her like a stone mountain, and began to smother Baba-Yaga. She was frightened out of her wits.
The blind man sprang into the house, and said to the footless: “We must make a big fire now, burn the old outcast, and scatter her ashes to the wind.”
Baba-Yaga implored. “Father, dove, forgive me; whatever thou wishest I’ll do.”
“Well, old witch,” said the heroes, “show us the well of living and healing water.”
“Only don’t beat me, and I’ll show you this moment.”
Uncle Katoma sat on the blind man, the blind man took Baba-Yaga by the hair, and she led them to the forest depth, brought them to a well, and said: “Here is the healing and living water.”
“See to it, Uncle Katoma,” said the blind man, “make no mistake; if she deceives us now, we cannot mend matters while we live.”
Uncle Katoma of the Oaken Cap broke from a tree a green branch and threw it into the well; the branch had not reached the water when it burst into a blaze.
“Ah, thou hast turned to deceit!”
They began to choke the old woman, and wanted to throw her into the fiery well. She implored more than before, and gave an awful oath that now she would play no tricks. “ ’Pon my true word, I will lead you now to good water.”
They agreed to try once more, and the old woman brought them to another well.
Uncle Katoma broke a dry branch from a tree, and threw it into the well; the branch had not reached the water when it gave out buds, grew green, and blossomed.
“Oh, this is good water!” said Uncle Katoma.
The blind man moistened his eyes with it, and in a moment he saw. He let the footless down into the water, and his feet grew out.
Both were rejoiced, and said: “Now we will restore everything; but first we must settle with Baba-Yaga. If we forgive her now, we shall not see good ourselves; she will plot evil against us all our lives.”
They returned to the fiery well and threw Baba-Yaga into it, so that she perished. Then Uncle Katoma married the merchant’s daughter, and all three went to the kingdom of Anna the Beautiful to liberate Ivan Tsarevich.
They were approaching the capital town. They looked, Ivan Tsarevich was driving a herd of cows.
“Stop, herdsman!” said Uncle Katoma. “Whither art thou driving these cows?”
“I am driving them to the royal castle. The princess always counts them herself, to see if all the cows are there.”
“Well, herdsman, here are my clothes; put them on. I’ll put on thine, and drive the cows.”
“No, brother, that is impossible; if the princess should know it, woe to me.”
“Never fear, nothing will come of it; Uncle Katoma is security for thee in that.”
Ivan Tsarevich sighed, and said: “Oh, kind man, if Uncle Katoma were living I should not be herding cows in this field.”
Then Uncle Katoma confessed to him who he was. Ivan Tsarevich embraced him firmly and shed tears. “I did not think to see thee.”
They changed clothes. Uncle Katoma drove the cows to the princess’s yard. Anna the Beautiful came out on the balcony, counted to see if all the cows were there, and gave command to drive them into the shed. All went in but the last one; she stopped at the gate. Katoma jumped up. “What art thou waiting for, dog’s meat?” caught her by the tail, and pulled her skin off.
The princess saw this and cried: “What is that scoundrel of a herdsman doing? Seize him; bring him to me!”
Here the servants caught Katoma and dragged him to the palace. He made no excuse, for he was confident in himself. They brought him to the palace. She looked at him and asked: “Who art thou? Whence art thou here?”
“I am the man whose feet thou didst cut off, and thou didst seat me on a stump; they call me Uncle Katoma of the Oaken Cap.”
“Well,” thought the princess, “if he has brought back his feet, there is no use in playing tricks with him;” and she begged forgiveness of him, was sorry for her sins, and took an oath to love Ivan Tsarevich forever and obey him in all things.
Ivan Tsarevich forgave her, and began to live with her in peace and harmony. The blind hero lived with them, and Uncle Katoma went with his wife to the rich merchant and lived in his house.
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THE THREE KINGDOMS.
IN that ancient time when God’s world was full of wood-demons, witches, and river-maidens, when rivers of milk were flowing between banks of jelly, when over the fields roast partridges were flying, there lived a Tsar, Goroh by name, with his Tsaritsa, Anastasia the Beautiful; and they had three sons. A misfortune not small happened—an unclean spirit carried away the Tsaritsa.
Said the eldest son to the Tsar: “Father, give me thy blessing; I will go in search of my mother.”
He went away and vanished; for three years there were neither tidings nor report of him.
The second son began to ask: “Father, give me thy blessing for the road, for the journey. Perhaps I may have the luck to find my brother and my mother.”
The Tsar gave his blessing. The Tsarevich rode off and also disappeared as if he had sunk in water.
Ivan, the youngest son, came to the Tsar. “My dear father, give me thy blessing for the road, for the journey; perhaps I shall find my brothers and mother.”
“Go thy way, my dear son.”
Ivan Tsarevich set out for a strange, distant region. He travelled and travelled, and reached the blue sea. He stopped on the shore and thought: “Whither can I hold my way now?” All at once there flew to sea three and thirty spoonbills, struck the earth, and became fair maidens—all beautiful, but one was better than all the rest. They undressed and rushed into the water. Whether they were bathing a long or short time, Ivan Tsarevich stole up and took the girdle of that maiden who was better than all the rest and hid it in his bosom. When they had finished bathing they came out on shore and began to dress. One girdle was gone.
“Ah! Ivan Tsarevich,” said the beauty, “give me my girdle.”
“Tell me first where my mother is.”
“Thy mother is at the house of my father, Raven son of Raven (Voron Voronovich). Go up along the sea, thou wilt meet a silver bird with a golden crest; wherever it flies do thou follow.”
Ivan Tsarevich gave her the girdle and went along the sea; there he met his brothers, exchanged greetings, and took them with him. They went together along the shore, saw the golden-tufted silver bird, and ran after it. The bird flew and flew till it rushed under an iron plate into an opening.
“Well,
