Insects
August Jakobson „Sääsk ja hobune“ ja „Ämblik ja vähk“ raamatust „Ööbik ja vaskuss“.
Kuula siit:
https://vikerraadio.err.ee/837631/ohtujutt-saask-ja-hobune-amblik-ja-vahk
One day a horse was out grazing in the field when a mosquito flew up to him. "Don't you see me?" the mosquito asked, seeing that the horse did not notice him.
"I see you now," the horse replied. The mosquito looked over the horse—he looked at his tail, his back, his neck and at both his ears, one after the other. He looked and he shook his head.
"You're terribly big, my friend, aren't you!" said he.
"Well, yes, I'm not what you'd call small, agreed the horse.
"I am much smaller than you."
"You are indeed!"
"And you must be strong, too?"
"Strong enough."
"I don't suppose a fly could get the better of you, could it?"
"Certainly not!"
"Nor a horse-fly?"
"Nor a horse-fly."
"Nor even a gad-fly?"
"No. Nor even a gad-fly."
The mosquito was pleased. "The horse is strong but I’m even stronger," thought he, and, sticking out his chest, he said:
"You may be big and strong, Horse, but we mosquitoes are stronger still. We need only light into you, and you 11 be done for. We'll win hands down!"
"No, you won’t!" said the horse.
"Yes, we will!" "No!" "Yes!"
They went on like that for an hour and then another, but neither would let the other have the last word.
"It's no use arguing," the horse said at last. We can have it out between us and see who wins!
"Yes, let’s do that!" the mosquito agreed. He rose from the horse's back where he had been sitting and called in a piping voice: "Hey, there, mosquitoes, fly here!"
And at this so many mosquitoes came flying toward him as cannot be imagined! From a birch wood they flew, and from a spruce grove, from the swamps, and the pond, and the river, and they all flew straight at the horse. They settled all over him and clung to his body, and the horse asked: "Well, are all of you here now?"
"Yes, all!" replied the first mosquito who was a bully if there ever was one.
"And has each found a place for himself?"
"Yes!"
"Then hold on fast!" said the horse.
He flung himself down on his back, his hoofs sticking up in the air, and began rolling from side to side, and in less than a minute he had squashed all the mosquitoes. Of the whole mighty host only one little soldier was left alive, and even his wings were grazed; and, apart from him, the bully who had been sitting some distance away from the rest. That is always the way with bullies: they start a fight and then steal off and keep out of it. The little soldier who had only just managed to fly away from the horse now flew up to the bully, and, addressing him as if he were a general, reported:
"The horse is dead. Killed on the spot! Had we had only four more men we might have clung to his hoofs and skinned him."
"Good work!" said the bully, and off he flew hurriedly to the forest in order to tell the bugs and the gnats of the victory. For this was no joke!
The mosquitoes had vanquished a horse, so surely their tribe was the mightiest of all the tribes on earth!
Hobune sõi koplis, sääsk tuli lennates alt luha poolt. Hobune ei pannud sääske tähele ja sääsk küsis: “Külamees, kas sa mind ei näegi?” “Nüüd näen küll,” vastas hobune. Sääsk vaatas hobust väga tähelepanelikult - vaatas saba, vaatas selga, vaatas kapju, vaatas jalgu, vaatas keha, vaatas kõrvu. Väärutas imestades pead ja ütles: “Oi, oi, oled ikka, vennas, suur küll.”
“Olen, olen suur,” noogutas hobune.
“Sa oled ju, kaim, suurem minustki.”
“Olen, olen suurem sinuski.”
“Jõudu on sul kah vist päris palju?” küsis sääsk.
“No on palju, no on palju,” vastas hobune.
“Ega kärbsed tee sulle vist häda midagi?”
“Ei-noh, kärbsed küll mulle midagi häda ei tee.”
“Sõgelasedki vist... ei saa sinu vastu?”
“Ei-noh, sõgelased küll minu vastu ei saa.”
“Ega ole ju paremat palka parmudegagi?”
“Kus sa sellega, neh - ega ole paremat palka parmudegagi.”
Nüüd ajas sääsk rinna ette, uhkustas:
“Ole sa suur, mis sa oled, ole sa tugev nagu tahad - sääserahvas käib sust üle nagu poleks sind olemaski olnud!”
“Ei käi, ei käi!” ütles hobune.
“Käib, no käib!” jäi sääsk kindlaks.
Vaidlesid nõnda hobune ja sääsk tunni, vaidlesid teise - kumbki ei andnud
järele. Kuni hobune viimaks arvas:
“Mis seal ilma asjata tülitseda ja tühja tuult tallata - katsume jõudu!”
“Õige, õige, katsume jõudu jah,” nõustus sääsk, tõusis lendu ja hüüdis
heleda häälega: “Meie mehed - kähku kokku! Meie mehed, kähku kokku!”
Oi, oi, oi, kus siis hakkas sääski lagedale lendama! Tuli neid kaasikust ja
tuli neid kuusikust; ilmus neid laantest ja ilmus neid rabadest; kihutas neid kohale soodest ja kihutas neid kohale sonnidest. Ja igaüks, kes aga pärale jõudis, asus kohe hobusele kallale! Kui kedagi enam tulemas polnud, vaatas hobune üle õla ja küsis: “Kas kõik on siin?”
“Kõik siin, kõik siin!” vastas pealik-sääsk.
“Ja kõik ju tugevasti tööl kah?” küsis hobune.
“Kõik tööl, kõik tööl!” vastas pealik-sääsk.
Hobune laskis enda nüüd pikali, hakkas kõvasti püherdama. Püherdas, püherdas, püherdas, ega jätnudki enne, kui sääskede vägi surnud oli. Ainult üks soldat-sääsk pääses eluga. Tõusis vaeseke oma valutavate tiibade varal kuidagiviisi õhku, lendas pealik-sääse juurde, lõi kannad kopsudes kokku ja teatas:
“Pikali saime vaenlase! Oleks meil veel neli meest olnud, kes oleksid hobust jalust kinni hoidnud - kõik seadsin juba valmis, tahtsin just nahka hakata võtma.”
“Tubli, tubli!” kiitis pealik-sääsk ja kihutas tuhatnelja metsa teistele putukatele ja matikatele rõõmusõnumit teatama - sääserahvas võitis hobuse enda, sääserahvas on tänasest päevast peale kõige vägevam rahvas terves maailmas!”