The Tale of How the Fox and the Old Man Went Hunting

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman in the distant mountains. They sowed grain and tended livestock — that was their livelihood. And in those mountains lived a wild boar, a gray wolf, a clumsy bear, a striped tiger, a fearsome lion, and a cunning fox. They brought no peace to the old man and old woman.

One day, hard times came to the mountains, and life became difficult. It was especially hard for the fox: she was a gourmet, used to eating only the most tender and delicious food. But now, she was afraid of starving to death. The little fox wandered around, starved, and decided to go to the people. She came to the old man and old woman, pleading: — Don’t let me die of hunger, take me in. I will remember it for life! I will give you my cubs for fur...

— Oh, we have nothing to eat ourselves! — sighed the old man. — But well, you can’t just die.

And the old couple let the fox into their home. The fox lived with them for a week, but she saw that on such food, she wouldn’t last long: she only got bones, and not even all the time. The cunning one began to think about what to do. And she said to the old man:

— From such meager food, one could die. It’s time to go hunting. I will lure the animals right into the house, and we will manage with them somehow.

— Who will you bring? — asked the old man.

— Well, at least a lion, a tiger, a bear, and a wolf, — replied the fox.

— Are you out of your mind, you miserable creature?! — the old man got seriously angry. — Do you want to get us killed? — He nearly beat the fox. She burst into tears and began to persuade the old man...

The old man thought and thought and agreed;

— Well, red one, let’s give it a try.

And the fox set off into the mountains. She ran for a long time until she met a wild boar. When he saw the fox, he pleaded:

— Little fox, my dear, help me! Hunters are chasing me.

— Follow me, — said the fox, — we will hide with my old acquaintance.

They ran to the old man. The boar began to plead with a pitiful voice to let him into the house.

— Let him in, let him in, — the fox winked slyly at the old man.

— Very well — come in, — the old man opened the door.

As soon as the boar stepped over the threshold, the old woman met him:

— Where did you come from, you scoundrel! You’ll dirty the whole house, defile it. Get out of my sight!

At that moment, hunters appeared nearby. The boar got scared, rushed to the fox, and began to plead with her:

— Help me, little fox, save me. Think of something!

— Alright, get into this sack quickly! — ordered the fox.

The boar climbed into the sack. The old woman got angry seeing this: “How many crops have you ruined for people, how many meadows have you dug up, you stupid snout, and I have to hide you?” She hit the boar with a pestle. The boar was done for. That’s how they dealt with the boar. The fox feasted on boar meat for a long time and got fat.

One day, the fox set off into the mountains again. She met the wolf on the way.

— Little fox-sister, show some cleverness, hide me from the chase, — the gray wolf began to plead. The fox brought him home to the old man, told him to get into the sack. The old man and old woman were right there:

— A-ha, gray bandit, who stole our kid last year? Caught you now! — And he hit him on the head with a stick. They skinned him right there. The meat went to the fox. The fox got a taste for it and went to the mountains once more. She came to the forest and saw a bear sitting on the top of a tree.

— Misha, why did you climb the tree? — asked the fox. — You look frightened.

— Trouble, little fox! — replied the bear. — The tiger has been hunting me for six days. So I’m hiding here. I’m starving to death. Can you hide me in a safe place?

The fox brought the bear to the old man. When the old man and old woman saw the clumsy one, they said:

— Look who has come to visit us! We can’t even make ourselves a sheepskin coat, and he’s dressed in bear fur. Come on, take it off. — They hit him on the forehead with a pestle. The bear roared and fell down dead. Suddenly, the tiger came running.

— Did the bear come here? — he growled. The old man and old woman got scared and didn’t know what to answer. At that moment, they heard the roar of a lion in the distance. The tiger heard the lion and got scared for real.

— Forget about the bear, I’d better not lose my own life, — the tiger panicked. — Little fox, my dear, save me.

And the fox was already holding the sack ready. The tiger climbed into the sack. The old man tied the sack tightly and put it in the corner. The old woman took a club and said:

— There’s no peace from you. First, the boar shows up, then the gray wolf. I thought after the bear, no one would come, but now the tiger has come. I’ll teach you not to come here! — And she began to beat him with the club.

The old woman and old man dealt with the tiger and left the house. They saw a terrible beast running: a shaggy mane, a toothy mouth, eyes burning like fire, roaring louder than thunder — the ground shook beneath their feet.

— Was there a tiger here? — roared the lion, causing the old man and old woman to faint. At that moment, hunters appeared — guns at the ready, with drums. When the lion saw them, he got scared.

The old man and old woman came to their senses and at the lion's request to hide him, they took out a big leather sack: climb in!

The lion climbed into the sack, and just then the hunters arrived. They fired all their guns at once, and it was the end for the lion.

And the old man and old woman lived quietly and peacefully, no one bothered them anymore. And that’s the end of the tale.

KYRGYZ TALES