The daughter of the famous munushker married a simple, yet well-off man, who was neither a hunter nor a berkutchi and did not keep hounds — taigans. Several unremarkable years passed... One evening, the sound of a dog barking was heard. The kayinata (father-in-law) asked to check what the noise was. The woman went out, then quickly returned to the yurt and said:
— Three berkutchis are coming here: one is satisfied with the hunt, another is dissatisfied, and the third has completely given up.
Meanwhile, the three berkutchis had already dismounted their horses and entered the yurt to spend the night, intending to go hunting again in the morning. When the aksakal asked them about their hunting affairs, it turned out exactly as the young woman had described.
In the morning, when the guests had saddled their horses, the daughter-in-law turned to her father-in-law with a request:
— Father, if you love me, buy that berkut who caught nothing yesterday on the hunt.
The father-in-law could not refuse her request, went to the berkutchi, and said:
— Sell me your berkut.
The berkutchi replied:
— Oh, why sell it? I’ll just give it to you for free.
The father-in-law reported this to his daughter-in-law, who was in the yurt. But the daughter-in-law disagreed:
— No, father, that’s unfair — to receive it for free, because the lowest price for this berkut is a herd of one stallion (15-30 mares with foals).
The father-in-law was very reluctant to give so many horses for a worthless berkut. But the old man loved his daughter-in-law, so he went back to the berkutchi and proposed terms for the sale.
The aksakal managed to convince the owner of the berkut to accept the horses, and he left for his aiyl.
— Father, don’t be sad,— said the daughter-in-law,— this berkut was trained for hunting since it was a chick and caught a wild boar on its very first hunt. At that time, due to inexperience, it ate the entire fat of the boar, which is why its stomach is still clogged with koё bolan — the hair from the nape. While it’s not too late, slaughter a fat white mare — ak bée and feed the berkut kazy mai — belly fat: on the first day give it a bowl of fat, on the second day — a smaller bowl, and on the third — even less. This will soften the berkut's chest and stomach, and the boar's hair will come out of it.
The father-in-law did as his daughter-in-law instructed. And indeed, on the third day, the berkut recovered. After that, the daughter-in-law began training the berkut. As soon as the training was finished, she informed her husband and father-in-law of the following:
— Father, this berkut is not ordinary, but a famous too komdot. When going hunting, it is essential to take a camel, because the peculiarity of the berkut is that it will increase the amount of prey every day, and the horses will not be able to carry it. And if five people go hunting today, then ten should go tomorrow, fifteen the day after, then twenty, thirty, and so on.
The next day, the woman's husband went hunting with several hunters. The berkut caught everything in sight: foxes, wild mountain ungulates, wolves, etc.
Within a week, the berkut had enriched its owner. He became a famous and respected man, not only among his people but also among the neighbors — Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Karakalpaks.
One day he said:
— Women sometimes talk nonsense. I won’t take many hangers-on with me, just 4-5 people for company.
The berkut returned from the hunt alone. The woman immediately turned to her father-in-law with the words:
— Ata, this is not good. How many friends did your son take with him on the hunt today?
— It seems he took a few people, but what’s the matter?— replied the old man.
— Oh, oh! I warned you... The berkut killed those jigits out of greed, hurry and send people for help.
She caught the berkut, chopped off its strong back claws with an axe, and, releasing it into the wild, said:
— Farewell, my dear bird!
When the people arrived at the scene, they saw that the berkut had killed all five hunters and eaten their livers.
