All at once an old limping frog, who had been thirty years out of
service, pushed her way to the front and said, "Kwa-kwa! I know where
to find such a wonder!"
"Well, then, my dear, thou art the person I need," said the old woman.
She took the frog, and commanded the giants to bear them home. They
were at the palace in a flash. The old woman asked the frog how her
son was to go.
"Oh!" said the frog, "that place is at the rim of the world,--far, far
away. I would conduct him myself, but I am very old; I can barely move
my legs,--I couldn't jump there in fifty years."
The old woman took a bowl with some fresh milk, put the frog in it,
gave the bowl to Fedot, and said: "Carry this in thy hand; she will
show thee the way."
The sharpshooter took farewell of the old woman and her daughters, and
went on his journey, the frog showing him the way. Whether it was near
or distant, long or short, he came at last to a flaming river, beyond
which was a lofty mountain with a door in the side.
"Kwa-kwa!" said the frog. "Put me down out of the bowl; we must cross
the river."
He put her on the ground.
"Now, good youth, sit thou on my back; do not spare me."
He sat on her back and pressed her to the ground; she began to swell,
and swelled until she was as big as a stack of hay. The sharpshooter's
one care was to keep from falling. "If I fall," thought he, "I shall
be crushed." The frog cleared the flaming river at a jump, became
small as before, and said: "Now, good youth, I will wait here; but do
thou enter that door in the mountain. Thou wilt find a cave,--hide
thyself well. After a time two old men will come in: listen to what
they say, and watch what they do; when they are gone, act as they
did."
The sharpshooter entered the door of the mountain; it was so dark in
the cave that if a man strained his eyes out he could not see a thing.
Fedot felt around and found a cupboard, crept in. After a while two
old men entered and said, "Shmat-Razum, feed us!"
That moment, however it happened, the lamps were lighted, the dishes
and plates rattled, and various kinds of food and wine appeared on the
table. The old men ate and drank, and then ordered Shmat-Razum to
remove everything. Everything disappeared in a flash; neither table,
nor food, nor wine, nor lights remained. The two old men went out.
The sharpshooter crawled from the cupboard and cried, "Hei,
Shmat-Razum!"
"What dost thou wish?"
"Feed me!"
Again the lights, the table, the food and drink appeared as before.
Fedot sat at the table and said: "Hei, Shmat-Razum, sit down brother,
with me, we'll eat and drink together; it is irksome for me alone."
The voice of the unseen answered: "Oh, kind man! whence has God
brought thee? It is nearly thirty years that I serve these old men in
faith and in truth, and all this time they have never once seated me
with themselves."
The sharpshooter looked and wondered. He saw no one, but the food was
swept from the plates as if with a broom; the bottles raised
themselves and poured the wine into glasses,--behold, in a moment
bottles and glasses are empty!
"Shmat-Razum, dost thou wish to serve me?" asked the sharpshooter.
"I'll give thee a pleasant life."
"Why not? I am sick of being here; and thou, I see, art a kind man."
"All right; pick up everything and come along." The sharpshooter went
out of the cave, looked around, saw no one, and asked: "Art thou here,
Shmat-Razum?"
"Here; I'll not leave thee, never fear."
"Very well," said Fedot, and sat on the frog,--she swelled, jumped
over the river, and became small. He put her in the bowl, and went on
the homeward road, came to his mother-in-law, and made his new servant
entertain the old woman and her daughters. Shmat-Razum gave them such
a feast that the old woman came very near dancing from joy. She
ordered that three bowls of milk be given to the frog every day in
reward for her faithfulness. The sharpshooter bade good-by to his
friends and set out for home. He travelled and journeyed till he was
almost wearied to death. "Oh, Shmat-Razum," said he, "if thou couldst
only know how tired I am, I am just losing my legs."
"Why not tell me long ago?" asked the other; "I should have brought
thee home quickly." With that he seized Fedot and bore him like a
rushing whirlwind, so swiftly that his cap fell off.
"Hei, Shmat-Razum, wait a minute; my cap is gone."
"Late, my master; thy cap is now three thousand miles behind."
Towns and villages, rivers and forests, just flashed before the eye;
as Fedot was flying over a deep sea Shmat-Razum said: "If thou
wishest, I will make a summer-house in the midst of the sea; thou
canst rest, and acquire great fortune."
"Well, make it."
They dropped down toward the sea, and behold, where a moment before
the waves were rolling, an island rose up, and in the centre a golden
pleasure-house.
"Now, my master, sit down in this house, rest, and look at the sea.
Presently three merchant-ships will sail by and cast anchor. Invite
the merchants, entertain them well, and exchange me for three
wonderful things which they have. I'll come to thee again in my own
time."
Fedot looked; three merchant-ships were sailing from the west. The
merchants saw the island and wondered.
"What does this mean?" asked they. "How many times have we sailed by
here and seen nothing but water, and now an island and a
pleasure-house! Let us stand up to the shore, brothers, let us look
and admire."
They stopped the ships, cast anchor; the three merchants stepped into
a light boat, went to the island, landed, and saluted Fedot,--
"Hail, worthy man!"
"Good health to you, foreign merchants! We crave kindness. Come in,
rejoice, have a good time, and rest yourselves. This pleasure-house
was made on purpose for passing guests." They went in and sat down.
"Hei, Shmat-Razum, meat and drink!" A table appeared; on the table
wines and meats, whatever the soul could desire was at hand in a
moment. The merchants opened their mouths in amazement.
"Let us exchange," said they. "Give us thy servant, and take any one
of our wonders."
"What wonders have ye?"
"Look, and thou wilt see."
One merchant took a small box from his pocket and opened it: that
minute a glorious garden was spread over the whole island with flowers
and paths; he closed the box, and the garden was gone. The second
merchant took an axe from under his skirts and began to hit, hit
strike, a ship came out: hit strike--another ship. He struck a hundred
times--a hundred ships. They moved around the island under full
canvas, with sailors and cannon. The sailors run and fire guns. The
commanders come to the merchant for orders. He amused himself, hid his
axe: the ships vanished from the eye, were as if they had never been.
The third merchant took a horn, blew into it at one end: that minute
an army appeared, cavalry and infantry, with muskets and cannons and
flags; from every regiment come reports to the merchant, and he gives
them orders. The army marches, with music sounding and banners waving.
The merchant took his horn, blew in at the other end: there is
nothing. Where has all the power gone to?
"Your wonders are strange," said the sharpshooter; "but these are all
playthings for kings, and I am a simple soldier. If ye will exchange,
however, I agree to give you my unseen servant for all three of your
wonders."
"Is not that rather too much?"
"Well, ye know your own business, I suppose; but I will not exchange
on other conditions."
The merchants thought to themselves, "What good are these ships and
soldiers and garden to us? Let us exchange,--at least we shall have
enough to eat and drink all our lives without trouble."
They gave the sharpshooter their wonders, and asked: "Shmat-Razum,
wilt thou come with us?"
"Why not? It's all the same to me where I live."
The merchants returned to their ships and said: "Now, Shmat-Razum, fly
about; give us to eat and drink." They invited all the men, and had
such a feast that every one got drunk and slept a sound sleep.
The sharpshooter was sitting in the golden summer-house; he fell to
thinking, and said: "I am sorry; where art thou now, trusty servant?"
"Here, my master."
Fedot rejoiced. "Isn't it time for us to go home?" The moment he spoke
he was borne through the air as if by a whirlwind.
The merchants woke up, and wishing to drink off the effects of their
carousal, cried out: "Give us to drink, Shmat-Razum." No one answered,
nothing was brought; no matter how much they screamed and commanded,
no result. "Well, gentlemen, this scoundrel has swindled us. Now Satan
himself could not find him; the island has vanished, the
pleasure-house is gone." The merchants grieved and regretted; then
hoisted their sails and went to where they had business.
The sharpshooter soon arrived at his own kingdom, came down by the
sea-shore. "Shmat-Razum, canst thou build me a palace here?"
"Why not?--it will be ready directly."
The palace appeared so splendid that it could not be described,--twice
as good as the king's. Now the box was opened, and all around the
palace was a glorious garden, with rare trees and flowers.
The sharpshooter sat by the window admiring the garden when all at
once a blue dove flew in through the open window, struck the floor,
and became his young wife. They embraced and kissed each other; then
made inquiries and gave answer. Said his wife to Fedot: "Since the
time thou didst leave me I have lived a lone dove in the forests and
thickets."
Next morning the king went out on the balcony, and saw by the shore of
the blue sea a new palace, and a green garden around it. "What
insolent fellow has built on my land without leave?" Couriers
hastened, discovered, reported, that the palace was built by Fedot,
who was living there then, and with him his wife.
The king's anger increased. He gave orders to collect troops and go to
the sea-shore, destroy the garden, break the palace into small pieces,
and give the sharpshooter and his wife to a cruel death.
Fedot saw the strong army approaching. He took his axe quickly, and
struck; a ship came forth; he struck a hundred times,--a hundred ships
were ready; he blew his horn once, infantry was marching; he blew it a
second time, cavalry was galloping. The commanders rushed to him from
the ships, from the army, for orders. He ordered them to give battle.
The music sounded at once, the drums rattled, the regiments advanced.
The hundred ships open a cannonade on the king's capital. The army
moves on at the sound of music and beat of drum. The infantry rout the
king's soldiers, the cavalry take them prisoners. The king sees that
his army is fleeing, hurries forward himself to stop it. But what
could he do? Half an hour had not passed before he was killed.
When the battle was over, the people came together and begged the
sharpshooter to take the government of the kingdom into his hands. He
agreed, became king, and his wife queen.