🧚 Opening, part 36 · page 2

“Oh, no, I won’t get drowned.103 I’ll go and catch you a fish: let me go!”104

So grandfather gave him a little white shirt to wear, with a big red sash, and off he went.105 Soon he was sitting in a boat and singing:106

Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away.107

The little skiff sailed far and far away and Iváshechko started fishing.108 Soon, how long I don’t know, up came the mother to the shore and said:109

Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun!110

And Iváshechko said:111

Little boat, little boat, sail to the shore: My mother’s calling me.112

The little skiff sailed up to the shore; the woman took the fish and fed her little boy, changed his shirt and sash and sent him out again to catch fish.113 And there he sat on the boat and sang:114

Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away.115

The little boat sailed out so far away, and Iváshechko started fishing.116 Soon the grandfather came to the shore and called his son:117

Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun!118

And Iváshechko said:119

Little boat, little boat, sail to the shore: For father’s calling me!120

The little skiff sailed up to the shore; the grandfather took the fish and fed his little boy, changed his shirt and sash and sent him out again to catch fish.121 And there he sat on the boat and sang:122

Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away.123

Now the wise woman saw how his grandparents called Iváshechko, and wanted to get hold of the boy.124 So she came to the shore and called out:125

Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun!126

But Iváshechko knew the voice, and whose voice it was.127 So he sang:128

Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away.129 The Evil Woman’s calling me130

So the wise woman saw she must act the mother’s voice, so she ran to the smith and asked him, “Smith, just forge me a thin little voice like the one Iváshechko’s mother has, or I’ll eat you up!”131 So the smith forged the voice just like the mother’s.132 So up she went to the shore and sang:133

Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun!134

Iváshechko sailed up; she took the fish and seized and took Iváshechko himself away.135 When she reached home, she told her daughter Alyónka: “Just make my stove nice and hot and cook Iváshechko all through.136 I’ll go assemble my guests.”137

And Alyónka heated the stove very hot and told Iváshechko: “Come and sit on the shovel.”138 [55]139

“I’m too young and stupid,” Iváshechko answered; “show me how to sit on the shovel.”140

“Oh, that’s easy enough!” said Alyónka; and as soon as she was on Iváshechko shoved her into the stove, slammed the door to and went out of the hut, and climbed a great big tall oak-tree.141

The wise woman came with her guests and knocked at the hut; there was no reply, no one to open the door.142 “Oh, confound Alyónka; she must have gone out to play.”143 The wise woman climbed up into the window, opened the door and admitted her guests, opened the oven door, took out Alyónka, who was well cooked, and they all sat down to table and ate and ate and drank, and at last went out to take a turn on the grass:144

“I am dancing, I am prancing, I have eaten Iváshechko’s flesh.”145

Then Iváshechko interrupted from the top of the tree: “Dance and prance! you have eaten Alyónka’s flesh.”146

“Did I hear anything?” said the wise woman; “it must have been the leaves rustling.”147 Again the wise woman said, “I am dancing, I am prancing, I have eaten Iváshechko’s flesh!”148

Iváshechko repeated: “Dance and prance! you have eaten Alyónka’s flesh!”149

So at last she looked up and saw Iváshechko, and began to gnaw at the oak-tree on which he was sitting, and gnawed and gnawed, broke two of her front teeth, and went to the smithy.150 She called the smith.151 “Smith, smith, make me some iron teeth, or I’ll eat you up.”152

The smith made her two iron teeth.153

So back she went and gnawed away at the tree, and as soon as she had gnawed it through Iváshechko just jumped on to the next oak-tree, whilst the one the witch had gnawed through fell down.154

Then the wise woman gnawed and gnawed at this tree, and gnawed and gnawed, broke the two front teeth, and went to the smithy.155 She called the smith: “Smith, smith, make me two more iron teeth, or I’ll eat you up.”156

The smith made her two more iron teeth.157

So she went back and gnawed away at the tree.158

So Iváshechko did not know what to do.159 He looked up and saw geese and swans flying; he asked them:160

Geese and swans, geese and swans, Waft me away on your pinions: Take me home to my mother and father; With my mother and my father There is plenty to eat And life is sweet!161

“The next covey may take you,” said the birds.162

So he waited.163 And another flock came, and he repeated:164

Geese and swans, geese and swans, Waft me away on your pinions: Take me home to my mother and father; With my mother and my father There is plenty to eat And life is sweet!165

“Perhaps the last may take you.”166

So he waited on, and as the third flock appeared he said:167

Geese and swans, geese and swans, Waft me away on your pinions: Take me home to my mother and father; With my mother and my father There is plenty to eat And life is sweet!168

They took him home on their wings up to the hut and placed Iváshechko in the loft.169

Early next day the woman cooked a pancake on the stove, and whilst cooking it thought of her poor little boy Iván, and said: “Where is my Iváshechko?170 I dreamed of him last night!”171

And gaffer said: “I dreamed last night the geese and swans were wafting our little Iván home.”172

She had finished the pancake by now, and said: “Now, gaffer, we’ll share it, this bit for you, this bit for me!”173

“And none for me!”174 Iváshechko chimed in.175

“This is for you, and this is for me!”176

“And none for me!”177

“What’s that noise, gaffer?” the woman asked.178

The grandfather clattered up into the loft and found Iváshechko.179 They were overjoyed, asked him all about everything, and lived a jolly life.180

NEVER-WASH181

Once upon a time there was a soldier who had served through three campaigns, but had never earned as much as an addled egg, and was then put on the retired list.182 Then, as he went on the road marching on and on, he became tired and sat down by a lake.183 And, as he rested, he began thinking things out: “Where shall I now betake myself, and how shall I feed myself, and how the devil shall I enter into any service?”184