"I need no men," replied Ivan; "I can get the horse alone. Thou
mightest give me perhaps half a dozen to send on messages."
The Tsar gave him six men; they made ready and set out. Whether they
travelled long or short it is unknown to any man; only this is
known,--that they came to a fiery river. Over the river was a bridge;
near the river an enormous forest. In that forest they pitched a tent,
got many things to drink, and began to eat and make merry.
Ivan the peasant's son said to his comrades: "Let us stand guard every
night in turn, and see if any man passes the river."
It happened that when any of Ivan's comrades went on guard, each one
of them got drunk in the evening and could see nothing. At last Ivan
himself went on guard; and just at midnight he saw that a three-headed
serpent was crossing the river, and the serpent called, "I have no
enemy, no calumniator, unless one enemy and one calumniator, Ivan the
peasant's son; but the raven hasn't brought his bones in a bladder
yet."
Ivan the peasant's son sprang from under the bridge. "Thou liest; I am
here!"
"If thou art here, then let us make trial;" and the serpent on
horseback advanced against Ivan. But Ivan went forth on foot, gave a
blow with his sabre, and cut off the three heads of the serpent, took
the horse for himself, and tied him to the tent.
The next night Ivan the peasant's son killed the six-headed serpent,
the third night the nine-headed one, and threw them into the fiery
river. When he went on guard the fourth night the twelve-headed
serpent came, and began to speak wrathfully. "Who art thou, Ivan the
peasant's son? Come out this minute to me! Why didst thou kill my
sons?"
Ivan the peasant's son slipped out and said: "Let me go first to my
tent, and then I will fight with thee."
"Well, go on."
Ivan ran to his comrades. "Here, boys, is a bowl, look into it; when
it shall be filled with blood, come to me."
He returned and stood against the serpent; they rushed and struck each
other. Ivan at the first blow cut four heads off the serpent, but went
himself to his knees in the earth; when they met the second time, Ivan
cut three heads off and sank to his waist in the earth; the third time
they met he cut off three more heads, and sank to his breast in the
earth; at last he cut off one head, and sank to his neck in the earth.
Then only did his comrades think of him; they looked, and saw that the
blood was running over the edge of the bowl. They hastened out, cut
off the last head of the serpent, and pulled Ivan out of the earth.
Ivan took the serpent's horse and led him to the tent.
Night passed, morning came; the good youth began to eat, drink, and be
merry. Ivan the peasant's son rose up from the merry-making and said
to his comrades, "Do ye wait here." He turned into a cat, and went
along the bridge over the fiery river, came to the house where the
serpents used to live, and began to make friends with the cats there.
In the house there remained alive only the old mother of the serpents
and her three daughters-in-law; they were sitting in the chamber
talking to one another. "How could we destroy that scoundrel, that
Ivan the peasant's son?"
The youngest daughter-in-law said: "I'll bring hunger on the road, and
turn myself into an apple-tree, so that when he eats an apple it will
tear him to pieces in a moment."
The second daughter-in-law said: "I will bring thirst on the road, and
turn myself into a well; let him try to drink."
The eldest said: "I'll bring sleep and make a bed of myself; let Ivan
try to lie down, he'll die in a minute."
At last the old woman said: "I'll open my mouth from earth to sky and
swallow them all."
Ivan heard what they said, went out of the chamber, turned into a man,
and went back to his comrades. "Now, boys, make ready for the road."
They made ready, went their way, and to begin with a terrible hunger
appeared on the road, so that they had nothing to eat. They saw an
apple-tree. Ivan's comrades wanted to pluck the apples, but Ivan would
not let them. "That is not an apple-tree," said he; and began to slash
at it: blood came out. Another time thirst came upon them. Ivan saw a
well; he would not let them drink from it; he began to slash at it:
blood came forth. Then sleep came on them; there was a bed on the
road. Ivan cut it to pieces. They came to the jaws stretched from the
earth to the sky. What was to be done? They thought of jumping through
on a run. No man was able to jump through save Ivan; and he was borne
out of the trouble by his wonderful steed, every hair of which was
silver, and the bright moon on his forehead.
He came to a river; at the river was a hut; there he was met by a
little man, himself one finger tall, his mustache seven versts in
length, who said: "Give me the horse; and if thou wilt not give him
quietly, I'll take him by force."
Ivan answered: "Leave me, cursed reptile, or I'll crush thee under the
horse."
The little man himself, one finger tall, his mustache seven versts in
length, knocked him on to the ground, sat on the horse, and rode away.
Ivan went into the hut and grieved greatly for his horse. In the hut
was lying on the stove a footless, handless man, and he said to Ivan:
"Listen, good hero,--I know not how to call thee by name. Why didst
thou try to fight with him? I was something more of a hero than thou,
and still he gnawed my hands and feet off."
"Why?"
"Because I ate bread on his table."
Ivan began to ask how he could win his horse back. The footless,
handless said,--
"Go to such a river and take the ferry, ferry for three years, take
money from no man: then thou mayest win the horse back."
Ivan bowed down to him, went to the river, took the ferry, and ferried
three whole years for nothing. Once it happened to him to ferry over
three old men; they offered him money, he would not take it.
"Tell me, good hero, why thou takest no money?"