All at once a bear came in. "Fear me not, brave hero; thou hast come
in good time. I am not a savage bear, but a fair maiden, an enchanted
princess. If thou canst endure and pass three nights in this place,
the enchantment will be broken, I shall be a princess as before, and
will marry thee."
The soldier consented. Now, there fell upon him such a sadness that he
could not look on the world, and every moment the sadness increased;
if there had been no wine he could not have held out a single night,
as it seemed. The second night it went so far that the soldier
resolved to leave everything and run away; but no matter how he
struggled, no matter how he tried, he found no way out of the castle.
There was no help for it, he had to stay in spite of himself.
He passed the third night. In the morning there stood before him a
princess of unspeakable beauty. She thanked him for his service, and
told him to make ready for the crown (marriage). Straightway they had
the wedding, and began to live together without care or trouble. After
a time the soldier remembered his native place; he wanted to spend
some time there. The princess tried to dissuade him.
"Remain, stay here, my friend, go not away. What is lacking to thee?"
No, she could not dissuade him. She took farewell of her husband, gave
him a sack filled with seeds, and said: "On whatever road thou mayest
travel, throw these seeds on both sides. Wherever they fall, that
moment trees will spring up; on the trees precious fruit will be
hanging in beauty, various birds will sing songs, and tom-cats from
over the sea will tell tales."
The good hero sat on his horse of service and went his way. Wherever
he journeyed he cast seeds on both sides, and after him forests were
rising, just creeping out of the damp earth. He rode one day, he rode
a second, a third, and saw in the open field a caravan. On the grass
merchants were sitting playing cards, near them a great kettle was
hanging, and, though there was no fire under the kettle, it was
boiling like a fountain within the pot. "What a wonder!" thought the
soldier; "there is no fire to be seen, and in the kettle it is boiling
like a fountain,--let me look at it more closely." He turned his horse
to the place and rode up to the merchants.
"Hail, honorable gentlemen!" He had no suspicion that these were not
merchants, but all unclean. "That is a good trick of yours,--a kettle
boiling without fire; but I have a better one."
He took out a seed and threw it on the ground,--that moment a
full-grown tree came up; on the tree were precious fruits in their
beauty, various birds were singing songs, and tom-cats from over the
sea were telling tales. From this boast the unclean knew him.
"Ah," said they among themselves, "this is the man who liberated the
princess! Come, brothers, let us drug him with a weed, and let him
sleep half a year."
They went to entertaining him, and drugged him with the magic weed.
The soldier dropped on the grass and fell into deep sleep from which
he could not be roused. The merchants, the caravan, and the kettle
vanished in a twinkle.
Soon after the princess went out in her garden and saw that the tops
of all the trees had begun to wither. "This is not for good," thought
she; "it is evident that evil has come to my husband."
Three months passed. It was time for his return, and there was nothing
of him, nothing. The princess made ready and went to search for him.
She went by that road along which he had travelled,--on both sides
forests were growing, birds were singing, and tom-cats from over the
sea were purring their tales. She reached the spot where there were no
more trees, the road wound out into the open field; she thought,
"Where has he gone to? Of course he has not sunk through the earth."
She looked, aside by itself was one of the wonderful trees, and under
it her dear husband. She ran to him, pushed, and tried to rouse him.
No, he did not wake. She pinched him, stuck pins in his side, pricked
and pricked him. He did not feel even the pain,--lay like a corpse
without motion. The princess grew angry, and in her anger pronounced
the spell: "Mayest thou be caught by the stormy whirlwind, thou
good-for-nothing sleepy head, and be borne to places unknown!"
She had barely uttered these words when the wind began to whistle, to
sound, and in one flash the soldier was caught up by a boisterous
whirlwind and borne away from the eyes of the princess. She saw too
late that she had spoken an evil speech. She shed bitter tears, went
home, lived alone and lonely.
The poor soldier was borne by the whirlwind far, far away beyond the
thrice-ninth land, to the thirtieth kingdom, and thrown on a point
between two seas; he fell on the very narrowest little wedge. If the
sleeping man were to turn to the right, or roll to the left, that
moment he would tumble into the sea, and then remember his name.
The good hero slept out his half year,--moved not a finger; and when
he woke he sprang straight to his feet, looked on both sides. The
waves are rolling; no end can be seen to the broad sea. He stands in
doubt, asking himself, "By what miracle have I come to this place? Who
dragged me hither?" He turned back from the point and came out on an
island; on that island was a mountain steep and lofty, touching the
clouds with its peak, and on the mountain a great stone. He came near
this mountain and saw three devils fighting; blood was just flowing
from them, and bits of flesh flying.
"Stop, ye outcasts! What are ye fighting for?"
"But seest thou our father died three days ago and left three
wonderful things,--a flying carpet, swift-moving boots, and a cap of
invisibility; and we cannot divide them."
"Oh, ye cursed fellows, to fight for such trifles! If ye wish I'll
divide them between you, and ye shall be satisfied; I'll offend no
one."
"Well then, countryman, divide between us if it please thee."
"Very good. Run quickly through the pine woods and gather one hundred
poods of pitch, and bring it here."
The devils rushed through the pine woods, collected three hundred
poods of pitch, and brought it to the soldier.
"Now bring me from your own kingdom the very largest kettle that is in
it." The devils brought the very largest kettle,--one holding forty
barrels,--and put the pitch into it. The soldier made a fire, and when
the pitch was boiling he ordered the devils to take it on the mountain
and pour it out from the top to the bottom. The devils did this in a
flash. "Now," said the soldier, "push that stone there; let it roll
from the mountain, and follow it. Whoever comes up with it first may
take any of the three things; whoever comes up second will choose from
the two remaining ones whichever he likes; and the last wonder will go
to the third." The devils pushed the stone, and it rolled from the
mountain quickly, quickly. One devil caught up, seized the stone, the
stone turned, and in a flash put him under it, crushed him into the
pitch. The second devil caught up, and then the third; and with them
it happened as with the first,--they were driven firmly into the
pitch.
The soldier took under his arm the swift boots and the cap of
invisibility, sat on the flying carpet, and flew off to look for his
own country. Whether it was long or short, he came to a hut, went in.
In the hut was sitting a Baba-Yaga, boneleg, old and toothless.
"Greetings to thee, grandmother! Tell how I am to find my fair
princess."
"I have not seen her with sight, I have not heard of her with hearing;
but pass over so many seas and so many lands, and there lives my
second sister. She knows more than I do; mayhap she can tell thee."
The soldier sat on his carpet and flew away. He had to wander long
over the white world. Whenever he wanted to eat or drink, he put on
the cap of invisibility, let himself down, entered a shop, and took
what his heart desired; then to the carpet and off on his journey. He
came to the second hut, entered; inside was sitting Baba-Yaga,
boneleg, old and toothless. "Greetings to thee, grandmother! Dost thou
know how I can find my fair princess?"
"No, my dove, I do not know."
"Ah, thou old hag! how many years art thou living in the world? All
thy teeth are out, and thou knowest no good."
He sat on the flying carpet and flew toward the eldest sister. Long
did he wander, many seas and many lands did he see. At last he flew to
the end of the world, where there was a hut and no road
beyond,--nothing but outer darkness, nothing to be seen.
"Well," thought he, "if I can get no account here, there is nowhere
else to fly to." He went into the hut; there a Baba-Yaga was sitting,
gray, toothless.
"Greetings to thee, grandmother! Tell me where must I seek my
princess."
"Wait a little; I will call all my winds together and ask them. They
blow over all the world, so they must know where she is living at
present."
The old woman went out on the porch, cried with a loud voice, whistled
with a hero's whistle. Straightway the stormy winds rose and blew from
every side; the hut just quivered.
"Quieter, quieter!" cried Baba-Yaga; and as soon as the winds had
assembled, she said: "My stormy winds, ye blow through all the world.
Have ye seen the beautiful princess anywhere?"
"We have not seen her anywhere," answered the winds in one voice.
"But are ye all here?"
"All but South Wind."
After waiting a little, South Wind flew up. The old woman asked:
"Where hast thou been lost to this moment? I could hardly wait for
thee."
"Pardon, grandmother; I went into a new kingdom, where the beautiful
princess is living. Her husband has vanished without tidings, so now
various Tsars and Tsars' sons, kings and kings' sons are paying court
to her."
"And how far is it to the new kingdom?"
"For a man on foot thirty-five years, ten years on wings; but if I
blow I can put a man there in three hours."
The soldier implored South Wind tearfully to take him and bear him to
the new kingdom.
"I will, if it please thee," said South Wind, "provided thou wilt let
me run around in thy kingdom three days and three nights as I like."
"Frolic three weeks if thou choosest."
"Well, I will rest for two or three days, collect my forces and my
strength, and then for the road!"
South Wind rested, collected his strength, and said to the soldier:
"Well, brother, make ready, we'll go straightway; but look out, have
no fear, thou wilt arrive in safety."
All at once a mighty whirlwind whistled and roared, caught the soldier
into the air, and bore him over mountains and seas up to the very
clouds; and in three hours exactly he was in the new kingdom, where
his beautiful princess was living. South Wind said,--
"Farewell, good hero; out of compassion for thee I will not frolic in
thy kingdom."
"Why is that?"
"Because if I frolic, not one house will be standing in the town, not
one tree in the gardens; I should put everything bottom upward."
"Farewell then; God save thee!" said the soldier, who put on his cap
of invisibility and went to the white-walled castle. Behold, while he
was absent from the kingdom all the trees in the garden had stood with
withered tops, and the moment he appeared they came to life and began
to bloom. He entered the great hall; there were sitting at the table
various Tsars and Tsars' sons, kings and kings' sons who had come to
pay court to the beautiful princess. They were sitting and
entertaining themselves with sweet wines. Whoever filled a glass and
raised it to his lips, the soldier that moment struck it with his fist
and knocked it from his hand. All the guests wondered at this; but the
beautiful princess understood in a moment the reason.
"Surely," thought she, "my friend is here." She looked through the
window; all the tree-tops in the garden had come to life, and she gave
a riddle to the guests. "I had a home-made casket with a golden key; I
lost this key, and did not think to find it: but now this key has
found itself. Who guesses the riddle, him will I marry."
The Tsars and Tsars' sons, the kings and kings' sons were long
breaking their wise heads over this riddle, and could not solve it in
any way.