[1] Cf. Paspati, Études sur les Tchinghianés (Constantinople, 1870), p. 605, Conte 2me.
IX
The Two Brothers
Once upon a time there were two brothers. Each of them possessed ten loaves of bread; and they said: ‘Let us go and seek our fortune.’ So they arose and went forth.
When they had gone a little way they were hungry. One brother said to the other: ‘Come, let us eat thy bread first, then we can eat mine.’ And he agreed, and they took of his loaves and did eat, and they afterwards went on their way.
And they travelled for some time in this manner. At last, when these ten loaves were finished, the brother who had first spoken said: ‘Now, my brother, thou canst go thy way and I shall go mine. Thou hast no loaves left, and I will not let thee eat my bread.’ So saying, he left him to continue his journey alone.
He went on and on, and came to a mill in a thick forest. He saw the miller and said: ‘For the love of God, let me stay here to-night.’ The miller answered: ‘Brother, it is a very terrible thing to be here at night; as thou seest, even I go elsewhere. Presently wild beasts will assemble in the wood, and probably come here.’ ‘Have no fear for me; I shall stay here. The beasts cannot kill me,’ answered the boy. The miller tried to persuade him not to endanger his life, but when he found his arguments were of no avail he rose and went home. The boy crept inside the hopper of the mill.
There appeared, from no one knows where, a big bear; he was followed by a wolf, then a jackal; and they all made a great noise in the mill. They leaped and bounded just as if they were having a dance. He was terrified, and, trembling from fear, he lay down, quaking all over, in the hopper. At last the bear said: ‘Come, let each of us tell something he has seen or heard.’ ‘We shall tell our tales, but you must begin,’ cried his companions. The bear said: ‘Well, on a hill that I know dwells a mouse. This mouse has a great heap of money, which it spreads out when the sun shines. If any one knew of this mouse’s hole, and went there on a sunny day, when the money is spread out, and struck the mouse with a twig, and killed it, he would become possessed of great wealth.’