Once upon a time, there was a poor man. This poor man went out one morning with his two cows to plough. As he passed by the forest, he heard a rustling sound. He goes into the forest to see what it is. Well, he sees a big bear fighting with a little rabbit.
- "I've never seen anything like it in my life," says the poor man, and he laughed so good that he burst out laughing.
- How dare you laugh at me, you rabid horde man! - cursed the bear. - I'll eat you and your cows.
But the poor man was no longer laughing. He begged the bear not to eat him, at least until the evening. Until then he ploughed up his land, his poor house, so that he would not be left without bread.
- Well, I won't hurt you until tonight, but then I'll eat you!
So the bear went about his business, and the poor man ploughed on sadly. A fox darted in from the south. He noticed that the poor man was moping. He asked him what was the matter?
The poor man told us how he had been with the bear.
- If that's all that's wrong, I can easily help. You shall not be hurt; you shall have yourself, your cow, and even the skin of the bear. But what will you pay if I help you?
The poor man didn't know what to promise, because he didn't have much money. Finally they agreed on nine hens and a rooster. It was hard for the poor man to promise, for he did not know where to get it; but he promised.
- Now, poor man, listen to me! When the bear comes here in the evening, I hide in the bush and sound the horn, as hunters do. Then the bear says, "What is it? You say: hunters are coming. Then the bear is frightened and asks you to hide him. You put him in the bag of coals and tell him not to move. Then I come out of the bush and say, "What's in the sack? You say, "Coal capital. I don't want to believe it, so I say, "Stick your axe in the top of that! Thou smitest the bear on the head, and he is about to die a monster.
The poor man was delighted with the good advice and followed it. Everything happened as the fox said. The bear was out of luck and the poor man got rid of his cow.
- Didn't I tell you that would happen? - says the fox. - Learn from this, that more with reason than with force. But I have things to do now, I'm hurrying home. But tomorrow I'll come to you for the nine hens and the one cock. I want them to be fat. Be at home, or you'll be bitter.
The poor man put the bear on his cart and returned home safely. At home he had a good dinner, slept well, and was not much afraid of the fox, for he had learned from him that he should use his wits more than his strength.
In the morning, he had barely opened his eyes when the fox knocked on the door and asked for the nine hens and one rooster.
"I'll be right with you, mate, I'll be right with you, I'll just get dressed," says the poor man. He quickly got dressed, but instead of opening the door, he stood in the middle of the house and started to yap with his mouth.
- You poor man, what makes you think? maybe you're just not a cop?
- Yes, mate, it's a copper, and two coppers at that. They slept under the bed, I don't know where they came from. They've smelled you, they want to run out, I can hardly hold them!
- Just hold it until I run away. I don't mind, you can have the hen and the rooster.
By the time the poor man opened the door, the fox was already over the ungon-berk. The poor man laughed a lot at him, and he might still be laughing if he hadn't died.
(Vilmos Radó: Hungarian Children's and Folk Tales, First Collection - Singer and Wolfner Publishing; Budapest, Andrássy út 10, VI.)
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