Once upon a time there lived three brothers. They had only one horse. One day they woke up and the younger brother said:
- Our horse was stolen. Middle brother says:
- Let's quickly follow the tracks. Elder brother says:
- There is no need to rush. Let's first make tea, drink, think.
They made tea, drank, and thought.
“Our horse was taken to the other side of the river,” said the elder brother.
“Our horse was taken away by a man from a white yurt that stands on the other side of the river,” said the middle one.
“Our horse was taken away by a man named Oodezhik,” said the younger one.
The three of them came to Oodezhik.
- You stole our horse. Give it back! - they said.
- How will you prove that I stole your horse? Where are your witnesses?
“We have no witnesses, we understood this ourselves,” the brothers answered.
- Well, if you are so resourceful, then let me hide something, and you find it.
The brothers left the yurt. Oodezhik caught the spider and hid it under the rug.
“Come in!” he shouted. The brothers entered.
“You hid something under the rug,” said the older brother.
“Something with long legs,” said the middle one.
“It’s a spider!” said the younger one.
- I don't believe you. You probably took a peek. Let's do it again. “Go further into the steppe,” said Oodezhik.
The brothers moved far from the yurt. Oodezhik hid a rosehip berry in the chest.
“Come here!” he shouted to the brothers. The brothers entered.
“You hid something in the chest,” said the elder brother.
“Something made from berries,” said the middle one.
“This is a rosehip,” said the younger one. Oodezhik decided that these were extraordinary people, it was impossible to quarrel with them and brought the stolen horse. The three of the brothers sat on it and rode across the steppe. They saw footprints on the river bank.
“The wheel of the cart is broken,” said the elder brother.
“Their camel is blind, and their horse has a short tail,” said the middle one.
“The owner has one daughter, and his wife is pregnant,” said the younger one.
Soon they caught up with the nomads. The owner fell behind. The brothers caught up with him.
“The wheel of your cart is broken, your camel is blind, you have one daughter, and your wife is pregnant,” they said.
The owner was surprised.
“That’s right,” he said. “How did you know?”
“We looked at the tracks,” the brothers answered. The owner treated them to tea.
The brothers drove on and arrived at the Khan's aal. They entered the khan's yurt.
“Who are you, where do you live?” asked the khan.
“We don’t have aal,” said the elder brother.
“We travel on our only horse,” said the middle one.
“We saw your aal and stopped for the night,” said the younger one.
“There is an empty yurt nearby,” said the khan. “Eat there and spend the night.”
The brothers came to the yurt. They were treated to meat and araka. Khan sent his shivishkin to the yurt so that she could listen to what the brothers would talk about.
- Do you think the Khan received us? No, we bowed to a common man,” said the elder brother.
- Do you think we were treated to araka? No, we drank water,” said the middle one.
- Do you think they gave us lamb? No, we ate dog meat,” said the younger one.
Shivishkin reported everything to the khan.
“Hungry tramps!” shouted the khan. “I fed them, gave them something to drink, and now they scold my food and even call me a simple person!” I will order their heads to be cut off! “But then he thought and decided to ask his mother: what if these brothers were right.”
He came to his mother.
“Mother, these brothers bowed to the khan, but they say they bowed to a common man.” Why do they say that?
— Khan, my husband, went to the taiga for a long time. Your father is a simple man. That’s why they say so,” answered the mother.
- But I treated them to lamb! And they say - dog meat.
— Last year in the spring a sheep died. Her little lamb was given to the dog, and she nursed it. It was the same lamb, fed with dog's milk.
- But they drank araku! And they say - water.
— The araka that was given to the brothers was cooked in winter. Ice was placed on the cup. And the ice got into the araku.
Khan was surprised and said:
- These are not ordinary brothers. These are brothers who see the truth.
He ordered to treat them and see them off with honors. The three of the brothers mounted a horse and rode off to wander across the steppe.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru