Semetey. The Marriage of Semetey to Aichurek. The Quarrel of Semetey with Chinkodjo. Part - 1

When Kulchoro, the son of Almambet, turned twelve years old, and Kanchoro, the son of Chubak, turned fourteen, their strength was such that they could not find enemies to fight or even a mountain to lean on.

Semetey called both of them, as well as Bakay, Sary-khan, and Ormon-khan, and said to them:

- The son of Shapak, Chinkodjo, is a close relative of mine. When my father Manas died, he did not come, according to Muslim custom, to read the prayer for the deceased. When I returned to my homeland in Talas after exile, he still did not want to come here to visit me. But I do not want to remember the past. Let Chinkodjo, my uncle, come to me and settle in Talas. Together we must avenge Manas on Konurbay. Let our army go against the Chinese under the leadership of Chinkodjo.

Having said this, he wrote him a letter and sent Bakay, Ormon-khan, Kulchoro, and Kanchoro to him. Upon arriving at Chinkodjo's place, they told him about Semetey's familial grievance and delivered the written letter to him. After reading the letter, Chinkodjo became angry.

- Has the vagabond and orphan become a great man? - he said. - I would rather die than be under the protection of Semetey. - And he began to insult Bakay, nearly beating him.

Listening to the insults and abuse directed at Bakay, Kulchoro could not stand it and, defending the honor of his kin, drew his whip from his belt and struck Chinkodjo on the head so hard that he fell unconscious and lay for a long time without speaking.

At that time, Bakay-khan, Kulchoro, Kanchoro, and Ormon-khan stole all the horses from Chinkodjo's herds that were roaming in the steppe.

When Chinkodjo came to his senses, he was very upset to see that he had lost all his horses. Experiencing such shame, he was ready to die, but life was sweet. After such humiliation, he would have liked to hide in the ground, but it was hard. And then he made this decision:

- I will go to the hero Toltoy from the Jediger clan. By stirring him up, I will help him take the daughter of Akhun-khan - Aichurek, the fiancée of Semetey. By this, I will restore my honor and take revenge for the insult.

Chinkodjo rallied all his people, and they, migrating day and night without stopping, arrived at Toltoy's place.

Upon arriving at Toltoy, Chinkodjo said to him:

- Although you are many times braver than Semetey, he has humiliated you.

Having heard nothing until now and not knowing what was happening, Toltoy did not understand Chinkodjo's words and replied:

- Repeat what you are saying?

- The girl I wanted to take as my wife, the daughter of Shatemir, Chachikey, Semetey, the son of Manas, forcibly took her as his wife. You have an old enmity with the offspring of Manas. Therefore, now, if you, Toltoy, agree to help me, let us gather a large army and go against Akhun-khan. His daughter Aichurek is also Semetey's fiancée. We will offer Akhun-khan to give her to us voluntarily, and if he does not give her, we will disgrace him and take Aichurek by force. If Semetey has taken my fiancée, we must take Semetey's fiancée.

Harboring a grudge against Manas for a long time, Toltoy agreed with Chinkodjo's words and informed his people about the campaign. Leaving no man capable of riding a horse, he gathered such an army that the earth bent under it and set out towards the city of Akhun-khan.

Upon approaching there, they both surrounded the city with their armies and sent a letter to Akhun-khan, proposing to give them Aichurek.

Akhun-khan replied to them:

- If you really think to take my daughter as a wife, send matchmakers and pay the bride price as is customary.

- He speaks the truth, - said Chinkodjo and Toltoy, upon receiving such a response, - it is not right to shed blood needlessly without sending matchmakers and knowing the answer.

And they sent Telek as a matchmaker, handing him the letter. Telek, taking the letter and spurring his horse, arrived at the golden palace of Akhun-khan. When he arrived, at the gates of the palace stood a thousand armed heroes on guard. Each of them was so strong that he could easily withstand a thousand men. Seeing them, Telek was frightened and thought about going back, but it was already too late. Six of those heroes under their guard led him to Akhun-khan.

- What is your name and why have you come, tell us, are you an enemy or a peaceful man? - asked him Akhun-khan.

Confused and losing the ability to speak, Telek took out the letter he had and handed it to Akhun-khan.

After reading the letter, Akhun-khan realized that Chinkodjo and Toltoy had surrounded his city with their armies and were offering to voluntarily give them Aichurek; otherwise, they threatened to destroy everything and take her by force.

Akhun-khan thought to himself: - "How did they know that Aichurek is betrothed?"

And reasoning, he concluded that perhaps Semetey had offended Chinkodjo in some way, and that upon arriving at Toltoy and wishing to take revenge, he had incited him, which is why they had come here. Akhun-khan decided that it was difficult to openly argue with Chinkodjo and Toltoy, as they were strong enemies and needed to be dealt with cunningly.

Having made this decision, Akhun-khan said:

- Brave Telek! Why have Chinkodjo and Toltoy surrounded my city with their numerous army?

Have I ever killed their young men or violated peace with them? It is shameful for them to act this way! If Chinkodjo or Toltoy liked Aichurek, let them come here peacefully and, according to custom, bring livestock, and let Chinkodjo's horse and Toltoy's horse - Surkoyon - lead this livestock. My Aichurek is not an ordinary girl. Let them wait eighty days while I give them an answer.

Not missing or forgetting a single word of Akhun-khan, Telek conveyed all this to Chinkodjo and Toltoy, and they, with their numerous army surrounding the city, decided to wait for the appointed eighty days.
When all this became known to Aichurek, she decided:

- My father is an old man; he cannot be relied upon. I need to fly myself in all four directions of the white world, choose a worthy hero - a giant, and marry him to take revenge on Chinkodjo and Toltoy for their insult. Having decided this, she transformed into a swan and flew out of the city.

Aichurek flew around all four corners of the world, wishing to find a worthy hero for herself. In Kashgar, she saw the hero Kanytbek; in Andijan, Synchibek; in Margilan, Molabek. She also met Belerik, the son of Aikodjo, and returned from them because she did not like any of them. She found Teshchuka, the son of Eleman, and Koshoy too old, and therefore left them. Umetey, the son of Kyokche, she found awkward and cowardly, and he did not appeal to her.

Among all the Muslim world, she did not find a hero equal to herself, and therefore decided that in order to escape from the pursuit of Chinkodjo and Toltoy and take revenge on them, she would have to marry a kapyra. Having decided this, she flew to Konurbay.

Semetey. The Flight of the Forty Choro to China.