In ancient times, a poor peasant lived in one village. He had a buffalo and two pieces of land on a mountain slope - that’s all his property. The poor man loved and pitied his buffalo very much, and therefore went to plow on it while it was still dark, while it was cool. And as soon as the rays of the sultry sun fell to the ground, the kind peasant would let the buffalo go to graze on the shady hillside, where there was always plenty of lush grass. Returning from the field, he did not forget to grab an armful of grass for his pet, and on a hot afternoon he bathed him in a cool stream. So the buffalo gained strength day by day and became a mighty handsome man with shiny sides. Fellow villagers admired him and praised him for his good character and hard work.
So the peasant and the buffalo lived, until one day a misfortune happened - someone set their sights on the handsome buffalo and took him away from the stable on a dark night. The next morning the peasant rushed to look for him, rushing from one village to another, asking everyone, he lost his joy and peace. Only on the tenth day, in a distant village, he looked into the barn of the rich man there and gasped: his buffalo was lying on a bed of hay, chewing cud. The poor man went straight to the owner and said:
- Give me my buffalo! You took it!
“Get out while you’re still alive,” answered the rich man, “or my bamboo stick will walk across your back.”
The poor man was taken aback by such impudence and became sad. He decided to go to the judge with a complaint against the offender.
And the judge in those parts was famous for his honesty and justice. Therefore, people believed him and, if trouble happened, they turned to him for help.
The judge listened to the complaint, thought about it, and then went to the village where the attacker lived.
“This is my buffalo,” the rich man answered his question. “Judge for yourself: I have a barn full of cattle, why should I covet someone else’s buffalo?” Would you like me to list all the characteristics of this buffalo? If I’m wrong, then I agree, let this ragamuffin take my buffalo for himself, I’ll give him fifty silver coins in addition.
The poor man says:
- No, this buffalo is mine! I'm willing to bet. If I am wrong, let the rich man take the buffalo and all my land.
The fair judge realized that both disputants would stand their ground to the last and that neither exhortations nor threats would achieve the truth, so he ordered the rich man to list the signs of a buffalo. Meanwhile, the poor man was taken away so that he could not overhear.
- Should I not know what my buffalo is like?! - exclaimed the rich man. - At the withers he is eleven spans tall. From the muzzle to the tip of the tail there are eighteen spans and three more fingers. His horns are slightly different: the left one is two spans and one finger long, and the right one is two spans and two-thirds of the middle finger...
The rich man continued to list the signs of the buffalo for a long time, until he completely tired the judge. The judge ordered to check whether everything was really as the rich man said. We checked - everything matched! It was the poor man's turn to testify. They brought him and said:
– List the characteristics of your buffalo. The poor man scratched his ear and said:
“Honorable judge, I can only remember one feature of him: when I stroke his horns, he sticks out his tongue with pleasure and licks his lips. I can't say anything else.
With these words, the poor peasant approached the buffalo and stroked its horns. Indeed, the buffalo stuck out its tongue and licked its lips. Those gathered just laughed - what a sign this is! Any buffalo licks its lips with pleasure. So the judge announced that the one who listed many signs is the real owner.
The poor man heard this decision, burst into tears from resentment, grabbed the buffalo by the rope, and dragged it along with him. And those gathered felt so sorry for the poor fellow that everyone became quiet and thoughtful. The judge also thought for a long time, and finally announced:
– The final trial will take place tomorrow.
The next morning the judge gathered the wise elders and asked them for advice:
“You were all at the trial, you all know everything.” What do you say, sir?
One old man stood up and said:
– It is clear to everyone that the judge yesterday judged with honor and fairness. Only doubts gnaw at me: in my life I have never seen any owner measure his cattle with such care - the height at the withers, the length of the horns, and the distance from the muzzle to the tip of the tail. Neither I nor anyone else would even waste time on this. I’m curious, why suddenly such a wealthy man, whose barn is full of cattle, studied his buffalo so diligently?
Another old man stood up and said:
- What if you ask the rich man for the signs of all the other buffaloes? If he can name it, then we have nothing to doubt. But he can’t - that’s clear...
The judge nodded his head approvingly and sent servants to fetch the rich owner, and at the same time bring three more buffaloes from his stable.
The rich man came, and the judge addressed him:
- Tell me, good man, the signs of these buffaloes too. The rich man opened his mouth, but immediately slammed it shut.
There's nothing to say to him. No matter how much they tried to persuade him, no matter how much they begged him, he could not remember a single sign. The judge shook his head and said:
“I see it wasn’t your buffalo, but a stolen one!” That’s why you measured him from all sides, hoping to fool everyone.
The deceiver lowered his head and could not say anything in his own defense. He had to give the poor man, as agreed, fifty silver coins. But he only counted out ten.
“Take your forty coins back,” he says. “I don’t need your money.” I took these only because because of you I didn’t work for ten whole days, but went looking for my buffalo. Oh you thief!
With these words, the poor man set off on his way back, followed by a handsome buffalo with shiny sides.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru