The Story of Unlucky Daniel · page 21 2101What dost thou ask for it?" said the Tsar.--"I ask five thousand roubles."102Then the Tsar counted down the money and took the horse away.103When he got to his court, he made a great to-do about his beautiful horse, and cried to his daughter, "Come and see, dear little heart, what a fine horse I have bought."104Then she came forth to look at it; but the moment she saw it, she cried, "That horse will be my ruin.105Thou must kill it on the spot."--"Nay, dear little heart! how can I do such a thing?" said the Tsar.--"Slay it thou must, and slay it thou shalt!" cried the Tsarivna.106So they sent for a knife, and began sharpening it, when one of the maidens of the court took pity on the horse, and cried, "Oh, my good, my darling horse, so lovely as thou art, and yet to kill thee!"107But the horse neighed and went to her, and said, "Look now! take the first drop of blood which flows from me, and bury it in the garden."108Then they slew the horse, but the maiden did as she was told, and took the drop of blood and buried it in the garden.109And from this drop of blood there sprang up a cherry-tree; and its first leaf was golden, and its second leaf was of richer colour still, and its third leaf was yet another colour, and every leaf upon it was different to the others.110One day the Tsar went out walking in his garden, and when he saw this cherry-tree he fell in love with it, and praised it to his daughter. "111Look!" said he, "what a beauteous cherry-tree we have in our garden!112Who can tell whence it sprung?"--But the moment the Tsarivna saw it, she cried, "That tree will be my ruin!113Thou must cut it down."--"Nay!" said he, "how can I cut down the fairest ornament of my garden?"--"Down it must come, and down it shall come!" replied the Tsarivna.114Then they sent for an axe and made ready to cut it down, but the damsel came running up, and said, "Oh, darling little cherry-tree, darling little cherry-tree, so fair thou art!115From a horse hast thou sprung, and now they will fell thee before thou hast lived a day!"--"Never mind," said the cherry-tree; "take the first chip that falls from me, and throw it into the water."--Then they cut down the cherry-tree; but the girl did as she was bidden, and threw the first chip from the cherry-tree into the water, and out of it swam a drake so beautiful that it was a delight to look upon it.116Then the Tsar went a-hunting, and saw it swimming in the water, and it was so close that he could touch it with his hand.117The Tsar took off his clothes and plunged into the water after it, and it enticed him farther and farther away from the shore.118Then the drake swam toward the spot where the Tsar had left his clothes, and when it came up to them it changed into a man and put them on, and behold! the man was Daniel.119Then he called to the Tsar: "Swim hither, swim hither!"120The Tsar swam up, but when he swam ashore Daniel met and killed him, and after that he went back to court in the Tsar's clothes.121Then all the courtiers hailed him as the Tsar, but he said, "Where is that damsel who was here just now?"--They brought her instantly before him. "122Well," said he to her, "thou hast been a second mother to me, and now thou shalt be my second wife!"123So he lived with her and was happy, but he caused his first wife to be tied to the tails of wild horses and torn to pieces in the endless steppes.1 2← previousThe Serpent-wifenext →The Sparrow and the Bush↑ back to Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/10/page/2/