The Story of the Unlucky Days, part 1 · page 21 2101And the serpent was the Tsar of that tsardom.102Vast were his palaces, iron railings surrounded his courtyards, and the railings were covered with the heads of various warriors; only on the twenty huge pillars in front of the gate were there no heads.103As they drew nigh, deadly fear oppressed the heart of the prince, and he said to Ivan, "Mark me, Ivan! those pillars yonder are meant for _our_ heads!"--"That remains to be seen," replied Ivan Golik.104When they arrived there, the serpent at first treated them hospitably as welcome guests.105They were all to come in and make merry, he said, but the prince he took to his own house.106So they ate and drank together, and the thoughts of their hearts were joyous.107Now the serpent had twenty-one daughters, and he brought them to the prince, and told him which was the eldest, and which the next eldest, down to the very last one.108But it was the youngest daughter of all that the prince's fancy fed upon more than on any of the others.109Thus they diverted themselves till evening, and in the evening they made ready to go to sleep.110But the serpent said to the prince, "Well, which of my daughters dost thou think the loveliest?"111"The youngest is the most beautiful," said the prince, "and her will I wed."112"Good!" said the serpent, "but I will not let thee have my daughter till thou hast done all my tasks.113If thou doest my tasks, thou shalt have my daughter; but if thou doest them not, thou shalt lose thy head, and all thy suite shall perish with thee."114Then he gave him his first task: "In my barn are three hundred ricks of corn; by the morning light thou shalt have threshed and sifted them so that stalk lies by stalk, chaff by chaff, and grain by grain."115Then the prince went to his own place to pass the night there, and bitterly he wept.116But Ivan Golik saw that he was weeping, and said to him, "Why dost thou weep, O prince?"117"Why should I not weep, seeing the task that the serpent has given me is impossible?"118"Nay, weep not, my prince, but lie down to sleep, and by the morning light it will all be done!"119No sooner had Ivan Golik left the prince than he went outside and whistled for the mice.120Then the mice assembled round them in their hosts: "Why dost thou whistle, and what dost thou want of us, O Ivan Golik?" said they.121"Why should I not whistle, seeing that the serpent has bidden us thresh out his barn by the morning light, so that straw lies by straw, chaff by chaff, and grain by grain?"122No sooner did the mice hear this than they began scampering all about the barn!123There were so many of them that there was not room to move.124They set to work with a will, and long before dawn it was quite finished.125Then they went and awoke Ivan Golik.checked by a teacher126He went and looked, and lo! all the chaff was by itself, and all the grain was by itself, and all the straw by itself!127Then Ivan bade them be quite sure that there was not a single grain remaining in a single ear of corn.128So they scampered all about, and there was not a mouse which did not look under every stalk of straw.129Then they ran up to him, and said, "Fear not! there is not a single loose grain anywhere.130And now we have requited thee thy service, Ivan Golik, farewell!"1 2← previousThe Magic Eggnext →The Story of the Unlucky Days, part 2↑ back to Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg29672/25/page/2/