Once upon a time there lived a certain khan. When he needed to migrate, he placed antelope horns at the site of his housewarming so that they would clear the area of alamas.
[Alamas - devil, devil]
One day, a certain hunter, having decided to bring swans as a gift to the khan, went to the lake and there, lying down, holding his gun at the ready, he began to wait for game. Seven swans flew to this lake. The hunter decided to shoot all seven swans when they all lined up in one row. While he was waiting for this moment, another hunter shot at one swan and killed it outright. He tied the killed swan to his belt with a red silk thread and took it as a gift to the khan. The first hunter came to the khan and said:
- All-powerful Khan, I was lying on the shore of the lake and waiting for the moment when all seven swans would stretch out in one row, so that I could kill them all with one shot and take them to you as a gift. But at this time another hunter appeared, shot one of the swans and carried it to you, and the rest were frightened by the shot and flew away. I ask you, Khan, to convene a fair court and order that hunter to pay me the cost of seven swans.
In response to this, the khan said:
“Firstly, it is still unknown whether you could kill all seven swans with one shot, and secondly, the hunter you are complaining about came to me before you and not empty-handed, like you, but with one swan, so I refuse to examine your court case.”
This lawsuit was never resolved.
A rich Gelyung lived in the Khan's domain. When the ta buns of this Gelyung were driven to a watering place, then on the way, so as not to interfere, the entire population had to migrate to other places in advance.
So one day the entire population moved from the path of the herd, leaving only one tent of a poor man whose wife was giving birth.
When the Gelyung herds went to drink, they made such a noise that the poor man’s newborn child died. The next day the poor man came to the khan with a complaint:
“Yesterday, Khan, when the herds of Gelyung Gavang were going to drink, my wife gave birth to a child, and the newborn died from the noise of the herds. I ask you, Khan, to resolve this court case and punish the culprit.
“Perhaps the herds, passing through your tent, crushed your son?” - the khan asked smiling.
“No, the herds did not walk through my wagon, but past it, but if they had not passed by the wagon, my child would not have died,” the poor man said insistently.
“The herds went to water past the wagon, the wagon remained unharmed, although the child died.” - Thinking like this, the khan said to the poor man:
- No, I am not able to make a decision on this matter.
The second court case was never resolved.
A certain boy, who had only a mother, hired himself out to the khan to herd his calves, play with his children and resolve their disputes. The Khan's children always listened to the words of this boy.
One day the boy was very hungry, but there was nothing to eat. Then the boy persuaded the khan's children to slaughter the calf.
As they decided, that’s what they did: they slaughtered the calf, boiled the meat and ate it.
In the evening the cows came home, but there was no calf. They began to search, they began to ask questions, and the Khan’s children confessed - they handed over the boy instigator.
Khan called the boy and asked:
- Why, why and how did you slaughter our calf?
“I really wanted to eat,” he answered.
After interrogating the boy, the khan decided to execute him. Having learned about this, the boy’s mother immediately ran to the khan and began to beg him:
- Mister Khan, don’t execute my son, he’s not an ordinary person!
Khan became interested in the boy and called him to his place.
— There are two unresolved court cases; “If you resolve them, then I will forgive you,” said the khan.
“I can decide, just tell me what kind of court cases these are,” the boy answered.
The Khan immediately sent a messenger for the hunter. The hunter has arrived. The boy asked him:
“Are you the one who wanted to kill seven swans with one shot?”
“Yes, I’m the same one,” answered the hunter.
- How far away were the swans from you?
- More than a hundred paces away.
- Do you have children? - asked the boy.
— I have a two-year-old son.
“If you are a truly skilled marksman, then put your son to bed, place a swan egg on his head and with one shot, at a distance of more than a hundred paces, pierce him through. Then you can be sure that you could hit all seven swans with one shot,” said the boy.
The hunter agreed. Here, in front of everyone, he put his son to bed, placed a swan egg on his head and, at a distance of over a hundred paces, pierced him through with one shot, and his son remained unharmed.
This is how the first court case was resolved. The hunter was compensated for the loss.
“There is one more court case,” said the khan. — When the herds of Gelyung Gavang went to water, then on their way stood the wagon of one poor man, whose wife had just given birth to a child. Although the herds did not go through the wagon, but past it, the newborn child was still frightened by the noise and died. The father of this child demands that the owner of the Gelyung herds, Gavang, be convicted. Resolve this controversial court case,” the khan addressed the boy.
“You can,” said the boy, “but just fill a large cauldron with sheep’s milk and, after boiling it, put the injured poor man in the wagon.”
At that same hour, the sheep were milked, a large cauldron was filled with their milk, boiled and placed in the poor man’s tent for the whole night. The next day, the herds of Gelyung Gavang were driven to a watering place past the wagon where the pot of milk stood. The shock and noise caused the film that had formed on the milk to crack into four pieces.
“The brain of a newborn baby is like a film of milk,” said the boy. — When the herds of Gelyung Gavang walked noisily to a watering place past the wagon, the child suffered a concussion and he died.
Gelyung Gawang was punished.
This is how the second court case was resolved.
Khan overturned the decision to execute the boy and made him his judge.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru