Tsar Bacha and the Ants

In a great country, there lived a great king named Bacha. One day, wishing to amuse himself, he went to a vast plain and held a grand feast there. Several thousand guests attended the feast, and during the banquet, some of the rice from their lips fell to the ground.

When the feast was over, the guests departed, and the rice that had fallen to the ground was gathered by ants. They carried it away and buried it in the earth.

Soon after, a great king from another country arrived in this land. He decided to wage war against the king who had held the grand feast.

The army made a stop at the very place where the feast had taken place. The place was completely barren—no trees, no water—and the entire army was starving.

Seeing that the soldiers had nothing to eat, the ants retrieved the cooked rice from the ground and fed the entire army with it.

Then the leader of the army asked the ants:

"O ants, where did you get this cooked rice?" The ants replied:

"O great king, in this country lives another great king—Bacha. Recently, King Bacha came to this place and feasted here. When the rice was eaten, the guests departed, and the crumbs that fell from their lips, we gathered and hid for ourselves."

The leader of the army was astonished:

"It seems that this king has a great army and a great country. It is better for us not to wage war against him. I feel that we cannot defeat him."

And with these words, he turned his army back.

More fairy tales

• Who Stole the Egg?
• The Miser
• Portrait of a Girl from the Palace
• The Dog and the Deer
• The Magic Painting