Reward of goodness

Once upon a time . . . . In ancient times there was a horseman. This horseman told that he was going his way on a hillside when suddenly a scared and frightened snake came toward him. The horseman was preparing to defend himself that the snake greeted him swiftly and said, "Oh young man! Help me now. A dangerous enemy had chased me and I have no other way out."
Rider said: "You are a snake, and what a serpent does is deception. I should be cautious. Only after true understanding I can trust you." Snake said, "Oh Rider! Demon has disguised as a dervish and wants to hunt me and burn me and make a medicine from my ashes and take it for curing the eyes of the daughter of the king of the fairy who has become blind."
Rider and snake were talking with each other that from a distance, across the dark desert, it seemed a dervish was coming swiftly. Dervish came toward them. Rider understood that the snake was not wrong in its speech. As soon as the rider you see danger closely, opened his saddlebag and wanted the serpent to go into it and hide himself. But the snake who was really scared, said "Oh young man! If Demon finds me in your, he will make both of us ashes. "
Rider said: "Do you know any better place?"
Snake said, "Be chivalrous and hide me inside your stomach."
Rider had been feared from advent of the demon. So, opened his mouth and swiftly the snake went to his mouth into his stomach and rested there. Rider waited until when Dervish approached. Upon reaching, Dervish greeted and said: "Young man! Didn't you see a black dangerous snake on your way?" Rider said, "I am coming from a long way and I have not seen anything other than rocks and thorns on my way. Maybe there was also serpent, but I did not see."
Dervish had doubted the rider. So, he wanted the rider to give him a piece of bread. Rider dismounted and took his tablecloth out of the saddlebag and spread in front of Dervish. Dervish not only ate a piece of bread but also saw well inside the saddlebag. When he became sure that the snake was not in the saddlebag said goodbye and left there. Young man also galloped rapidly and got away from there. He reached a thicket having many trees. He dismounted and said to the serpent: "Dave went and I arrived a safe place too. Here is a thick grove. Now, come out and hide yourself in the grove."
Snake guffawed and said: "Ignoramus! Do you know anywhere warmer, softer and better than where I am? I have all of food, water and a good shelter for the cold and heat. My place is good. You have to think about yourself."
Young man said: "If I had let you there, Dave had already incinerated you. I favored you and didn't let you be killed. Is badness the reward of goodness?"
Snake guffawed and said: "Young man! Don't you know really that badness is the reward of goodness? If you do not know this fact, ask it from this and that. And if their answer was not affirmative, I will come out of your stomach. It's my bet. "
Rider became upset and didn't know what to do with this plight. Being sad, he went and went until he arrived a river side. He sat there and said to the water: "Oh water! Lives of all the creatures depend on you. I don't know anyone more generous than you. Please tell me: Is badness the reward of goodness?"
Water turned around a rock and said: "Young man! listen. Weary travelers, dirty from head to toe, arrive here. I give water to these people to drink as well as cleaning their heads and faces. They lie next to me and rest, and when they want to leave me they urinate into me and make me unclean. They are not grateful. You can see that the good rewards bad. Well, good is punished by evil. "

The man became more upset and rode his horse and went and went till he reached an old and tired donkey. He treated the donkey completely and said: "Oh Donkey! Tell me if the reward of goodness is badness." The old tired donkey sighed and said: "Listen, young man! From when the human being put saddle on back of me I I've served him. Everyone knows how a donkey works so much. With all the works and carrying loads, day and night, soon I became old and tired. Now I'm for the human being as if I haven't served him at all. When he noticed the weakness of me, hit me and threw me out of his house to become feed of predators. As you see, badness is the reward of goodness."
The donkey said this and shook his head and went. The young man was seeing that his work was getting worse and worse. With a deep sorrow he rode his horse without knowing what he should do.
He went and went until he reached an old fox near a hill. He dismounted and sat beside the fox and wiped the dust from his head and body and said: "Oh wise old fox! Tell me if the reward of goodness is badness." Fox said: "Look, well-stature young man! This word of you cannot be reasonless. What has happened to you? Why are you worried and so sad? What has defeated you?"
Young man said, "I am coming from a far distance. Both I and my horse are so tired. We should also continue a long way. Across the river and the woods and the mountains I saw a so frightened snake on a narrow way that was escaping from his enemy, Demon. I saved him by hiding him inside my stomach. I did a good deed to him. When the enemy went, I wanted him to come out of my stomach and hid in the woods. Well, I do not want any bad thing for anyone. But the snake who was no longer in danger said that he had obtained a safe place and said that the reward of goodness was badness. I asked Water, and he said about the injustice that was committed to him by the human being, and believed that the reward of goodness was badness. Next, I saw an old and tired donkey on my way. He was such bored who had no good mood at all. Men oppressed him very much and at his oldness had expelled him out of house in order that be eaten by the predators. Donkey said also that badness was the reward of goodness. Now I'm serving both old and wise. Now, I'm in your presence. You are both old and wise. Please let me know if the reward of goodness is badness."
Old fox waved his long and beautiful tail and said, "I do not accept Snake's word unless he can show me what happened between you in order that I can judge. Snake agreed and came slowly out of the mouth of the young man and showed all what happened from seeing the horseman to going into the saddlebag of the young man in order to be hidden. When the snake went to the saddlebag, Fox immediately closed the opening of the saddlebag and wanted the young horseman to gather massive firewood.
When massive firewood was gathered by the young man, Fox put the saddlebag, containing the snake, on the firewood and lashed his long and beautiful tail onto the ground and fired the firewood. The snake was burned and became some ashes. Fox poured the ashes into a small and wanted the young man to take it and to rub it on the eyes of the daughter of the king of the fairy in order that her eyes would be cured.
The horseman took the box and went and went until when he arrived the land of the fair. He gave the snake's ash to the king of this land. The king rubbed the ash on his daughter and her eyes, that were blind, became healed. Because of this goodness of the horseman, King of the fairy brought his daughter to marry him and also appointed him as his successor in order that the reward of goodness to be goodness.