🧚 Opening, part 29 · page 2

“I was,” said the Tsar, “I was thinking if only you would rescue me!”60

“Now, Tsar my master, you have learned the fear of death.61 All this shall be for you in the past, and shall be an old tale.62 You may recollect how I was sitting on the oak and you wished to kill me.63 Three times you took up your gun to shoot me, but I asked you to spare me; and I was thinking in my mind, may you not destroy me but have pity and take me to yourself!”64

So he then flew across thrice-nine lands, for a very long flight.65 And the eagle said, “Come and see, Tsar my master, what is over us and what is under us.”66

And the Tsar looked: “Over us,” he said, “is the sky, and under us the earth.”67

“Look once more: what is there on the left and right-hand sides?”68

“On the right-hand side there is an open field and on the left-hand side there is a house.”69

“We will fly there,” said the eagle; “there my youngest sister lives.”70

So they flew straight to the courtyard, and the sister came to meet them and received her brother, seated him on an oaken table; but she would not look on the Tsar—she left him outside in the courtyard and she let the fleet dogs out to feed on him.71

But the eagle was very angry, and he leaped up from the table, laid hold on the Tsar and flew, yet farther.72 So they flew and flew, and the eagle said to the Tsar, “Look, what is there behind us?”73

So the Tsar turned round and looked, and said, “Behind us there is a beauteous house.”74

Then the eagle said to him, “It is the house of my youngest sister that glitters: she would not receive you, but gave you for food to the fleet hounds.”75

So they flew and flew on, and the eagle asked him again, “Look, Tsar my master, what is there over us, and what under us?”76

“Over us the sky and under us the earth.”77

“Look, what is there on the right-hand, and what is there on the left?”78

“On the right-hand side there is the open field, and on the left-hand side there stands a house.”79

“There my younger sister lives; we will fly there and be her guests.”80

So they came down to the open courtyard, and the younger sister came and received her brother, and she seated him on an oaken stool, but she left the Tsar in the courtyard, and she released the fleet hounds on him.81

And the eagle was angry, leaped up from the table, laid hold on the Tsar and flew with him yet farther; and they flew on and on, and the eagle said to the Tsar, “Look, what is there behind us?”82

“Behind us there is a beauteous house.”83

“It is the house of my younger sister that glitters,” said the eagle.84 “Now we will fly where my mother and eldest sister live.”85

So they flew thither, and the mother and eldest sister were ever so glad to see them, and they received the Tsar with honour and affection.86

“Now, Tsar my master,” said the eagle, “come and rest with us, and afterwards I will give you a ship, and I will repay you all I ate up whilst I was with you; and go home with God’s aid.”87 So he gave the Tsar a ship and two coffers, one was red and the other green.88 And he said, “Take heed, do not open the coffers until you reach home: open the red coffer in the back courtyard and the green coffer in the front courtyard.”89

So the Tsar took the two coffers, bade farewell to the eagle, and went on the blue sea: and he went on and he arrived at an island, where the ship stopped.90 He got out on the shore, and he remembered the two coffers, and began to wonder what was in them, and why the eagle had bidden him not to open them; and he thought and thought, and his patience gave way.91 He so badly wanted to know, and so he took the red coffer, put it on the ground and opened it, and out of it all sorts of cattle came out, so many that the eye could not count, and they almost filled the entire island.92 When the Tsar saw this he was grieved, and began to weep and say, “Whatever shall I do now? how shall I collect all of this herd into such a tiny coffer?”93

And then he saw that out of the water came a man, who went up to him and asked him, “Why are you weeping so bitterly, Tsar my master?”94

“Why should I not weep?” answered the Tsar.95 “How can I put all this great herd into this tiny coffer?”96

“If you will I can aid you in your trouble; I will collect all this herd, only on condition that you give me what you do not know of at home.”97

So the Tsar began to ponder, “What do I not know of at home?98 It seems to me that I know of everything.”99 So he thought, and he considered it, and he said, “Go and collect them together, and I will give you what I do not know of at home.”100

Then the man collected all of the cattle into the box, and the Tsar went on board and sailed on his own journey.101

When he reached home he saw that a son had been born to him, the Tsarévich, and he began to kiss him and to fondle him.102 But then he began to weep bitter tears.103

“Tsar my master,” said the Tsarítsa, “why do you weep such bitter tears?”104

“Out of joy,” he said; for he feared to tell her the truth that he must give up the Tsarévich.105

So then he went into the courtyard and opened the red coffer, and out of it oxen and kine, sheep and rams, came out.106 There was a multitude of all sorts of cattle.107 All the barns and the folds were full.108 He then came to the forecourt and he opened the green coffer, and in front of him a wonderful garden spread out with every kind of tree in it, and the Tsar was so joyous, and forgot to give his son up.109

Many years went by: one day the Tsar wanted to take a walk, and he went to the river; and just then that same man peered up out of the water and said: “You are a very forgetful person, Tsar my master: you should recollect your debts.”110

Then the Tsar went home with grief in his groaning heart, and he told the Tsarítsa and the Tsarévich all the real truth, and they were afflicted; and they all wept together and resolved that something must be done, and that they must give up the Tsarévich.111 So they took him to the seashore and left him by himself.112

And the Tsarévich looked round, and he saw a path, went on it, trusting God might lead him aright.113 So he went on and on, and he lost his way in the slumberous forest, and he saw a little _izbá_[41] in the forest, and in the _izbá_[41] there lived the Bába Yagá.114 “I will go in,” thought the Tsarévich, and he went into the _izbá_.115 [41]116