This is the Hunter story. There lived a hunter whose wife was a terrible shrew. She yelled and screamed, and talked non-stop, till he was driven out of the house to get some peace! When he went hunting, he took his two dogs also with him.
One day, when he went out with his gun and his dogs, he could not shoot even a rabbit or a bird.
Tired at twilight, he saw a glow in the forest and went towards it. It was a huge fire and in it was a large snake! It begged the hunter to take it out of the fire.
“Push your gun barrel into the fire, and I will slide out over it!” said the snake.
The hunter did as he was told and the snake slid out safely.
Before slithering away, the snake said, “You will be able to understand the language of all creatures. But never share your secret or you’ll die!”
The hunter lay down there to sleep, when he heard his dogs talking!
One said, “You stay with the master; I’ll go and guard his house!” The dog ran away only to return in the morning.
Once more, the hunter heard them talk. “The mistress gave me burnt bread that I couldn’t eat!” said the dog that went home. “But I chased away the thieves who came there!”
When the hunter got home that night, he asked his wife what she gave the dog last night.
“A bowl of milk!” she replied.
“You gave him burnt bread!” said the hunter.
His wife began to pester him about how he knew.
He refused to tell her saying that if he did, he would die! But she wouldn’t stop.
Just then, he heard the rooster speak, “That A silly fellow should whack her!
She will let him die.” Taking the rooster’s advice, the hunter whacked his nagging wife!
