ate you there or the bears strangled you, dragged you into the moss and threw brushwood at you.
“No, grandma, the wolves didn’t eat me, and the bears didn’t strangle me, but I brought bread and salt—enough for our entire lives.” Sit down, old woman, at the table.
The grandfather took out a small bag from his bosom, put it on the table and said that he should.
The woman's eyes widened: not only did everything on the table appear, but even the hut itself brightened...
-Where did you get this from, old man?
“Dal was the crane you ordered to shoot.”
- Ay-ay! — the woman grabbed her head. “Why shoot such a nice crane?”
The woman ate, got drunk and said to her grandfather:
- Let's invite guests.
- Which ones?
- And everyone who has nothing to eat.
“Call me,” the grandfather agreed.
The woman went around the village and called all the poor people.
The guests liked the magic bag. Every day they now began to go to their grandfather and grandmother to treat themselves.
The master's clerk found out about the magic bag and told the master.
“It can’t be that some beggar ate and drank better than me!” - the envious gentleman got angry.
He harnessed the horses to the chaise and went to his grandfather.
“Is it true,” he asks, “that you have a little bag that feeds itself?” Grandfather did not know how to lie and told the truth.
- Show it to me.
Grandfather put the bag on the table and told it to unwind.
Pan was absolutely dumbfounded - even his cook wouldn’t prepare such fried and boiled food!
“Give me this little bag,” asks Grandfather. “Why do you need such master’s dishes?” And princes also come to visit me. I will treat them.
“No,” says the grandfather, “I can’t give it away: then who will feed me and the woman?”
Pan says:
- I will send you a whole cart of simple food: bread, potatoes, lard...
How the gentleman pestered his grandfather - nothing can be done.
“If you don’t give it up of your own free will, I’ll take it away involuntarily, and you’ll also get lashes.”
Well, conversations with the gentleman are short. Well, the grandfather agreed and gave him the bag.
The master returned to his estate, lives there, has fun, and invites guests every day: the little bag serves him faithfully. And the gentleman doesn’t even remember about his grandfather and grandmother.
The grandfather waited and waited for the gentleman to pay for the small bag, but it never came.
“Maybe he forgot about the agreement,” says the woman. “Go, grandpa, remind the gentleman.”
The grandfather went to the master, and he - where was he? - and doesn’t want to talk.
- I don’t have bread for you. Go beg!
“If that’s the case, then give me back my little bag,” says the grandfather.
“Oh, you are so and so!” the gentleman shouted. “I’ll show you the little bag!” Hey, hayduks, give this beggar twenty-five lashes so that he doesn’t come here again!
The haiduks grabbed my grandfather, beat him and threw him out of the gate.
Grandfather returned home. He told the woman what payment he received from the master. The woman grieved, scolded the master and said to her grandfather:
“Go, old man, look for that kind crane: will he give you another bag of the same kind?”
The grandfather got ready and went out into the field. He sat down in the millet and sits. Suddenly he sees a crane flying. Grandfather to him.
- So, they say, and so, brother crane: sir took your wonderful little bag from me. Moreover, his guides beat me with whips. How can I live now with my woman? Maybe you can give me another bag like this?
The crane thought and said:
- No, I won’t give you another bag. I'd better give you a horn.
He flew somewhere behind the bushes, then returned and brought a silver horn in his beak.
“On you,” he says, “instead of a bag.”
- What should we do with him? - asks the grandfather.
- Go to the master with this horn and say: “There are a lot of things from the horn!” And when you please the master, then say: “Oh, all the horn!”
The crane said this, flapped his wings and flew away.
The grandfather twirled the silver horn in his hands and thought: “Apparently, the crane gave me something clever. But this horn won’t earn me new lashes...”
The old man goes home and thinks all about the horn - should he go with him to the master or not? He meets the master's clerk on the way.
- Where were you, grandfather? - asks the clerk.
- I went, punk, to a familiar crane.
- What did he give you?
- Silver horn.
- Show me.
The grandfather took the horn out of his pocket and showed it to the clerk.
- What should we do with it? - asks the clerk.
“Nothing,” the grandfather answers.
- How is it possible - nothing? You're hiding something from me. Maybe gold is pouring out of it?
- Maybe it will spill... Who knows.
“They told him so that gold would fall out of him,” the clerk pestered the grandfather.
“You can, punk, give the order yourself.”
- How?
- Say: “There are a lot of horns!”
- There's a lot of horn! - shouted the money-hungry clerk.
And suddenly, out of nowhere, twelve young boys with whips jumped out of the horn and started beating the clerk.
The clerk howled and asked:
- Quiet them, grandfather, otherwise they will beat you to death... And grandfather roars with laughter:
- Don't be so curious and envious. Don't stick your nose into other people's millet!
The good boys beat the clerk until he was bruised.
Then the grandfather says:
- Oh, all the horns!
And all the good boys instantly hid back in the horn.
“Oh, now I know why the kind crane gave me this horn!” - the grandfather grinned to himself and moved to the estate to the master.
He comes, and the master is full of guests. Everyone is drinking and partying. Grandfather's little bag is lying on the table.
- What do you say, grandfather? - asks the gentleman.
- I came, gentleman, to get a bag.
- Ha-ha-ha! - the gentleman laughed, putting his hands on his hips. “Have you seen such an old fool!” I wanted more lashes! Hey, Haiduks, give him twenty-five lashes in front of all my guests!
The hayduki grabbed my grandfather and threw him to the floor. Meanwhile, the grandfather took a silver horn from his pocket and shouted:
- There's a lot of horn!
Twelve young boys with whips jumped out of the horn and began to whip the haiduks, the master, and his guests.
The master got the worst of it - the grandfather stood to the side and commanded:
- According to the guides - once! For guests - two!! By the way - three!!!
The fine boys did just as their grandfather ordered.
The lord moaned and groaned, and then he saw that there was no salvation.
- Take the bag, grandfather, just calm down your boys!
“I should have said that a long time ago, sir,” the grandfather grinned. “But now you can’t buy yourself off with just someone else’s bag.”
- What else do you want? I'll give you a horse, a cow...
- No, sir, that’s not enough.
- Ay-ay-ay! - the gentleman yells. “Hurry up and say that you want more, otherwise your boys will beat me to death.”
“If you want to stay alive,” says the grandfather, “give the estate to the poor, and run away wherever you look!”
Pan screamed louder than ever:
- Oh, oh, how can I be left without an estate?
“You don’t want it, as you want,” says the grandfather. “Hey, well done, throw all the whips at the master!”
The fine boys stopped beating the guests and the guides and started attacking the master.
The gentleman twisted and turned under the lashes, like a loach in a hot frying pan, and then he couldn’t stand it:
- I’ll give it up, I’ll give it up, the estate!
- OK. Just look without deception, otherwise I have a remedy for you,” the grandfather laughs. “Oh, all the horns!”
And the fine boys immediately hid behind the horn. Grandfather put the horn in his pocket and said:
“Tomorrow I’ll come and check: if you don’t leave, I’ll send my assistants after you again!”
And the grandfather went home cheerfully - with a small bag and a horn.
And the next day the master left the estate just before dawn: he was afraid that the grandfather would not return back with his boys.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru