Folktales

The Hunter, Lion, Tree, Brook and the Hawk

A long time ago there was a hunter walking along the forest with his dogs. When he was far from the town, the wind blew very hard and rain followed. Then his dogs rested under a big tree.

When the rain stopped, he continues walking, his dog soon came near the cave. By and by he heard his dog barking because they saw a lion was lying down at the door of the cave, the stone fell on his back; then could not come out by and by the man saw the lion at the door of the cave.

The lion said, “Please remove this stone at my back.”

The man said, “I don’t want to, for you might eat me.”

“No.”, he said the lion. “I will not eat you. Please remove this stone and I will give you a reward for your kindness.”, said the lion.

Then the man removed the stone, and the lion stood up. “What then will you give me a reward?” asked the man.

“I will eat you up.”, said the lion.

“Is that your reward to me?”, asked the man. The man refused. The lion was very willing to eat the man.

The man and the lion went to the tree to ask for the judgement for the man did not want to be eaten up by the lion.

“Please give us your judgement.”, said the man to the tree.

“What is the cause of your fighting?”, asked the tree. Then the man began to tell the story: ‘While I was walking along the forest, I met the lion lying at the door of the cave. At the back of the lion there was a stone, and asked me to remove the stone and he promised that he will give me a reward.

As I want to know what thong he will give, I removed the stone at the back of the lion. After I removed the stone from his back, he stood up and told me he was going to eat me.”, the man said to the tree.

“Yes, I agree to the lion’s reason”, said the tree. But the man said, “No! I don’t want to be eaten by the lion.”

Then they went to the brook and asked for judgement. The brook asked, “What is the cause of your fighting?” The man told the brook the same thing that he told the tree and. The brook agreed also to the reason of the lion. The man did not agree to the tree and the brook.

Then they went to the hawk which was sitting on the branch of the tree. The man said, “Please, give us your judgement.’’

The hawk asked, “What is the cause of your fighting?” The man explained the matter of their fighting, then the hawk agreed to the reason of the hunter, and the hawk went to the place where they began to fight.

Then, the hawk begun to ask, then the man begun to tell the story. The hawk asked, “What was your position when this man saw you here?” The lion lay again at the door of the cave, and the man put again the stone at his back. Then the hawk said, no one placed the stone at your back; therefore no one will help you to removed the stone.

The hawk sent the man on his way and flew away.