Doushan sends Theodor to Ledyen
King Michael of Ledyen had a beautiful daughter, Roksanda, and
when Tsar Doushan asked her hand in marriage the king immediately
consented. The betrothal was arranged by means of couriers, and
Doushan had not seen the princess; he therefore summoned Theodor,
his counsellor of State: "Listen to me, my trusty Theodor!" said he,
"thou shalt go to the white city Ledyen to King Michael, and thou shalt
ask him to fix the date for the wedding festivities. Thou shalt also
settle with him other customary preliminaries and satisfy thyself
that the peerless Roksanda is a fitting tsarina for our Serbian
lands." Theodor promised to fulfil his mission faithfully and,
having made the necessary preparations, he set out for the Venetian
province. When he arrived at the white city Ledyen the king welcomed
him courteously and lavished hospitality upon him for a full week.
Then Theodor spoke to the king in this wise: "O my master's friend,
thou gallant King Michael! My tsar has not sent me here only that I
should drink thy wine; he desires that I should arrange his marriage;
tell me, when shall my master come? what time of the year will suit
you best to receive him? how many svats shall he bring with him when
he comes to take from thee the beautiful maiden Roksanda? My master
also instructed me that I should desire of thee to be permitted the
happiness of seeing the fair princess."
To this the king answered: "O my friend, Theodor! take my greetings
to the tsar and tell him that he is at liberty to bring with him
as many svats as he may please; also tell him that he may come for
the maiden whenever he may choose; but request him in my name that
under no circumstances shall he bring with him his nephews the two
Voinovitchs, Voukashin and Petrashin, for indeed I have heard that
they are very quarrelsome when in their cups, and I fear that they
may disturb the harmony of our festivities. As to the princess, she
shall come to thee at due time and receive at thy hands the ring of
thy master, as is the well-established custom."
The Princess Roksanda
At nightfall Theodor was conducted into an unlighted room and while
he wondered when the candles would be brought, lo! the princess stood
before him, shrouded in the thick gloom. Theodor was grieved at the
trick played upon him, but he did not despair. He had with him the
magnificent ring of his august master; it was so richly studded with
precious stones that as he produced it the whole room was lighted
up and the rays shone upon the maiden, who seemed to the ambassador
more beautiful than the white veela herself. Theodor presented the
betrothal ring and gave the princess also one thousand ducats; her
brothers then conducted her back to her apartments.
Next morning Theodor took leave of the king and set out upon his
homeward journey; when he arrived at Prisrend the tsar asked eagerly:
"O my trusty Theodor! Didst thou see the maiden Roksanda and didst thou
give her my ring? What greetings dost thou bring me from King Michael?"
And Theodor answered: "Yea, my Lord, I saw thy bride and presented her
with thy ring; but words fail me to describe the enchanting beauty
of the Princess Roksanda! Vain would it be to search for her equal
throughout Serbia! And fair and well spoke King Michael: Thou canst
go for the maiden whensoever thou choosest, and thou mayest take as
many svats as thou pleasest. But the king prays this one thing of
thee: that thou shouldest under no circumstances take with thee, the
Voinovitchs, thy two nephews, for they are lovers of the wine-cup and
are quick to take offence; they may enter into drunken quarrels, and
it may be difficult to settle their disputes in a peaceable manner."
When he heard this the tsar struck his knee with his right hand,
and exclaimed: "Alas! May God help me! Has the ill fame of my nephews
spread as far as that! By my unshakable faith, I shall, immediately
after the wedding festivities, have them both hung on the gates of
their castle Voutchitrn that they may not any longer bring shame to
my name throughout the world."
The Procession Starts
Soon afterward the tsar proceeded to call his svats together and
when they had all assembled they presented a brilliant spectacle. The
wedding procession rode on its way through the field of Kossovo and
as it passed by the walls of the castle Voutchitrn, the two youthful
Voinovitchs looked upon the cavalcade and spoke sadly to each other
thus: "Our uncle must be angry with us, otherwise he would surely
have invited us also to join his wedding party? Some churl must have
uttered ill words against us. May a hundred evils befall him who has
done so! Our tsar is going to the Venetian land and has not a single
hero in his train, neither has he any close relative who might be
depended upon in case of dire misfortune. The Venetians are known from
ancient times to be very cunning and sly and they may kill our glorious
tsar! And yet to accompany him uninvited is more than we dare do."
Thereupon their aged mother spoke thus: "O my children, ye two
Voinovitchs! Ye have a brother in the mountains, Milosh-the-shepherd;
though the youngest, he is the greatest hero of ye all and will find
some way to uphold the honour of our name. The tsar has never heard
about him. I counsel you to send him a message and bid him come to
the castle Voutchitrn, mention not the true reason but tell him that
his mother, being aged, may die at any moment and that she wishes to
give him her blessings. Tell him to make haste if he would find his
mother alive!"
This advice seemed good to the two brothers. They wrote a missive and
dispatched it with haste to the mountain Shar where Milosh-the-shepherd
tarried with his flocks.
As Milosh read the message his countenance changed and he shed bitter
tears. His grief was observed by thirty shepherds who were around him:
"O Milosh, our valiant chieftain!" they exclaimed, "Many messages
have reached thee, but never yet have we seen thee shed tears when
thou didst read them. Whence came this letter and what evil tidings
does it bring? Tell us quickly, we beseech thee!"
Milosh sprang to his feet and addressed his shepherds in this wise:
"Hearken, O shepherds, my dearest brethren! This message comes from
the castle: my mother is on her death-bed and she summons me that
she may give me her blessing, that damnation should not fall upon
my soul. I must hasten to her side and while I am absent from the
mountain I charge ye to watch well the sheep."
When Milosh came near to his white castle, his brothers saw him
from a tower and sallied out to meet him; their aged mother also
followed. Milosh was astonished to see her and said reproachfully:
"Why, O brothers dear, do ye make misfortune when there is no
reason, and when all is well with ye! May the Almighty forgive your
deception!" And his brothers answered: "Come within, dear brother,
there is nevertheless great misfortune!"
The young men embraced each other and Milosh kissed his mother's
hand. Then his brothers related the story of their uncle's betrothal
and how he was proceeding to the Venetian land without having invited
his two nephews to ride in the wedding procession, and they besought
him in this wise: "O, our dear brother Milosh! Go thou with the tsar,
yea, although thou art not invited. Misfortune may befall, and haply
thou shalt succour your uncle. Thou canst go and come back again
without making thyself known to anyone!"
Milosh was no less eager than his brothers, and he answered gladly: "I
will go, O my brothers! Indeed how could I do otherwise? If I were not
willing to help our dear uncle, whom else should I be willing to aid?"
Thereupon his brothers began to make all the necessary
preparations. Peter went to the stables to saddle his steed Koulash,
while Vankashin remained to see that Milosh was fittingly attired. He
first put on him a fine shirt which was embroidered with gold from
the neck to the waist; downward from the waist it was woven of white
silk. Over the shirt he placed three thin, elegant ribbons; then a
waistcoat adorned with thirty golden buttons; then a golden cuirasse
weighing some fifteen pounds. And in all details he attired him with
garments worthy of a prince. Finally he hung upon his broad shoulders
a coarse Bulgar shepherd's cloak, which entirely enveloped him, and
placed on his head a Bulgarian fur-cap with high point, thus making
him look so like a black Bulgar that his own mother would not have
recognized him. The brothers now fetched a warrior's lance and mace
and the trusty sword of their old father Voin. Then Peter brought
forward Koulash, upon whom he had fastened a bear's skin in order
that the tsar might not recognize the well-known steed.
Milosh Joins the Procession
Milosh was now ready to set out, and as he took leave of his brothers
they counselled him thus: "When thou comest up with the wedding-guests
they will ask thee who thou art and whence thou comest. Thou shalt
answer that thou art coming from the Karavallahian land, where thou
hast been serving a Turkish lord, Radoul-bey, who would not pay thee
thy wages, wherefore thou art looking for a more generous master. Say,
moreover, that having received chance tidings of the tsar's wedding,
thou has ridden to join thyself to the servants of the party, not
for any wages, for thou wilt gladly serve for a piece of bread and a
glass of red wine. Thou must, meantime, hold firmly the reins of thy
steed, for Koulash is accustomed to go in the line with the tsar's
own chargers, and he may betray thee!"
When the brothers had made an end of their counsel Milosh took leave
of them and of his mother and turned his steed in the direction of the
wedding party, and he came up with them in the mountain Zagorye. Upon
seeing the stranger the svats hailed him: "Whence are thou coming,
little young Bulgar?" And Milosh answered from afar as his brothers
had counselled. Then the svats welcomed him readily, saying: "Mayest
thou be happy with us, little young Bulgar! We are always glad to
have one more in our company!"
The princely company, all aglow with the brilliant colours of the
resplendent uniforms, their lances and cuirasses gleaming in the sun,
rode on until they came to a valley. Now Milosh had a bad habit,
acquired in the mountain Shar while watching his sheep, to slumber
toward mid-day, and as his Koulash stepped proudly on he fell into a
deep sleep and his hand suddenly relaxed on the rein. No sooner did
Koulash feel the curb loosen than he arched his neck and flew like an
arrow from a bow through the ranks of the cavalcade, overturning horses
and riders, till he reached the horses of the tsar, when he ranged
himself in line with them and fell into the same slow, measured pace.
By this time the whole procession had fallen into disorder, and a
crowd of Lale [50] would have fallen upon the innocent cause of the
commotion, had not Doushan intervened to protect him, saying, "Do not
strike this youthful Bulgarian, he is a shepherd, and shepherds have
a habit of dozing toward noon while watching their sheep; do not be
violent, but awaken him gently." Thereupon the svats awakened Milosh,
shouting: "Rise, O foolish young Bulgarian! May the Almighty spare
thy old mother who could not give thee a better understanding but
thou must needs venture to join the company of the tsar!"
The Leap of Koulash
Milosh awoke with a start, and saw the tsar looking upon him with
his deep black eyes, and lo! his Koulash was in the royal line! Not
a moment did he pause, but, gathering the reins firmly in his hand,
he spurred his steed sharply. Koulash for one brief instant quivered
from head to heel, then with a frantic bound he sprang into the air the
height of three lances; for the length of four lances sideways did he
spring, and as for the number of lengths covered by his leap onward,
no one could number them! Fire issued from his mouth and tongues of
blue flame came out from his nostrils! Twelve thousand svats beheld
with awe and admiration the wonderful leap of the Bulgar's steed, and
exclaimed as one man: "Father of Mercies, what a mighty wonder!" Then
some said to others: "O that so good a horse should be possessed by
such a fellow! We have never before seen such a marvel." Others said:
"There was, indeed, one charger like this in the stables of our
tsar's son-in-law and now is possessed by his nephews the brothers
Voinovitchs."
Among the heroes who admired the steed were Voutche of Dyakovitza,
Yanko of Nestopolye and a youth from Priepolye; these spake one to
another thus: "What a beautiful steed that Bulgar has! There is not
its equal to be found in this wedding cavalcade, not even our own
tsar has one like it. Let us fall behind and seek an opportunity to
deprive him of it."
As they reached Klissoura the three horsemen were far behind the
other svats, and Milosh was also riding alone in that place. Then
the heroes came near to him and addressed him in seeming courtesy:
"Listen to us, thou youthful Bulgar! Wilt thou exchange thy horse
for a better one? We shall give thee also one hundred ducats as a
bargain-gift, and moreover we shall give thee a plough and a pair
of oxen that thou mayest plough thy fields and feed thyself in peace
for the rest of thy days!"
But Milosh answered: "Leave me alone, O ye three mighty horsemen! I do
not wish for a better horse than the one I have already; for did ye not
see that I cannot keep even this one quiet? As to your bargain-gift,
what should I do with so many ducats? I do not know how to weigh them,
neither am I able to count as high as one hundred. What should I do
with your plough and your oxen? My father has never used a plough on
his fields and yet his children have never known hunger!"
The Fight for Koulash
At this answer the three horsemen said angrily: "Thou hadst better
consider our proposal, O haughty Bulgar, lest we take thy horse by
force!" To this menace Milosh answered: "Truly, by force men take
lands and cities, and much more easily can three men by force take
from me my steed! Therefore I prefer to exchange it, for I am unable
to travel on foot." Saying this, Milosh made a pretence to give up
his Koulash peaceably, and inserted his right hand under his coarse
cloak. They thought he intended to take off his spurs, but they were
greatly mistaken, for in a flash out came his six-angled club, and
before they had gathered their wits Milosh gave Voutche a gentle tap
that tumbled him over and over three times in succession. Milosh then
addressed him ironically: "May thy vineyards in thy peaceful estate
of Dyakovitza be as fertile as thou art brave!"
Seeing what had befallen his companion, Yanko was in full flight,
but it took scarce a moment for Koulash to reach the flying steed,
and Milosh let fall upon the shoulders of his rider such a blow
that he, too, was hurled to the ground, where he turned over four
times ere finding anchorage. "Hold on! O Yanko!" scoffed Milosh,
"May the apple-trees in thy peaceful estate bear as abundant fruit
as thou art brave to-day!"
There now only remained the young man from Priepolye who by now had
fled to some distance. But his horse's speed could not avail against
the swiftness of Koulash, and Milosh soon reached him and with his
warrior club gave him a tap that tumbled him over and over no less
than seven times. Whether he could hear or not Milosh called aloud:
"Hold fast, O young man from Priepolye! And when thou goest back to
thy Priepolye, I give thee leave to boast before the fair maidens
there of how thou hast to-day taken away by force a Bulgar's steed!"
This done, Milosh turned his charger and soon reached the wedding
cavalcade. In due course the procession arrived at the white city
of Ledyen, and the Serbians put up their white tents beneath its
walls. The equerries gave the horses barley, but none did they give
to Koulash. When Milosh saw this he took in his left hand a nose-bag
and went from horse to horse, taking with his right hand from each
a handful until he had filled the bag of his trusty Koulash. Next he
went to the principal wine-keeper and prayed that he would give him a
glass of wine. But the keeper of the wine refused, saying: "Go away,
thou black Bulgar! If thou hadst brought thy rough Bulgarian wooden
cup, I might perhaps have poured in it a draught; but these golden
cups are not for thee!" Milosh turned on the churlish wine-keeper
a dark look and followed it with a tender blow on his cheek that
sent three sound teeth into his throat. Then the man, thoroughly
cowed, besought Milosh thus: "Stay thy hand, O mighty Bulgar! There
is wine in abundance for thee, even if our tsar should thereby go
short." But Milosh paid no attention to the fellow, and proceeded to
help himself. Then, as his spirits mounted with the generous wine,
day dawned and the sun began to shine.
The First Test
As Milosh stood drinking in the fresh beauty of the early morning a
page of King Michael called loudly from a tower of the royal castle:
"Listen, O Serbian Tsar Doushan! Behold, in the valley beneath the
walls of the city is the champion of our king! Thou must fight a
duel with him, either thyself or by a substitute. If thou dost not
overcome him thou shalt not go from this place safely, neither shalt
thou take back with thee so much as one of thy wedding-guests! Still
less shalt thou take with thee the princess Roksanda!"
Doushan heard the haughty message and sent a strong-voiced crier among
the wedding-guests. Here and there he stood shouting loudly the tsar's
message: "Has any mother given birth to a fearless hero who will take
up the challenge in our tsar's stead? To him who is brave enough to
fight the champion the tsar will grant nobility." But alas! when the
crier had gone through the camp no hero had come forward to claim
the honour of doing battle for the tsar.
When Doushan heard this, he struck his knee with his right hand,
exclaiming: "Woe is me! O mighty Creator! If I had now my darling
nephews, the two Voinovitchs, I should not lack a champion." The
tsar had hardly ended his lamentation when Milosh, leading his steed,
appeared before the tsar's tent. "O my Lord, thou mighty tsar!" said
he, "have I thy leave to fight this duel?"
The tsar answered: "Thou art welcome, O youthful Bulgar! But, alas,
there is slender likelihood that thou canst overpower the haughty
hector of the king. If, however, thou dost succeed, verily I will
ennoble thee!"
Milosh leaped to his saddle, and as he turned his fiery Koulash
from the tsar's tent, he carelessly threw his lance on his shoulder
with its point turned backward. Seeing this, Doushan called to him:
"Do not carry, O my son, thy lance so! Turn the point forward, lest
the proud Venetians laugh at thee!" But Milosh answered: "Attend,
O my tsar, unto thine own dignity, and be not anxious concerning
mine! If need arise I shall easily turn my lance correctly; if not,
I may just as well bring it back in this wrong wise!"
As Milosh rode on through the field of Ledyen, the ladies and maidens
of Ledyen looked upon him, and, laughing, they exclaimed: "Saints in
heaven! a marvel! What a substitute for a Serbian emperor! The young
man has even no decent clothes upon him! Be merry, thou hector of
the king, for hardly shalt thou need to unsheath thy sword!"
Meantime Milosh reached the tent in which sat the champion of the
Venetian king. Before the entrance he had stuck his lance deep into the
ground, and to this he had tethered his grey steed. Milosh addressed
the hector thus: "Rise up! thou little white Venetian gentleman, we
will fight together for the honour of our masters!" But the hector
answered angrily: "Away with thee, thou ugly black Bulgar! My sword
is not for such as thee! I would not soil my steel on such a ragged
fellow!"
This remark made Milosh very angry, and he exclaimed: "Rise up, haughty
Venetian! Thou hast indeed richer attire; I shall take it from thee,
and then who will have the finer feathers?"
At this the hector sprang to his feet and mounted his grey charger,
which he caused to prance and curvet across the field. Milosh stood
quietly looking on until suddenly the Venetian fiercely hurled his
lance straight to the breast of Milosh. The wary Serbian received
it on his golden-headed club and jerked the weapon over his head,
breaking it into three pieces as he did so. This sleight-of-hand
alarmed the hector and he exclaimed: "Wait a minute, thou ugly black
Bulgar! My lance was faulty, wait till I get a better one!" With this
he put spurs to his steed, but Milosh shouted after him: "Stop, thou
white Venetian! Thou shalt not escape me!" And with this he spurred
his Koulash after the cowardly hector and pursued close to the gates of
Ledyen. Alas for the fugitive, the gates were closed! For a moment the
hector paused irresolute and this moment was his last. Milosh let loose
his unerring lance; it whistled though the morning air and the hector
was transfixed to the gate. Then Milosh alighted from his steed, struck
off the Venetian's head and threw it in Koulash's nose-bag. Next he
caught the grey steed and rode with him to the tsar. "Here, O mighty
tsar," said he, "is the head of the king's hector!"
Doushan was overjoyed at his prowess and gave him much gold. "Go,
my son," said he, kindly, "drink some good wine, and presently I
shall make thee noble!"
The Second Test
Milosh had hardly seated himself at his wine when a page again called
loudly from the royal castle: "Behold, O Serbian tsar! In the meadow
below thou mayest see three fiery horses saddled, on the back of
each there is fastened a flaming sword with point upward. If thou
wouldst go in peace from here taking with thee the king's daughter,
thou must thyself or by deputy leap over these flaming swords."
Again the tsar sent a crier throughout his camp. "O Serbians," he
cried, "has not any mother given birth to a hero who will venture
to leap over the three horses and the flaming swords fixed on their
backs?"
Again he traversed the entire camp, taking care that his words should
come to the ear of every svat, but again no hero came forward to offer
himself. Then as the tsar was anxiously meditating on the problem
he looked up and, lo! Milosh again stood before him. "O glorious
tsar!" said he, "Have I thy permission to essay this feat?" And the
tsar readily answered: "Thou mayest surely go, my dear son! But first
take off this clumsy Bulgarian cloak! (may God punish the stupid tailor
who made it so!)" But Milosh said: "Sit in peace, O mighty tsar, and
drink thy cool wine! Do not be anxious concerning my coarse cloak. If
there be a heart in the hero his cloak will not be in his way: if a
sheep finds her wool too heavy for her there is no sheep in her nor
any wool!"
So saying he rode down to the meadow of Ledyen where stood the three
steeds tethered side by side fiercely pawing the ground. The young man
dismounted from his Koulash and stationed him several paces from the
third steed, by his side, then patting Koulash gently on his proud
neck, he said: "Thou shalt stay here quietly until I come again to
the saddle!" He passed over to the first steed and went on a little
distance, then turned, and dancing first on one foot then on the
other, he ran like a swift deer and, leaping high, jumped over the
three steeds, over the flaming swords, and alighted safely on the
saddle of his own Koulash. This done he gathered the reins of the
three chargers and rode with them in triumph to the Serbian tsar.
The Third Test
Very soon the page of the Venetian king came again to the tower of the
royal castle and proclaimed: "Hearken, thou tsar of the Serbs! Under
the topmost tower of this castle is a slender lance whereon a golden
apple is stuck; twelve paces distant is set a ring: thou must shoot
an arrow through the ring and transfix the apple--thou or thy deputy!"
This time Milosh would not wait for the crier to do his errand, but
straightway went to the tsar and obtained his permission to essay the
task. Then, taking his golden bow and arrow, he went to the place
indicated, fixed his arrow on the bow string, and the shaft sped
straight through the ring to the heart of the apple which he caught
in his hand as it fell. Again the tsar bestowed upon him golden ducats
beyond number.
The Fourth Test
No sooner was this wonderful exploit completed than the royal page
again proclaimed from the castle turret: "Behold, O tsar of the
Serbs! The two royal princes have brought out in front of the king's
palace three beautiful maidens, all exactly alike and attired in
similar robes. The king bids thee guess which of the three is the
princess Roksanda. Woe to thee if thou touchest other maiden but
Roksanda! Thou shalt not have the princess for thy bride; neither
shalt thou go out with thy head upon thy shoulders; still less shall
thy guests leave this place!"
When Doushan heard the message he summoned immediately his councillor
Theodor and commanded: "Go, Theodor, and tell which is Roksanda!" But
Theodor declared that he had seen her but for so brief a time that it
would be impossible that he should be able to choose between three
maidens all exactly like the one he had seen by the light from his
master's ring.
Hearing this the tsar, in despair, struck his knee with his hand,
exclaiming: "Alas! alas! After performing many wonderful exploits,
must we return without the bride and be the shame of our people?" Just
then Milosh, who had become aware of the tsar's difficulty, entered
into the imperial presence and spake thus: "Have I thy leave, O tsar,
to try to guess which of the maidens is the princess Roksanda?" And the
tsar answered joyfully: "Indeed thou hast, O darling son of mine! But
slender is the hope that thou shalt guess rightly, since thou hast
never seen the princess before!"
Thereupon Milosh answered: "Be not fearful, my glorious Lord! When I
was a shepherd in the mountain Shar watching twelve thousand sheep,
there have been born in a night three hundred lambs and I have been
able to recognize and tell which sheep was dam to each lamb. How
much easier will it be to choose Roksanda by her resemblance to
her brothers!"
"Go, go then, my darling son! May God help thee to guess rightly! If
thou art successful I shall grant thee the whole land of Skender that
thou be its lord for thy lifetime!"
Milosh went forth through the wide field until he came to the place
where the three maidens stood waiting. With a swift and sudden
motion he swept the coarse fur-cap from his head and threw from off
his shoulder his heavy cloak, revealing the scarlet velvet and the
golden cuirasse which had been hidden underneath. Truly he shone in the
verdant field like the setting sun behind a forest! Milosh now spread
his cloak on the grass and cast upon it rings, pearls, and precious
stones. Then he unsheathed his finely-tempered sword and addressed
the three fair maidens thus: "Let her who is the princess Roksanda
gather her train and sleeves together and collect these rings, pearls,
and precious stones! If any but Roksanda should dare to touch these
beautiful things, I swear by my firm faith that I shall instantly
cut off her two hands, yea, even as far as her elbows!"
The three beautiful maidens were terrified, and two of them looked
meaningly at their companion who stood in the middle. This was the
princess, and after a moment's hesitation Roksanda gathered her silky
train and sleeves and began to collect the rings, pearls, and precious
stones. The two other maidens were about to flee, but Milosh took
them gently by their hands and escorted all three to the presence of
the tsar, to whom he presented princess Roksanda together with one
of her companions who might be her lady-in-waiting; the third maiden,
however, he retained for himself. The tsar kissed Milosh between his
fiery eyes, still not knowing who he was or whence he came.
The Departure of the Serbians
The masters of the ceremonies now called aloud: "Get ready, all ye
svats! It is high time we should hurry homeward!" And the svats made
ready for the journey, and soon they set out, taking with them the
beautiful princess Roksanda.
As they departed from the gates of the city, Milosh approached the tsar
and said: "O my lord, thou Serbian Tsar Doushan, listen to me! There
is in the city of Ledyen a terrible hero named Balatchko the Voivode;
I know him and he knows me. Balatchko has three heads: from one of
them issues a blue flame, from another rushes a freezing wind. Woe
to him against whom these are directed! But if a hero withstands
them it is not difficult to slay Balatchko when his wind and flame
have left him. The Venetian king has been training him these seven
years, for it has been his intention to make use of him to annihilate
the royal wedding-party and to rescue princess Roksanda, supposing
that thou shouldst succeed in obtaining possession of her. Now it
is certain that he will send him to pursue us. Go thou thy way and
I will remain behind with three hundred well-chosen heroes, to stop
the monster from pursuing thee." Therefore, while the svats went on
with the beautiful Princess Roksanda, Milosh, with his three hundred
comrades, remained in the verdant forest.
The svats had hardly struck their tents when King Michael summoned
Voivode Balatchko. "O Balatchko, my trusty servant," said he, "canst
thou rely upon thy valour and go out against the tsar's svats to
bring back my daughter Roksanda?"
And Balatchko replied: "My lord, thou King of Ledyen! First tell me,
who was that valorous hero who achieved the great feats to which thou
didst challenge the Serbian tsar?" The king of Ledyen answered him:
"O Balatchko, our trusty servant! He is no hero; he is only a youthful
black Bulgarian." And Balatchko replied: "Nay, thou art mistaken; no
black Bulgar is he. I know him well; he is the Prince Milosh Voinovitch
himself, whom not even the Serbian tsar was able to recognize through
his shepherd's disguise. Truly he is no ordinary hero, and not to be
lightly esteemed by any warrior, however fearless." Nevertheless the
king insisted: "Go thou against the svats, O Voivode Balatchko! If
thou dost regain the princess, I will give her to thee for wife!"
The Contest with Balatchko
Hearing this promise, Balatchko saddled his mare Bedevia and went in
pursuit of the svats, accompanied by six hundred Venetian cuirassiers.
When they reached the forest they saw Koulash standing in the
middle of the main road and Milosh on foot behind him. Balatchko
addressed the prince, saying: "O Milosh, evidently thou hast waited
for me!" With this he loosed his blue flame, which, however, only
singed Milosh's furs; whereupon, seeing that he had not greatly
harmed the hero, he breathed his freezing wind upon him. Koulash
tumbled over and over in the dust three times, but the wind did not
affect his master. Exclaiming: "There is something thou didst not
expect!" Milosh hurled his six-cornered mace and it gave Balatchko
a gentle knock that tumbled him out of his saddle. Then Milosh threw
his lance and transfixed the fellow to the ground, after which he cut
off all three of his heads and threw them in Koulash's bag. This done,
he mounted his steed and led his three hundred Serbians against the
Venetian cuirassiers and cleft three hundred heads, the survivors
being put to flight. He then hurried on and soon came up with the
tsar, at whose feet he cast the three grim heads of Balatchko. The
tsar rejoiced to hear of his victory and gave him one thousand ducats;
then the procession resumed its march to Prisrend. In the middle of
the plain Kossovo, Milosh's way to the fortress of Voutchitrn lay
to the right, and he came to the tsar to take leave of him. "May
God be with thee, my dear uncle!" said he. Only then did the tsar
come to know that the seeming Bulgarian was none else than his
nephew Prince Milosh Voinovitch! Overwhelmed with joy he exclaimed:
"Is it thou, my dear Milosh? Is it thou, my dearest nephew? Happy
is the mother who gave thee birth and happy the uncle who has such
a valiant nephew! Why didst thou not reveal thyself before? verily
I should not have excluded thee from my company."
Woe to him who overlooks his own relatives!