Semetei to spot the very horse although he had a pair of eyes with penetrating gaze. Not being overcome by the disappointment, Semetei thought of a good idea. He ordered others to blockade the entrance to the valley with thick ropes and let out loud cries. All of a sudden, all the horses were startled and then ran towards the entrance to the valley. However, the thick ropes were used by other herdsmen to head off the panic-stricken horses right there. Almost all the horses could not surmount the obstacle except one horse.
A dark grey horse was seen easily surmounting the high fence temporarily made of the thick ropes with a neigh. Astonished to find that the magical horse’s unrivaled strength set it apart from the other average horses, Bakai turned around and suggested that Semetei take out a noose made of thick gold wires from his bag all at once. Finally, the young hero used such a special noose to lasso the horse which had already made a lunge into mid air. Due to his remarkable physical strength, Semetei subdued the horse finally. For the first time in its life the horse learned the its master, a would-be great khan with extraordiany exploits, had arrived. Since then, they had become amiable to each other as if they were sworn brothers breast-fed by the same mother.
After mourning Manas with deep grief by standing in silent tribute in front of his mausoleum, Semetei and Bakai spent the subsequent six days sending Chiyirdi and Kanikei back home.
On the way home, they bumped into a towering tree by the mouth of a spring. As soon as Kanikei saw the tree, her face turned pale and showed a look of dismay. Semetei observed such a slight change of facial expression which aroused great curiosity in the depth of his heart.
Laden with anxiety, Kanikei explained to her son that the towering tree was of the mysterious ability of predicting the future incidents. “The tree began to wither after the death of your father and perished soon. Ten years later, mamy long branches with green leaves came out from the withered tree trunk as a sign to show a comeback made by you and the rejuvenation of the whole family. But one branch still withers and foretells a number of dangers which might pose great threats to your life. That’s the reason why my face paled with shock at the sapless branch,” she continued.
They went to the mausoleum of Manas once again. While observing silence in front of the gravestone of Manas, all of them wept the tears of saddness. As Semetei knelt down before the gravestone of his father, a gust of wind drove
Semetei, Son of Manas, Inflicts Punishment on Traitors and
99
Succeeds to Throne of His Father
along stones and whirled up sand. Besides, the sun gave forth no more of its light. “My child, I believe for sure that your father’s soul is also showing you the sign right now. We should act with caution from now on,” said Bakai.
The sun continued to shed its light and the sky turned blue after the wind. The golden roof of the imposing newly-revamped imperial palace glittered in the sunshine. Pointing to the imperial palace with his finger, Semetei urged his mother and others to make it to the grandiose structure as soon as possible. The young hero had completely relaxed vigilance against the possible danger.
As they got to a valley, the magical horse of the young hero came to an end. Although Semetei tried to spur his horse forward, the horse did not move at all. In order to urge the horse on, he even raised his whip overhead. But just at that time, he heard a bang. The explosion of the gunpowder got stones and sand to fly in all directions. Jakip, his two wicked sons and some bully-boys made a lunge at Semetei.
Showing no sign of fear, the young hero urged his horse forward by digging in his spurs. He killed Jakip, his two uncles and all other evil guys committing monstrous acts.
After withstanding such a test of life and death, Semetei and others returned to their long-lost imperial palace eventually. Ordinary people surrounded the palace in honor of the young hero.
Semetei ascended the throne, enjoying the full endorsement from the whole tribesmen. He severely punished a handful of traitors who sold out to Jakip and his evil cronies. In addition, he found out the sons of Almambet and Chubak. He changed their respective names into Kulchoro and Kenchoro. With the help of the two friends, his mother and Bakai, Semetei started a life of struggle from then on.
Legend of Manas