Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a rich man named Ishmael. He was proud, important, greedy, and if you look for another like him, you won’t find him.
Once he was at a banquet, got drunk and went home alone, without an escort.
He rode and rode and began to sway in the saddle. And when he entered the forest, he swayed so much that he fell off his horse and fell into a deep hole. And the hunters dug this hole for wild animals.
The rich man Ishmael sits in a hole and hears growling and hissing from all sides. Who growls, who hisses - not
It’s clear that it’s dark in the pit. He got scared and started calling for help.
- Help! - shouts. - Save! Get me out of the hole!
At that time a peasant was driving past. He heard a scream and ran to the pit. I looked - the hole was deep, the bottom was not visible. He quickly cut down a long pole, lowered it into the hole and said:
- Hey, who's in trouble there? Grab the pole tightly - I’ll pull you out!
He thought that a Kumyk would come out, but a red fox came out. She waved her tail and ran into the forest. The peasant was surprised:
- What a miracle! Was it really the fox who spoke humanly?..
He wanted to go further. And from the pit the man again shouts:
- Help me! Get me out of the hole! My name is Ishmael. I come from a nearby village! I'm rich, I'll give you a lot of money if you save me!
The peasant was happy that there would be money for his daughter’s wedding. He cut down a pole thicker and longer than the first and lowered it into the hole.
“Hold on tight,” he shouts. - I’ll get it out now!
Someone grabbed the pole and almost tore it out of the peasant’s hands—it was so heavy. He looked - for the hundredth time the bear got out.
The peasant was completely frightened. He wants to run, but the voice from the pit asks even more pitifully:
- Save me! I will reward you with whatever you want!
The peasant returned to the hole, lowered the pole - someone was climbing again. Lo and behold, a huge snake crawled out, shook its head and disappeared into the grass.
- No, no one will deceive me again! - the peasant shouted and wanted to run. And from the pit someone shouts again: “Save me, I’m a rich man Ishmael from a nearby village!”
The peasant stopped and thought: “After all, I have known this rich man Ishmael for a long time. It really is his voice!” He lowered the pole into the hole again - and the rich man Ishmael himself finally climbed out of the hole.
He shook himself off, muttered something under his breath, then climbed onto his horse and rode off, but didn’t even look at his deliverer.
The peasant was so surprised by this incident that he did not remember how he returned home. He arrived and his mouth agape: he has so many chickens, geese, and turkeys in his yard that you can’t even count them. It was the fox who dragged them. And she sits there, wiping her muzzle.
- This is for you, friend, for saving me! - speaks.
The peasant looks - at the other end of the yard there is a whole mountain of firewood. The bear broke it in the forest and dragged it away. He sits and also wipes himself with his paw.
- This is for you, friend, for not giving me a little in the pit! - speaks.
The peasant looked at the porch, and there lay a snake; pulled her head and said:
- This is for you, friend, for pulling me out of the hole! - and hands over a precious stone.
The peasant took this stone and looked at it. And when I came to my senses, there was no one in the yard anymore.
The peasant was delighted and thought:
“I have firewood for the whole winter, I have food for the whole winter, but I’ll go to the market to sell the stone right now. I’ll sell it and celebrate a rich wedding for my daughter.”
So he decided and went to the market to see the goldsmith.
When the goldsmith saw that stone, he shook with surprise: there was no price for this stone.
-Where did you steal it, scoundrel? - the master shouted. “Killed someone?”
People came running, tied the peasant’s hands, and took him to the judge - the qadi.
-Where did you get the stone? Who did you steal it from? Who did you kill? - the cadi began to interrogate.
“I didn’t steal the stone, I didn’t kill anyone, but the snake that was sitting in the same pit with the rich man Ishmael gave it to me.” Call Ishmael: he will confirm everything I tell you.
And the peasant told everything that happened. Meanwhile, Ishmael was brought in.
- Were you in a hole with a snake, a fox and a bear? Did that peasant pull you out? - the cadi asked him.
“He’s lying, you shameless drunkard!” I didn't see any hole! - Ishmael answers.
The peasant was stunned with surprise - he did not expect such ingratitude - and exclaimed:
-Who asked me to save you? You! Who promised to reward me with everything I want? You! And now you’re saying that I made it all up!
- You are a liar, a drunkard, a thief! I didn’t ask you for anything, I didn’t promise you anything! - Ishmael shouts. - Call your witnesses, liar, so that they confirm the veracity of your words. Where are they?
Here the cadi himself attacked the peasant:
- Answer, despicable one, where are your witnesses? You are a liar, a murderer and a thief! Not only did you rob someone, you also slandered such a respectable and rich man as Ishmael! For all this you will be put to death!
The qadi called the guards - the nukers - and ordered:
- Grab him and throw him into the prison pit!
The nukers were about to approach the peasant, when suddenly screams of horror were heard outside the gate; people rushed in different directions. The cadi looks, the peasant looks, Ishmael, pale with fear, looks, everyone looks and sees: a bear and a fox are walking into the yard, a huge snake is crawling.
They approached the porch, bowed to the qadi and said:
“We are witnesses that the peasant is telling the truth, and the rich man Ishmael is lying.” The peasant saved us all and this ungrateful liar. We did not promise him anything for his salvation, but Ishmael promised to make him rich, but did not give him anything. Not only that, but he also slandered his savior and wants to be executed for no reason!
The animals surrounded the rich man Ishmael and said:
- Answer: did you sit with us in the pit and did this good man save you?
The rich man trembled with fear, fell to the ground and confessed:
- This man spoke the truth... Then the qadi returned the precious stone to the peasant and released him. And the people said:
“Apparently, animals have more conscience than our rich people!”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru