Kelew

A long time ago there lived a man named Kelew. One day his wife gave him money and said:

– You will go to the fair, you will buy oil.

He took Kelew a dry, empty gourd*, mounted his donkey, and rode to the fair. He bought oil, he goes home, but being tired, he decided to rest. He got down from the donkey, put the gourd with the oil on the ground, and began to meditate on what to tie the donkey to. It was empty around, not a bush or grass, not even the smallest one. The gourd caught his eye, he was overjoyed, and tied the donkey to the neck of the gourd.

"How inventive and smart I am," he thought, and lay down on the ground.

And the donkey, as a donkey does, stood a little calmly, and then lifted its tail up, roared, and if it doesn't go ahead. And the gourd trails behind him. Kelew gave chase. But the donkey goes farther and farther. And the gourd bounces on the hills until suddenly it jumped harder and shattered into tiny pieces. The donkey was completely out of sight. What was there to do? Kelew went in search. He met a man and asked:

"Haven't you seen my donkey?"

When he was approached, he realized that he had a weirdo in front of him and decided to make fun of him.

"I saw it," he says.

- Where?

"He's in the palace now, he's been chosen as kadi."

Without thinking for a long time, Kelew went to the kadi's palace. He grabbed him, dragged him into the street and shouted:

– Come on! let's go!

People, seeing the brawl, circled Kelew and Kadi and asked curiously:

"Kelew, where are you dragging him?"

- To home! It's my donkey. I tied him to a gourd of oil and he ran away. The gourd broke, oil spilled. I can't lose him either. Kelew told his story and called again to the stunned kadi: "A nu, hurry up!"

Kadi didn't know what to do. People were laughing and Kelew was rushing him. Better buy him out, he thought, and paid for the donkey, oil, and gourd.

He took Kelew's money and went home. But one of Kadi's confidants regretted the money:

"This weirdo is supposed to get that much money?" No, you have to get them out of him somehow.

He overtook Kelew, sat down on the road and ate a watermelon, and put another beside him. Kelew was thirsty, and he ate a piece of watermelon.

"Tasty," he says.

“And the other one is even tastier,” says the scammer. – In addition, the foal is still maturing in it.

– How much is this watermelon? Kelew asks.

"Just like a donkey."

What a profitable deal, thought Kelew. "I'll have something delicious and sweet, and I'll take a horse home instead of a donkey."

He bought a watermelon, and the cheater gives him advice for the road:

"Don't cut him open until you get home or your foal will run away."

He carries Kelew the watermelon carefully, like a jug full of water, until he stumbles. The watermelon fell out of his hands, hit the ground and broke. A rabbit was sleeping right there. The crackling of a watermelon woke him up and a hare in the legs.

It's my foal that's running away, thought Kelew.

He sighed, sighed, and headed home. His wife saw him and asked:

- Where's the oil?

Kelew na to:

“Stupid woman, my foal ran away, and you're out of your mind.

And he told the whole story. The wife listened, nodded her head and said:

"That fate brought me together with such a fool."

* The dried, hollow gourd is used as a vessel in which the oil is stored.

** Kadi - Muslim judge.