Once upon a time there lived a very skilled thief. And he had a son, whom he taught his craft from an early age. They constantly stole the Khan's treasures, and nothing could stop them. Khan doubled the guard and set traps, but it was all in vain.
One day, knowledgeable people advised the khan to move the treasury to another place and fill the treasury halfway with honey.
On a dark night, father and son crept up to the treasury.
“You stay here for now, and I’ll climb,” said the father and jumped into the dungeon. Immediately he got stuck in the honey like a fly and realized that he couldn’t get out.
- Oh my son! - exclaimed the old thief. “You and I have accomplished many successful deeds, we have spoiled a lot of blood for the Khan.” But, apparently, the days allotted to me are over, I will not get out of the damned honey. And so that tomorrow in front of all the people they don’t cut off my head, you’d better do it, but just give me my fill of sweets before I die.
With tears in his eyes, the son fulfilled his father's last request.
In the morning, the khan's servants discovered the headless corpse and immediately reported to the khan.
But it was still necessary to identify the murdered thief, and the khan decided to display the corpse at the spring from which all the women took water. A loved one, seeing the corpse, will not be able to hold back his tears, and will definitely burst into tears - this was the khan’s calculation.
Having learned about this, the thief’s son said to his inconsolably grieving mother:
- Oh my poor mother! When you go to fetch water, you will see the corpse of your poor father and will not be able to hold back your tears. Then the guards will grab you and put you in a hole. To prevent this from happening, you need to do this: take with you not a copper, but a clay jug. Break it near the spring. Then you will have a reason and you will be able to mourn your husband.
The mother obeyed her son. When she saw her husband’s corpse at the spring, she broke the jug as if by accident and began to cry. The Khan’s nukers ran up and grabbed her.
- Why are you pestering the poor woman? - she screamed. Not only did I break the jug and my husband will scold me for it! Save me, true believers!
The people stood up for the woman, and the embarrassed nukers let her go.
Meanwhile, the young thief was thinking about how to avenge his father. He decided to steal his beloved white camel from the khan. He stole a camel, slaughtered it, and threw the skin to the Khan's palace. The khan realized that the camel had been slaughtered, and the thieves were feasting on its meat. The khan became angry and ordered his best informer to find the thieves.
The informer began to enter houses, cry, lament and everywhere ask for a piece of camel meat to heal her sick father. Finally she ended up in the thief's house.
The thief's compassionate mother could not stand it and gave her some camel meat. And the informer happily rushed to the khan. On the way she met the thief's son, and he asked her:
- What happened, oh poor woman, can I help you?
The informer told him that she had gone to buy camel meat. And then the young thief realized that he was in danger of death.
“Come with me,” he said. “I’ll give you more camel meat, because your piece is not enough even to heal a small child.”
Before reaching home, he killed the insidious informer and hid her corpse.
Meanwhile, the rumor that the khan could not cope with the thieves spread everywhere. And one day the khan received a letter and a gift from the neighboring khan, with whom he was constantly quarreling. The letter said: “If you, khan, cannot restore order in your state, cannot put an end to the daring thieves, then you must renounce the throne and become a dervish.” And a mocking neighbor sent torn clothes as a gift.
Then the khan ordered to gather the people and notify that he would give life to the daring thief, and if he could steal something from the neighboring khan, he would also give him half of his possessions.
Then the young thief stepped forward and said:
- It's me. Take me to the Khan.
And then the thief appeared before the khan. The Khan of his youth was surprised and asked:
“Can you really steal something from my enemy, the neighboring khan?”
“Not only anything, but also the khan himself,” answered the thief.
- Go get him! - the khan ordered.
The thief made himself a robe from goatskin and sewed many bells onto it. Then he took the chest and went to the domain of the neighboring khan. At night, a thief entered the palace and made his way into the khan’s bedchamber. Then he put on a goatskin, rattled his bells and shouted menacingly:
- Well, get up! The angel of death has come to you. Move and quickly get into the chest, otherwise you will burn in eternal fire!
“Oh, has it really been my turn to appear before the Almighty?” - the khan was frightened and quickly climbed into the chest - after all, the angel of death is not to be trifled with.
And the thief put the chest on his back and brought it to his khan. Impatiently, the khan opened the lid, and a barely alive man in underwear rose from the chest.
“Here is your enemy,” said the thief and demanded the promised reward. And he received it.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru