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He kissed his parents' hands, sprang upon his black stallion, and left by night.
After galloping for three days and nights, he passed through Dere Sham and reached the edge of the forest where his brother was held captive in a castle.
Noticing that some infidels were grazing horses there, he drew his sword and killed six of them.
He drove away the horses by beating his small drum and led them into the forest. Having ridden for three days and nights, he felt very tired, and, tying the bridle of his horse to his wrist, he fell asleep.
An enemy scout had been watching him and now went and reported what he had seen to the infidel bey: "A crazy young man arrived from the Oghuz; he killed several grooms, drove off the horses,and ran them into the woods."
The infidel bey gave this order: "Pick sixty armed men, and let them go and catch him and bring him here." They picked sixty armed men, and these sixty infidels in armor fell upon the young man suddenly.
A suit of armor is judged by its clanking and a horse by the sound of its hoofs.
You know, my khan, that horses hear well.
The stallion that the young man had ridden warned him by pulling on its bridle. When the young man saw that a group of horsemen was coming, he sprang up. Repeating his belief in Mohammed-may his name be praised-he mounted his horse and struck at the black-dressed infidels with his sword until he drove them into the castle.
Drowsiness overtook him again, and he fell asleep after tying the bridle of his horse to his wrist, just as he had done before.
Those infidels who had survived the battle returned and reported to the infidel bey what had happened.
He said to them: "Shame upon you a hundred times.
Sixty of you could not catch a single young man.
This time, one hundred infidels rode against the young man.
When the stallion warned the young man again, he saw that a large force was approaching.
He arose and mounted his horse.
Repeating his belief in Mohammed-may his name be praised-he started striking the infidels with his sword and again drove them back into the castle.
He turned his horse and went back to his former place.
Once more he could not help being drowsy, and once more he fell asleep,tying the bridle of his horse to his wrist.
This time, the horse freed itself from its master's wrist and ran away.
The infidels went to their bey again. He said to them, "Let three hundred horsemen go against him this time!"
The infidels said: "No, we cannot. He will kill us all."
The infidel bey then asked: 'What are we supposed to do, then? Go and bring that prisoner here. The belly of a kicking animal is torn by a butting animal. Give him a horse and armor, too."
They went and said to Eghrek: "Young man, our bey has been merciful to you. There is a crazy fellow over there who has been stealing the subsistence of travelers, shepherds, and children. Go kill him, and we shall set you free."
"All right," he said.
They let Eghrek out of the dungeon, after shaving his beard and cutting his hair. They gave him a sword and a horse, and they assigned three hundred infidels to escort him.
When they approached the young man, the three hundred infidels stopped at a distance.
Eghrek asked, "Where is that crazy fellow?
" They pointed at him in the distance. Eghrek said, "Come, let us go and catch him."
The infidels said: "Our bey ordered you to catch him. You go."Eghrek said: "There he is. He is asleep. Let us go."
The infidels said: "He is not asleep, but he is watching us under his arm. He will soon arise and cut us to pieces."
Eghrek said, "Then let me go and tie him hand and foot, and you come later."
He sprang up from among the infidels and rode to where the young man lay.
He dismounted and fastened the bridle of his horse to the branch of a tree.
He saw that the stranger was a young man as handsome as the fourteenth day of the moon.
He was asleep, and there were drops of tears on his face.
He was totally unaware of anyone's coming or going.
He walked around him and stood by his head.
He noticed that the young man had his kopuz fastened to his waist.
He detached it and started playing and singing.
Let us see, my khan, what he sang.
"Behold the young man who arose
And mounted his black-maned Kazilik horse
And crossed Ala Mountain with the curved back
And shot through the fast-flowing river.
Should a stranger ever sleep alone?
Should he let his white hands be bound and himself be cast in a sty for pigs?
Would he cause his white-bearded father and white-haired mother
To lament and suffer for him?
Why are you sleeping, young man?
Be not a fool; raise your handsome head, O young man!
Open your light-brown eyes, young man!
Sleep has captured your soul, Allah given;
Permit not your hands to be tied round your arms;
Cause not your white-bearded father and aged mother to cry.
Who are you, young man, from the land of strong Oghuz?
For the sake of great Allah, stand up.
Know that you are surrounded By foes on four sides."
The young man awoke with a start and stood up.
He grabbed the handle of his sword to strike the stranger, but he saw that he had a kopuz in his hand.
He said: "O infidel, I spared your life for the sake of Dede Korkut's kopuz. If you had not had it in your hand, I should have sliced you in two for the sake of the head of my elder brother."
After galloping for three days and nights, he passed through Dere Sham and reached the edge of the forest where his brother was held captive in a castle.
Noticing that some infidels were grazing horses there, he drew his sword and killed six of them.
He drove away the horses by beating his small drum and led them into the forest. Having ridden for three days and nights, he felt very tired, and, tying the bridle of his horse to his wrist, he fell asleep.
An enemy scout had been watching him and now went and reported what he had seen to the infidel bey: "A crazy young man arrived from the Oghuz; he killed several grooms, drove off the horses,and ran them into the woods."
The infidel bey gave this order: "Pick sixty armed men, and let them go and catch him and bring him here." They picked sixty armed men, and these sixty infidels in armor fell upon the young man suddenly.
A suit of armor is judged by its clanking and a horse by the sound of its hoofs.
You know, my khan, that horses hear well.
The stallion that the young man had ridden warned him by pulling on its bridle. When the young man saw that a group of horsemen was coming, he sprang up. Repeating his belief in Mohammed-may his name be praised-he mounted his horse and struck at the black-dressed infidels with his sword until he drove them into the castle.
Drowsiness overtook him again, and he fell asleep after tying the bridle of his horse to his wrist, just as he had done before.
Those infidels who had survived the battle returned and reported to the infidel bey what had happened.
He said to them: "Shame upon you a hundred times.
Sixty of you could not catch a single young man.
This time, one hundred infidels rode against the young man.
When the stallion warned the young man again, he saw that a large force was approaching.
He arose and mounted his horse.
Repeating his belief in Mohammed-may his name be praised-he started striking the infidels with his sword and again drove them back into the castle.
He turned his horse and went back to his former place.
Once more he could not help being drowsy, and once more he fell asleep,tying the bridle of his horse to his wrist.
This time, the horse freed itself from its master's wrist and ran away.
The infidels went to their bey again. He said to them, "Let three hundred horsemen go against him this time!"
The infidels said: "No, we cannot. He will kill us all."
The infidel bey then asked: 'What are we supposed to do, then? Go and bring that prisoner here. The belly of a kicking animal is torn by a butting animal. Give him a horse and armor, too."
They went and said to Eghrek: "Young man, our bey has been merciful to you. There is a crazy fellow over there who has been stealing the subsistence of travelers, shepherds, and children. Go kill him, and we shall set you free."
"All right," he said.
They let Eghrek out of the dungeon, after shaving his beard and cutting his hair. They gave him a sword and a horse, and they assigned three hundred infidels to escort him.
When they approached the young man, the three hundred infidels stopped at a distance.
Eghrek asked, "Where is that crazy fellow?
" They pointed at him in the distance. Eghrek said, "Come, let us go and catch him."
The infidels said: "Our bey ordered you to catch him. You go."Eghrek said: "There he is. He is asleep. Let us go."
The infidels said: "He is not asleep, but he is watching us under his arm. He will soon arise and cut us to pieces."
Eghrek said, "Then let me go and tie him hand and foot, and you come later."
He sprang up from among the infidels and rode to where the young man lay.
He dismounted and fastened the bridle of his horse to the branch of a tree.
He saw that the stranger was a young man as handsome as the fourteenth day of the moon.
He was asleep, and there were drops of tears on his face.
He was totally unaware of anyone's coming or going.
He walked around him and stood by his head.
He noticed that the young man had his kopuz fastened to his waist.
He detached it and started playing and singing.
Let us see, my khan, what he sang.
"Behold the young man who arose
And mounted his black-maned Kazilik horse
And crossed Ala Mountain with the curved back
And shot through the fast-flowing river.
Should a stranger ever sleep alone?
Should he let his white hands be bound and himself be cast in a sty for pigs?
Would he cause his white-bearded father and white-haired mother
To lament and suffer for him?
Why are you sleeping, young man?
Be not a fool; raise your handsome head, O young man!
Open your light-brown eyes, young man!
Sleep has captured your soul, Allah given;
Permit not your hands to be tied round your arms;
Cause not your white-bearded father and aged mother to cry.
Who are you, young man, from the land of strong Oghuz?
For the sake of great Allah, stand up.
Know that you are surrounded By foes on four sides."
The young man awoke with a start and stood up.
He grabbed the handle of his sword to strike the stranger, but he saw that he had a kopuz in his hand.
He said: "O infidel, I spared your life for the sake of Dede Korkut's kopuz. If you had not had it in your hand, I should have sliced you in two for the sake of the head of my elder brother."