Once upon a time there was a fox who was very hungry. He was running around in the forest looking for good prey. Then he saw a partridge sitting in a tree. As soon as the partridge saw the fox, it let out a startled cry: "Tchicktatchak!"

The fox sat down under the tree, looked at the partridge and said. "But you can sing beautifully. I think you sing with your eyes and not with your beak."

The partridge shook its head. "But no, I sing with my beak!"

"I don't believe you, I'm sure you sing with your eyes. It's best if you come down, then I can cover your eyes and know that you're really singing with your beak."

"I won't do that!" cried the partridge, "you'll eat me for sure!"

"But no," said the fox. "Don't you know that I swore a year ago that I wouldn't eat any more partridges?"

The fox gave the partridge such a friendly look that it flew down from the tree. But as soon as its feet touched the ground, it grabbed it and said: "You're so stupid and believe every word I say! Now I'm going to eat you!"

"Wait!" cried the partridge. "I want to tell you a secret. Before you eat me, you have to pray, then my meat will last for a whole year."

"For a whole year?" asked the fox and because he was very hungry, he sat down, closed his eyes and began to pray: "Bism'illahi 'rrahmâni, 'rrahîm ..." At that moment, the partridge escaped and quickly flew back up the tree.

"You're so stupid and believe every word I say!" the partridge shouted, laughing.

The fox was very annoyed, he lay down on the ground and pretended to be ill. "Can't you see how bad I am? Please come down and help me," he said.

But there was a noise in the forest. "Someone is coming to help you," called the partridge.

At that moment, hunters came, saw the fox and chased after him. It ran away as fast as it could. Who knows if he escaped the hunters. But the partridge fluttered away satisfied.

Tschetschenisches Märchen, Fassung Djamila Jaenike, nach: A. Dirr, Kaukasische Märchen, Jena 1922,  englische Fassung Lysander Jaenike © Mutabor Märchenstiftung