In a certain kingdom, in a certain land, there lived a Tsar with his
Tsaritsa. They had a son, Ivan Tsarevich, and Katoma of the Oaken Cap
was appointed tutor to care for and guard Ivan.
The Tsar and Tsaritsa attained to ancient years, fell ill, and had no
thought to recover. They summoned Ivan Tsarevich and said: "When we
die, do thou obey in all things Katoma of the Oaken Cap and honor him.
If thou obeyest him, thou'lt be happy; but if disobedient, thou wilt
perish like a fly."
Next day the Tsar and Tsaritsa died. Ivan buried his parents and lived
according to their command: whatever he did, he always held counsel
with his tutor. Whether it was long or short, the Tsarevich grew to
years of manhood and thought of marrying. He came to Katoma of the
Oaken Cap and said: "I feel dreary alone; I wish to marry."
"Well, Tsarevich, where is the halt? Thy years are such that it is
time to think of a bride. Go to the great chamber,--there the
portraits of all Tsars' daughters and all kings' daughters are
collected. Look at them and choose; if any please thee, propose for
that one."
Ivan Tsarevich went to the great chamber, examined the portraits; and
Princess Anna the Beautiful suited his mind,--such a beauty that in
the whole world there was not her equal. Under her portrait was
written that if any man gave her a riddle and she could not solve it,
she would marry the man; and whose riddle she solved, off went his
head. Ivan Tsarevich read this inscription, grew very sorrowful, and
went to his uncle. "I have been," said he, "in the great chamber, and
have found for myself a bride,--Anna the Beautiful; but I know not how
to get her."
"Yes, Tsarevich, it is difficult to win her. If thou go alone, thou
wilt never succeed; but if thou take me and will do what I say,
perhaps the affair may be settled."
Ivan Tsarevich begged Katoma of the Oaken Cap to go with him, and gave
his faithful word to obey him in sorrow and in joy.
They prepared for the road and the journey, and went to ask Princess
Anna the Beautiful in marriage. They travelled one year, travelled a
second, then a third, and passed over many lands. Ivan Tsarevich said:
"Uncle, we are travelling now so long a time, are nearing the land of
Anna the Beautiful, and we know not what riddle to give her."
"Oh, we will think of one yet."
They went farther. Uncle Katoma looked on the road, and there was
lying a purse with gold. He took it up, poured all the money out of it
into his own purse, and said: "Here is the riddle, Ivan Tsarevich.
When thou comest to the princess, give her the riddle in these words:
'We were travelling along, and we saw good lying on the road. We took
good with good and put it in our good.' She'll not solve that riddle
all her life; and every other one she would know in a moment,--she
would just look into her magic book, and as soon as she knew the
riddle she would have thy head cut off."
Well, Ivan Tsarevich with his uncle came at last to the lofty palace
where the beautiful princess was living. At that very time she was on
the balcony, saw the travellers, and sent out to know whence they
were, and what they had come for.
Ivan Tsarevich replied: "I have come from such and such a kingdom, and
I wish to ask Anna the Beautiful in marriage."
They reported this to the princess. She gave answer that the Tsarevich
should come to the palace and give, in the presence of all her
counselling princes and boyars, a riddle. "With me," said she, "this
order is established, that if I solve not the riddle of a man, I will
marry him; but if I solve any man's riddle, I give him to a cruel
death."
"Hear my riddle, beautiful princess," said Ivan. "We were going along,
we saw good lying on the road, we took good with good and put it in
our good."
Anna the Beautiful took her magic book, began to examine it and look
for riddles; she went through the whole volume and found nothing.
Then the counselling princes and boyars decided that the princess must
marry Ivan Tsarevich. Though sorry, she had to give way, and began to
prepare for the wedding; but plotting to win time and get rid of the
bridegroom, she thought, "I will trouble him with difficult tasks."
She called Ivan Tsarevich and said: "Oh, my dear Ivan Tsarevich, my
betrothed husband, we must prepare for the wedding; do me a small
service. In my kingdom in such a place stands a great iron pillar;
bring it to the palace kitchen and cut it into small pieces as fuel
for the cook."
"My princess, is it possible that I have come here to cut fuel? Is
that my business? I have a servant for that,--Uncle Katoma of the
Oaken Cap."
The Tsarevich called Uncle Katoma straightway, and commanded him to
bring the iron pillar to the kitchen and cut it into small pieces as
fuel for the cook.
Uncle Katoma went to the place mentioned, took the pillar in his arms,
brought it to the palace kitchen, and cut it into small pieces. Four
pieces of iron did he put in his pocket, saying, "They will be good in
the future."
Next day the princess said to Ivan: "My dear Tsarevich, my betrothed
husband, to-morrow we must go to the crown: I will go in a carriage,
and thou on an heroic steed. Meanwhile thou shouldst try the steed."
"Shall I try a horse when I have a servant for that?" Ivan Tsarevich
called Uncle Katoma of the Oaken Cap.
"Go," said he, "and order the stable-boys to lead forth the heroic
steed; sit on him and ride him around. To-morrow I will go to the
marriage on him."
Uncle Katoma saw through the cunning of the princess, without talking
long. He went to the stable and ordered them to lead forth the heroic
steed. Twelve men went: they opened twelve locks, opened twelve doors,
and led out the magic horse by twelve iron chains.
Uncle Katoma went to the horse: the moment he sat on him the magic
steed left the earth and rose higher than the standing forest, lower
than the moving clouds. Katoma sat firmly; with one hand he held the
mane, with the other he took from his pocket one of the iron bars and
began to pound the horse between the ears with it. He broke one bar,
took another, broke that, took a third, broke that. The fourth entered
service; and Katoma so hammered the steed that he could not endure,
but spoke with the voice of a man: "Father Katoma, let me even live in
the white world; whatever thou wishest, command,--everything shall be
as thou sayest."
"Listen, dog's meat!" answered Uncle Katoma. "To-morrow Ivan Tsarevich
will ride thee to the marriage: see to it when they lead thee to the
broad court, when the Tsarevich approaches and puts his hand on thee,
that thou standest quietly, movest not an ear; and when he sits on thy
back, sink to thy fetlocks, and walk under him with a heavy tread, as
if an immeasurable burden were on thee."
The heroic steed heard the command and came down barely alive to the
earth. Katoma took him by the tail and threw him to the side of the
stable, saying, "Oh, coachmen and grooms, take this dog's meat to the
stable!"
The next day rose, the hour of marriage came. They gave a carriage to
the princess, and led out the heroic steed for Ivan Tsarevich. The
people ran from every side in thousands. The bridegroom and the bride
came forth from the white-walled palace. The princess sat in the
carriage and waited for what would happen to Ivan Tsarevich. The magic
steed, she thought, would scatter his hair to the wind and drag his
bones over the field.
Ivan Tsarevich approached the steed, put his hand on his back, his
foot in the stirrup; the horse stood as if fixed to the earth, moved
not an ear. Ivan sat on his back; the horse sank in the ground to the
fetlocks. They removed the twelve chains from him; the horse began to
walk with a slow and heavy tread, the sweat rolled from him like rain.
"Oh, what a champion, what immeasurable strength!" said the people,
looking at the Tsarevich.
They crowned the bridegroom with the bride. They were coming out of
the church, took each other by the hand, and the princess thought of
testing once more the strength of Ivan Tsarevich. She pressed his hand
with such force that he could not endure; the blood rushed to his
face, his eyes went up under his forehead.
"So this is the kind of hero thou art!" thought the princess. "Thy
uncle has deceived me grandly; but this will not go with thee for
nothing."
Anna the Beautiful lived with Ivan Tsarevich as was befitting a wife
with a God-given husband, and she in every way flattered him with
words, but thought only of one thing,--how to destroy Uncle Katoma of
the Oaken Cap. It was not difficult for her to manage the Tsarevich
without the uncle. No matter how much calumny she invented, Ivan did
not yield to her speeches; he had pity on his uncle. In a year's time
he said to his wife: "My dear consort, beautiful princess, I should
like to go with thee to my own kingdom."
"Very well, let us go; I have long wished to see thy kingdom."
They got ready and went, making Uncle Katoma coachman. They travelled
and travelled. Ivan Tsarevich fell asleep on the way. All at once Anna
the Beautiful began to rouse him and complain: "Now, Tsarevich, thou
art sleeping all the time, hearest nothing. But thy uncle will not
obey me; he drives the horses on purpose over hillocks and into
holes, just as if trying to kill me. I spoke to him kindly, and he
laughed at me. I will not live unless thou punish him."
Ivan in his drowsiness grew very angry at his uncle, and gave him over
entirely to the princess. "Do with him as thou desirest." The princess
gave orders to cut off his feet. Katoma allowed himself to be
maltreated by her. "Let me endure," thought he; "and the Tsarevich
will know what it is to suffer sorrow." They cut off Katoma's feet.
The princess looked around and saw a high stump on one side; she
called the servants and ordered them to seat him on that stump. Ivan
Tsarevich she tied by a rope to the carriage, turned back, and went to
her own kingdom. Uncle Katoma of the Oaken Cap was sitting on the
stump, shedding bitter tears. "Farewell, Ivan Tsarevich," said he,
"thou wilt remember me;" and Ivan Tsarevich ran jumping behind the
carriage. He knew himself that he had made a mistake, but he could not
turn back.
Anna the Beautiful came to her own kingdom, and she made Ivan
Tsarevich herd cows. Every morning he went with the herd into the open
field, and in the evening he drove them back into the princess' yard;
and at that time she sat on the balcony and counted the cows, were
they all there? She counted them, and ordered the Tsarevich to kiss
the last cow on the tail; and the cow was so well trained that when
she came to the gate she stopped and raised her tail.
Uncle Katoma was sitting on the stump one day, a second, a third,
without food or drink. He could in no way slip down, and it was coming
to him to die of hunger. Not far away was a thick wood, and in that
wood lived a blind, mighty hero; and he nourished himself only with
this, that when he knew by the smell that a beast was running past,--a
hare, fox, or bear,--that moment he ran, caught it, and his dinner was
ready. The hero was very swift of foot, and no running beast could
escape him. Behold, it happened thus: a fox was slipping by; the hero
heard it and pursued; the fox ran to the tall stump and turned aside.
The blind champion hurried, and in the run struck his forehead against
the stump so that he drove it out of the ground with its roots.