linen, into the free and open plain. And the pagan Tartars began to
press upon him and tried to surround him, hoping to gain possession of
the old Cossack’s gear. Ilyá saw that he must bestir himself, and he
seized a Tartar by his feet and began to swing him round, began to
strike the Tartars with the Tartar, till they began to flee from him.
And the old Cossack went thus through the whole Tartar army, and came
forth into the free and open plain, and cast the Tartar on one side.
Then Ilyá walked on through the open plain, and he had neither horse
nor weapons, but he whistled a mighty whistle, and his good steed heard
him on the open plain, and galloped to the old Cossack his master. The
old Cossack, Ilyá got upon his good steed and rode on through the plain
till he came to a high hill, and he leapt up the hill and looked down
towards the west. And in the west near the white tents stood the good
horses of the heroes. Ilyá turned that way with his good war-horse. He
took his strong bow and bent it with his white hands. He tightened the
bowstring of silk, placed the sharp arrow, and into the white tent shot
he that arrow, saying:
“Fly, O sharp arrow, fly to the white tent. Take the roof off the white
tent, and go, thou arrow, to the white breast of my godfather. Creep
thou into his breast and make a scratch, only a small scratch, a small
scratch, not a large one. He sleeps there and takes his ease, and
little can I do here alone.”
And he let go the silken bowstring and sent off that sharp arrow, and
that sharp arrow whistled into that hero’s white tent. It took the roof
off the white tent and fell upon the white breast of Samson. It crept
into his white breast and made but a small prick, and Samson, the
renowned hero of Holy Russia, woke up from his deep sleep and opened
his bright eyes. Quickly he stood upon his nimble feet and cried:
“Ho! my renowned heroes of Holy Russia! Quickly saddle your good horses
and mount them. From my beloved godson has flown a sharp arrow through
my glorious white tent. From my tent it took the roof, and the arrow
crept into my white breast, made a small prick, not a large one. The
cross at my neck preserved me, Samson, the cross at my neck weighing
forty stone. Had that cross not been upon my breast, my tempestuous
head would have been torn off.”
Then all those heroes of Holy Russia quickly saddled their good horses
and rode through the open plain, towards Kiev town, to the Tartar army.
And from the high hill the old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom, saw them, as
they rode their good horses. He came down from the high hill and rode
to meet the Russian heroes. Twelve in number were the heroes and Ilyá
was the thirteenth.
They rode up to the Tartar host and pushed on their heroic steeds and
began to fight the Tartar army. And they were trampling on the great
army, and they came to the linen tent.
And in the tent that dog, King Kálin was sitting, and the heroes said:
“We will cut off the turbulent head of that dog, King Kálin.”
“Why should we cut off his turbulent head?” said the old Cossack, Ilyá
of Múrom. “We will take him to royal Kiev town, to the glorious Prince
Vladímir.”
So to the glorious Prince Vladímir at the royal town of Kiev they took
the dog, King Kálin. To the white stone palace they took him, and
Vladímir, Prince of royal Kiev, took that dog by his white hands and
made him sit at the oaken table, gave him sugar sweetmeats to eat and
honey drink to drink.
And to Vladímir the Prince spoke King Kálin these words:
“Come now, Vladímir, Prince of royal Kiev, do not cut off my warlike
head. We will write between us a great writing, and I, King Kálin, will
pay thee tribute for ever and ever—I to thee, Prince Vladímir!”
And then in those good old times they all sang Glory!
And so they had peace for a time, but fresh hordes of Tartars still
came, and the Russian heroes fought them, and sometimes the Russians
could not overcome the Tartars, and in one of these great fights Ilyá,
they say, was caught away from the fighting, and he was turned into
stone, and his good horse with him.
NOTE
[1] The Russian titles are translated in the List of Illustrations, p.
xv.