(A RUSSIAN STORY)
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who had one son.
The old man was poor, and he wished his son to acquire knowledge, so
that he should be able to comfort his parents in his youth, to support
them when he grew up, and to pray for them after their death. But what
is to be done when one has no money? He took him to the village.
"Perhaps," he thought, "somebody will give him lessons for nothing." But
nobody wished to teach his son for nothing. The old man returned home,
and he and his wife cried bitterly, lamenting their poverty.
Once more he took his son to the town. As soon as he reached the town a
stranger met them, and asked what was the matter. "Why, old man," he
said, "are you so sad?"
"How can I not be sad?" answered the old man. "Look, I have taken my
son everywhere, and nobody will teach him for nothing, and I have no
money."
"Well, give him to me," said the stranger, "and in three years I will
teach him all the knowledge there is. And in three years' time, on this
same day and at the same hour, come and fetch your son. But take care
that you are not late, for if you come in time and recognise him you
shall receive your son back again, but if you are late he shall remain
with me."
The old man was so pleased that he did not ask who the stranger was,
where he lived, or how and what he would teach the lad. He left his son
with him, and went home. He reached home in great joy, and told his wife
all about it. Now the stranger was a wizard.
Three years passed. The old man had long ago forgotten on what day and
at what hour he had left his son with the stranger, and he did not know
what to do. But the son, on the day before the appointed space of time
came to an end, flew to him in the shape of a bird, and entered the
cottage in his true shape. He greeted his parents, and said: "Father,
to-morrow my apprenticeship, which has lasted three years, comes to an
end. Do not forget to come and fetch me." And he told him where to come
and how to recognise him.
[Illustration: HE CHANGED HIMSELF INTO A HAWK]
"I am not the only apprentice at my master's: there are eleven more lads
like myself, who remain with him for ever, and all because their parents
did not know how to recognise them. And if you do not recognise me, I
shall also stay with him for ever, and be the twelfth. To-morrow, when
you come for me, my master will change us into twelve white pigeons, all
alike, feather for feather, tail for tail, and head for head. Now
listen: All of us will fly high in the air, but I will fly higher than
the rest. My master will ask, 'Have you recognised your son?' And you
must then point to the pigeon which is flying higher than the others.
After this he will bring to you twelve ponies, all of the same colour,
and all with their manes on the same side, and just alike. When he takes
you to these ponies they will all be standing still, but I shall give a
kick with my right leg. My master will ask you, 'Have you recognised
your son?' And you must then point me out. After this he will bring to
you twelve lads, all of the same height, all alike, hair for hair and
voice for voice, and all dressed alike. As soon as you see them look
carefully; on my right cheek there will be a little fly, so that you may
recognise me."
He said good-bye to his parents, and went out of the house, changed into
a bird and flew away to his master.
The next morning his father got up, made ready and went to fetch his
son. He arrived at the wizard's. "Now, old man," said the wizard, "I
have taught your son everything that is to be known, but if you don't
recognise him, he must stay with me for ever and ever." He then let fly
into the air twelve white pigeons, all alike, feather for feather, tail
for tail, and head for head; and he said: "Old man, do you recognise
your son?"
The old man looked and looked, and when one pigeon flew higher than the
rest, he pointed to it and said: "I think that is my son."
"You have recognised him, old man," said the wizard. He then brought
twelve ponies, all of the same colour, and their manes all on the same
side. The old man walked round the ponies and looked, and the wizard
asked: "Now, old man, have you recognised your son?" "Not yet, wait a
little." And when he said that, one of the ponies gave a kick with his
right leg. He pointed to him immediately and said: "I think that is my
son."
"You have recognised him, old man," said the wizard. He then brought him
to twelve lads, all of the same height, all alike, hair for hair, and
voice for voice, as if they were the children of one mother. The old man
walked round the lads and noticed nothing. He did so a second time, and
again noticed nothing. He walked round them a third time, and then he
saw that on the right cheek of one of the lads there was a fly, and he
said: "I think that is my son."
"You have recognised him, old man. Yes, and it is not you who are
cunning and wise, but it is your son."
The old man took his son and went home. They walked along the road, and
whether it was long or whether it was short, and whether it was far or
whether it was near, it takes but little time to tell, but it took a
long time to do. On their way they met some huntsmen who were hunting a
red beast. In front of them a fox was running as though it would escape.
"Father," said the son, "I will turn myself into a hound and catch the
fox. When the huntsmen come up to take the animal, say to them, 'O!
huntsmen, that is my dog; I make my living by him.' The huntsmen will
say, 'Sell him to us,' and they will count out to you much money. Sell
the dog, but do not give them the collar and the chain." He immediately
changed himself into a hound, ran after the fox and caught it. The
huntsmen rode up. "Old man," they cried, "why have you come here to
spoil our hunt?"
"O! huntsmen," answered the old man, "that is my dog; I make my living
by him."
"Sell him to us."
"Buy it."
"Is it dear?"
"A hundred roubles."
The huntsmen did not bargain, but paid him the money and took the dog,
and the old man took off its collar and its chain. "Why do you take off
the collar and the chain?"
"I am a traveller," said the old man, "and the chain is necessary to me
to bind up my cloth leggings."
"All right, take it," said the huntsmen, and they whipped their horses
and rode off at a gallop. But the fox got away again; they started their
hounds after it; the hounds ran but could not catch the fox. One of the
huntsmen said: "Let us try the new hound." They let it loose, and what
did they see? The fox ran off in one direction, and the hound in
another, and he caught up the old man and changed into a lad just as he
had been before.
The old man went on further with his son. They came to a lake where
huntsmen were shooting geese, swans, and wild ducks. A flock of geese
was flying, and the son said to his father: "Father, I will change
myself into a hawk, and I will pursue the geese. The huntsmen will come
to you and begin to make a fuss. You say to them, 'That is my hawk; I
make my living by him.' They will bargain with you for the hawk. You
sell the hawk, but do not give up its jesses on any account." He changed
himself into a hawk, flew higher than the flock of geese, and began
pursuing them and driving them to the earth. As soon as the huntsmen saw
this, they came to the old man and said: "Old man, why are you spoiling
our sport?"
"O! huntsmen," he answered, "the hawk is mine, and I earn my living by
him."
"Will you sell your hawk?"
"Why should I not sell him? Buy him."
"And is it dear?"
"Two hundred roubles."
The huntsmen paid the money, took the hawk, and the old man took off its
jesses. "Why are you taking off the jesses?"
"I am a traveller," answered the old man, "and if something comes off my
leggings, they serve to tie them up with." The huntsmen did not dispute
the matter, but went after their game. The flock of geese flew away.
"Let us loose the hawk," they said, and they loosed him, but what did
they see? The hawk flew higher than the geese, and flew right away to
the old man, and caught him up, touched the green ground, and changed
himself back into a lad as he had been before. And the father and son
went home and lived in clover.
Sunday came, and the son said to his father: "Father, to-day I will
change myself into a horse. You shall sell the horse, but on no account
sell the bridle, for if you do I shall not come home again." He rolled on
the earth and changed into a magnificent horse, and his father led him
off to sell him. The merchants surrounded him, horse-dealers all of
them; one of them offered a large sum of money, another offered a still
larger sum of money. But the wizard, who appeared there, offered more
than all of them. The old man sold him his son, but did not give him the
bridle.
"And how shall I be able to lead the horse without a bridle?" said the
wizard. "Give me the bridle to lead him as far as my house, and then
take it back, for I do not want it."
Then the horse-dealers fell upon the old man and said: "That is only
fair; if you sell the horse you must sell the bridle." What could he do?
The old man gave up the bridle. The wizard led the horse to his house,
put it in the stables, tied it fast to the ring, and pulled his head up
high so that the horse stood on his hind legs, and his fore legs did not
touch the ground. The wizard called his daughter and said: "I have
bought the cunning fellow." "Where is he?" asked his daughter. "He is in
the stables." His daughter went to see, and she was sorry for the young
lad. She loosened the bridle and made it longer, and the horse shook his
head so that at last he freed himself from the bridle, and galloped away
for several miles. The daughter ran to her father and said: "Father,
forgive me, I have done a wicked thing. The horse has escaped."
The wizard struck the green earth, changed himself into a grey wolf, and
pursued the horse. As soon as he got near him the horse galloped to a
river, struck the earth and changed himself into a minnow, and the
wizard changed himself into a pike. The minnow scudded through the water
and reached a pond, where beautiful maidens were washing linen and
wringing it out. He changed himself into a golden ring and lay close by
the hand of the merchant's daughter. The merchant's daughter saw the
ring and put it on her finger. The wizard changed himself into a man
once more, and said: "Give me your golden ring."
"Take it," said the beautiful maiden, and threw the ring on to the
ground. As soon as it struck the ground, in that moment it changed into
a seed-pearl. The wizard changed himself into a cock and ran to pick up
the seed-pearl. But before he had picked it up, the pearl changed into a
hawk, and the hawk immediately flew at the cock, and killed him. After
that he changed once more into a fine lad, and fell in love with the
beautiful maiden, the daughter of the merchant, and married her. And
they lived happily and merrily together.
That is the end of the story.
[Illustration: THE DRAGON APPEARED]