Once upon a time there lived two soldiers, each of them was already over sixty. After retiring, they decided to return to their homeland. On the way, they began to consult with each other:
“How can we earn our living now? It’s too late for us to learn a craft, and if we beg for alms, they will tell us that we can still work, and they will not give us anything.” Then one of them said:
“Let’s cast lots to see which of us is destined to have his eyes gouged out, and we’ll beg together.”
The second soldier admitted that this was a good idea.
The lot fell to the one who had this thought. His friend gouged out his eyes, and he himself became a guide; So they walked from one house to another, begging for alms. They were generously served, but this was of little use to the blind man: the guide kept all the tasty morsels for himself, and he received only bones and stale crusts.
“Alas,” said the unfortunate man, “is it not enough that I am blind?” Why else would you offend me?
“If you cry,” the second soldier answered him, “I will leave you.”
But the poor blind man could not stop himself from complaining. And in the end the guide abandoned him in the forest.
The blind man wandered through the forest for a long time, then stopped at one tree.
“What will happen to me? - he thought. “It will be night soon, wild animals will tear me to pieces.” To hide from them, he climbed a tree.
At about eleven o'clock, or even at midnight, four animals came there: a fox, a boar, a wolf and a roe deer.
“I know something,” said the fox, “but I won’t tell anyone.”
“I also know something,” said the wolf.
“Me too,” said the roe deer.
“No matter how it is,” said the boar, “what can you know with such small horns?”
“Eh,” answered the roe deer, “yes, there’s more than enough intelligence in my little head and little horns.”
“So,” said the boar, “let everyone say what they know.”
Lisa began:
“Not far from here flows a river whose water restores sight to the blind. In my lifetime, I have already become blind in one eye several times - all I had to do was wash myself with this water, and I was healed.
“I know this river,” said the wolf, “I know even more about it than you.” The king's daughter is very ill; They promise to give her as a wife to someone who can heal her. All you have to do is give her a drink of water from that river, and she will recover.
The roe deer in turn said:
— There is not enough water in the city of Lyon; fifteen thousand francs have been promised to anyone who can help this misfortune. But if you dig up the ground near the tree of freedom, a spring will gush there and there will be plenty of water.
“As for me,” said the boar, “I know nothing.”
At this point the animals dispersed.
“Oh,” the blind man said to himself, “I wish I could find this river!”
He climbed down from the tree and groped his way. Finally he went out to the river, washed his eyes with water and saw something, washed them again and began to see quite well.
Then the soldier hurried to the mayor of Lyon and said that if he wanted to get water in abundance, he only needed to order him to dig up the ground near the tree of liberty. And it's true! As soon as they dug up the ground, a spring opened there, and the city began to receive as much water as it needed. The soldier was given the promised fifteen thousand francs, he went to the king and told him.
“Your Majesty, I learned that your daughter is very sick, but I know a remedy that will heal her.” - And the soldier told about that water.
The king immediately sent his servants to the river. They began to give the princess this water, bathe her in it, and the sick woman was healed.
The king said to the soldier.
“Even though you are probably getting old, I will still marry my daughter to you, and if you want, I will give you money.”
The soldier chose to marry the princess: he knew that the king would also give money as a dowry for his daughter. The wedding took place immediately.
One day, when a soldier was walking in his garden, he saw a man in rags begging for alms. The soldier immediately recognized him as his friend. He approached the beggar and asked:
“Have you ever had a chance to beg between the two of you?” Where is your friend?
“He died,” answered the beggar.
- Tell me the truth - you won’t have to regret it. What happened to him?
- I left him.
- Why?
“He always complained, but meanwhile he got all the tidbits.” When they served us bread, I gave him the crumb, because he no longer had teeth, and I myself gnawed the crusts; I gave him the beef, and I gnawed at the bones.
“That’s a lie: you did just the opposite.” Could you recognize your friend?
- Don't know.
- So here it is! This comrade is me.
- Aren’t you a king?
- Of course, but I’m also your former comrade. Come in, I'll tell you everything.
When the beggar found out what happened to the blind man, he told him:
- I also want to try my luck! Take me to that tree, maybe the animals will come there again.
“Willingly,” answered his former comrade. “I will repay you with good for evil.”
“He brought the beggar to the tree, and the beggar climbed up it.
At about eleven o'clock, or even midnight, the four animals again converged on the tree. Lisa said:
“What we said that night became known: the king’s daughter was healed, and there was plenty of water in the city of Lyon.” Who gave away our secret?
“It’s not me,” said the wolf.
“Not me,” said the roe deer.
“I’m sure it’s a boar,” the fox continued. “He had nothing to say, and he blabbed what we said.”
“It’s not true,” answered the boar.
“Be careful,” said the fox, “all three of us will settle accounts with you.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” said the boar and stuck out his fangs, “just try to touch me!”
Suddenly, looking up, they saw a beggar on a tree.
“Hey,” they exclaimed at once. - There's a person over there listening to us!
They began to dig up the tree, knocked it down and tore the beggar to pieces.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru