xml:lang="ru-Latn">boyárs assembled together to fight the monster, and amongst them Dyád’ka. The horseherd sat on a pony and rode behind.
Then the Woodsprite came and met him, and said: “Where are you going, Iván Tsarévich?”
“To the war.”
“On this sorry nag you will not do much, and still less if you go in your present guise. Just come and visit me.”
He took him into his hut and gave him a glass of vodka. Then the King’s son drank it. “Do you feel strong?” asked the Woodsprite.
“If there were a log there fifty puds, I could throw it up and allow it to fall on my head without feeling the blow.”
So he was given a second glass of vodka.
“How strong do you feel now?”
“If there were a log here one hundred puds, I could throw it higher than the clouds on high.”
Then he was given a third glass of vodka.
“How strong are you now?”
“If there were a column stretching from heaven to earth, I should turn the entire universe round.”
So the Woodsprite took vodka out of another bottle and gave the King’s son yet more drink, and his strength was increased sevenfold. They went in front of the house; and he whistled loud, and a black horse rose out of the earth, and the earth trembled under its hoofs. Out of its nostrils it breathed flames, columns of smoke rose from its ears, and as its hoofs struck the ground sparks arose. It ran up to the hut and fell on its knees.
“There is a horse!” said the Woodsprite. And he gave Iván Tsarévich a sword and a silken whip.
So Iván Tsarévich rode out on his black steed against the enemy. On the way he met his servant, who had climbed a birch-tree and was trembling for fear. Iván Tsarévich gave him a couple of blows with his whip, and started out against the hostile host. He slew many people with the sword, and yet more did his horse trample down. And he cut off the seven heads of the monster.
Now Marfa Tsarévna was seeing all this, because she kept looking in the glass, and so learned all that was going on. After the battle she rode out to meet Iván Tsarévich, and asked him: “How can I thank you?”
“Give me a kiss, fair maiden!”
The Tsarévna was not ashamed, pressed him to her very heart, and kissed him so loud that the entire host heard it!
Then the King’s son struck his horse one blow and vanished. Then he returned to his room, and sat there as though nothing had happened, whilst his servant boasted that he had gone to the battle and slain the foe. So the Tsar awarded him great honours, promised him his daughter, and set a great feast. But the Tsarévna was not so stupid, and said she had a severe headache.
What was the future son-in-law to do? “Father,” he said to the Tsar, “give me a ship, I will go and get drugs for my bride; and see that your herdsman comes with me, as I am so well accustomed to him.”
The Tsar consented; gave him the ship and the herdsman.
So they sailed away, may be far or near. Then the servant had a sack sewn, and the Prince put into it, and cast him into the water. But the Tsarévna saw the evil thing that had been done, through her magic mirror; and she quickly summoned her carriage and drove to the sea, and on the shore there the Woodsprite sat weaving a great net.
“Woodsprite, help me on my way, for Dyád’ka the servant has drowned the King’s son!”
“Here, maiden, look, the net is ready. Help me with your white hands.”
Then the Tsarévna threw the net into the deep; fished the King’s son up, took him home, and told her father the whole story.
So they celebrated a merry wedding and held a great feast. In a Tsar’s palace mead has not to be brewed or any wine to be drawn; there is always enough ready.
Then the servant in the meantime was buying all sorts of drugs, and came back. He came to the palace, was seized, but prayed for mercy. But he was too late, and he was shot in front of the castle gate.
The wedding of the King’s son was very jolly, and all the inns and all the beer-houses were opened for an entire week, for everybody, without any charge.
I was there. I drank honey and mead, which came up to my moustache, but never entered my mouth.
Prince Evstáfi
In a certain kingdom once there lived a Tsar who had a young son—Tsarévich Evstáfi—who did not love visiting or dances, nor promenades, but only liked going in the streets and walking among the poor, the simple folk, and the beggars, and bestowing alms on them. And the Tsar was very angry with him for this, and commanded him to be taken up to the gallows and to be delivered to a cruel death.
So the attendants took the Tsarévich, and were on the point of hanging him, when the Tsarévich fell on his knees before his father and began to ask for three hours’ interval. And the Tsar agreed, and gave him the three hours’ respite.
And the Tsarévich went to the silversmith’s and ordered him to make three chests—one of gold, one of silver, and for the third he was simply to divide a stump into two, to mortise out a trough, and to attach a lock. So the smith made the three cases, and took them up to the gallows.
The Tsar with all his boyárs looked on to see what was going to happen. And the Tsarévich opened the cases and showed them. On the gold one, very much gold had been poured, on the silver, very much silver had been poured, and the wooden one was buried in dirt. He showed them, and once more opened the cases, and then banged them tight.
And the
