Once upon a time there lived a rich man. He had a lot of cows and a big, big bull. When the herd was driven into the forest to graze, the tiger always said: “I wish I could eat this bull, he’s so fat. I would be full for many days.”
There was also a thief there. He also always said: “I wish I could steal this bull. I would sell it and make a lot of money."
One day the tiger actually decided to drag the bull away. The thief had the same idea.
The tiger climbed into the corn field during the day, hid there and waited. “Let the people go to bed,” he says to himself, “then I will instantly grab the bull and drag him into the forest.” And the thief came across a tiger in the dark and thought: “The bull just came out of the barn. I don't even have to steal it. He came to me himself.” He took it and threw a rope over the tiger. He tied a rope around his neck and pulled him along - he pulled and treated him with a stick. The morning is already close, and he keeps dragging him to the forest and hitting him on the head with all his might, so that the tiger is completely stunned.
It was getting light. The thief looks: mother, it’s a tiger! At once he threw the rope and ran without looking back. He himself went in one direction, and the tiger - in the other, ran straight into the forest as fast as he could.
The jackal saw him and asked:
-Where are you going, uncle, in such a hurry?
“I don’t know myself, nephew,” he answers. “Last night I fell into the hands of a thug. He beat me on the head all night long.
– Who does he look like, this thug, uncle? Show it to me.
“What are you saying, son,” says the tiger, “I won’t go to the killer.” Look, there he is. Go there yourself.
- It’s interesting to me, uncle. “I’ll go and have a look,” said the jackal and ran away.
And the thief sat nearby and thought with fear: “After all, he could have eaten me, this tiger. I can’t understand why he didn’t eat me.” Then he noticed a jackal, lay down flat and covered himself with clothes on top.
The jackal walked around him and said to himself: “What is he like, this thug? It would be nice to see him." And moved towards his head.
At that time, the thief imperceptibly stuck out his hand, grabbed the jackal by the tail at the very root and began to twist it in the air - just as the Santals twist a knot with shells when they burn lime. He twisted and twisted until he got tired and threw it away.
The jackal was terrified. He started to run, but he was trembling all over. He ran to the tiger and said:
- Uncle, this is not a headache. This is a tail twister. You deceived me.
They run together and meet a bear.
-Where are you, nephews, in such a hurry? - asks the bear.
“You won’t believe it, uncle,” answered the jackal. “The tail twirler twisted my tail so terribly that I thought I was going to die.”
- Well, what kind of guy is he, nephew? - asks the bear. – Isn’t it one of those whom I have eaten quite a lot in my time?
- What are you talking about, uncle! That's right, no. You can't eat this, I know it. Go and try whether you eat it or not.
The bear went where he was shown. The thief was sitting in the old place. I saw a bear and thought: “He’s coming straight at me. After all, he will eat me. I’d better climb a tree, otherwise I won’t live.” He climbed a tree, and the bear climbed after him. The thief does not remember himself out of fear, trembles and climbs higher and higher. And the bear is behind him. When they got to the very top, to the thin branches, the top gave way, and both of them fell to the ground. The bear was the first to fall, and the thief on top of him - bang. Somehow the bear untangled himself and ran away.
Afterwards the bear met a jackal and said:
- What a joker you are, nephew! Well, you deceived me - you said that it was a tail-twister. He is not a tail-twister, but a super-slammer.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru