{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_23462/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_23462","id":"gutenberg_23462","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23462","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Russian Literature","Children's Myths, Fairy Tales, etc.","Children's Picture Books","Folklore","Folklore -- Russia"],"text":"Produced by Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was\nproduced from images generously made available by The\nInternet Archive/American Libraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMORE RUSSIAN PICTURE TALES\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n  MORE RUSSIAN\n\n  PICTURE TALES\n\n  BY\n\n  VALERY CARRICK\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n  TRANSLATED\n  BY\n  NEVILL FORBES\n\n  NEW YORK\n  FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY\n  PUBLISHERS\n\n\n\n\n  _Copyright, 1914, 1920, by_\n  FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY\n\n  _All Rights Reserved_\n\n  Printed in the United States of America\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n  CONTENTS.\n\n\n                                                                     PAGE\n\n   1. The Cock and the Bean                                            1\n\n   2. The Goat and the Ram                                            11\n\n   3. The Hungry Wolf                                                 25\n\n   4. The Peasant and the Bear                                        39\n\n   5. The Dog and the Cock                                            45\n\n   6. King Frost                                                      53\n\n   7. The Bear's Paw                                                  67\n\n   8. The Bear and the Old Man's Daughters                            73\n\n   9. The Straw Ox                                                    87\n\n  10. The Fox and the Blackbird                                      103\n\n\n\n\nTHE COCK AND THE BEAN.\n\n\nA cock was scratching one day in the earth under the wall of a cottage\nwhen he found a bean.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe tried to swallow it, and choked himself. He choked himself and\nstretched himself out, and there he lay, and couldn't even breathe.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd his mistress saw him, ran up to him, and asked: \"Mr. Cock, what\nmakes you lie there like that, so that you can't breathe?\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"I've choked myself with a bean,\" he answered. \"Go and ask the cow for\nsome butter.\"\n\nAnd his mistress came to the cow and said: \"Mrs. Cow, give me some\nbutter! My cock is lying there and can't even breathe, he has choked\nhimself with a bean.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the cow answered: \"Go and ask the hay-makers for some hay.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd she came to the hay-makers and said: \"Hay-makers, give me some hay!\nThe hay's for the cow who will give me some butter, and the butter's for\nmy cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a\nbean.\" And the hay-makers answered: \"Go and ask the oven to give you\nsome loaves.\"\n\nAnd she came to the oven and said: \"Oven, oven, give me some loaves! The\nloaves are for the hay-makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for\nthe cow, who will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who\nis lying there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the oven answered: \"Go and ask the wood-cutters for some wood.\"\n\nAnd she came to the wood cutters and said: \"Give me some wood! The\nwood's for the oven, who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for\nthe hay-cutters, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who\nwill give me some butter, the butter's for my cock who is lying there\nand can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd they answered: \"Go and ask the smith for an axe, we've nothing to\ncut the wood with.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo she came to the smith and said: \"Smith, smith, give me an axe! The\naxe is for the wood-cutters, who will give me some wood, the wood's for\nthe oven, who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the\nhay-makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will\ngive me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and\ncan't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.\" And he answered: \"Go\ninto the forest and burn me some charcoal.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo she went into the forest, gathered a bundle of sticks, and burned\nsome charcoal. Then she took the charcoal to the smith, and he gave her\nan axe. She went with the axe to the wood-cutters, and the wood-cutters\ngave her some wood. The wood she took to the oven, and the oven gave her\nsome loaves.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nShe took the loaves to the hay-makers, and the hay-makers gave her some\nhay. The hay she took to the cow, who gave her some butter. She brought\nthe butter to the cock, and the cock gulped it down and swallowed the\nbean.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen he jumped up merrily and started singing \"Cock-a-doodle-doo! I was\nsitting under the wall, plaiting shoes, when I lost my awl, but I found\na little coin, and I bought a little scarf, and gave it to a pretty\ngirl.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd that's all about it.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOAT AND THE RAM.\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived a man and his wife, and they had a goat and\na ram.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd one day the man said to his wife: \"Look here, let's get rid of the\nram and the goat; why, they only keep eating our corn, and don't help to\nfeed us at all!\"\n\nSo he told them: \"Be off, goat and ram, and don't dare to show\nyourselves at my gate ever again.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo the goat and the ram made themselves a bag, and went off. And they\nwent on and on, when suddenly they saw a wolf's head lying in the middle\nof the field.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd they picked up the head, put it in their bag, and went on again. And\nthey went on and on, when suddenly they saw a fire burning, and they\nsaid: \"Let's go and spend the night there, lest the wolves should eat\nus.\" But when they got there, lo and behold! it was the wolves\nthemselves who were cooking their porridge, and so they said: \"Good\nevening, young fellows, and good appetite to you!\" And the wolves\nanswered: \"Good evening, Mr. Goat and Mr. Ram! We're just boiling our\nporridge, come and have some, and then we'll eat you both up.\" At this\nthe goat took fright, while as for the ram, his legs had been shaking\nwith fear for some time. Then the goat began to think, and he thought\nand thought and at last he said: \"Come now, Mr. Ram, let's have a look\nat that wolf's head you've got in your sack!\" And the ram took out the\nwolf's head, when the goat said: \"No, not that one. Let's have the other\nbigger one!\" And again the ram gave him the same head, but he said: \"No,\nnot that one either! let's have the largest of all!\"\n\nAnd the wolves looked, and thought the ram had a whole sackful of\nwolves' heads, and each one of them said to himself: \"Well, these are\nnice guests to have! I'd better hop off!\" And first one said aloud to\nthe others: \"I like your company all right, brothers, but somehow, the\nporridge doesn't seem to be boiling very well. I'll just run and fetch\nsome sticks to throw on the fire.\" And as he went off, he thought to\nhimself: \"You and your company be bothered!\"--and never came back.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen the second wolf kept thinking how he could get away, and he said:\n\"It seems very funny, our brother went to fetch the wood, but he hasn't\nbrought the wood, and hasn't come back himself. I'll just go and help\nhim!\" So off he went too, and never came back. And the third wolf was\nleft sitting there, and at last he said: \"I must really go and hurry\nthem up. What are they dawdling all this time for!\" And as soon as he\nwas gone, he set off running and never so much as looked back.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd at that the ram and the goat were delighted. They ate up all the\nporridge and then ran away themselves.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMeanwhile the wolves had all three met, and they said: \"Look here, why\nwere we three frightened of the goat and the ram? They're no stronger\nthan we, after all! Let's go and do them in!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut when they came back to the fire, there was not so much as a trace of\nthem left. Then the wolves set off in pursuit, and at last they saw\nthem, where they had climbed up a tree, the goat on an upper and the ram\non a lower branch. So the eldest wolf lay down under the tree, and\nbegan to show his teeth, looking up at them, and waiting for them to\nclimb down. And the ram, who was trembling all over from fright,\nsuddenly fell down right on top of the wolf, and at the same minute the\ngoat shouted out from up above: \"There, that's the one! get me the\nlargest of all!\" And the wolf was terrified, because he thought the ram\nhad jumped down after him, and you should just have seen him run! And\nthe other two followed after.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhat a lucky boy is Pat, He's got a dog and a cat!\n\n\n\n\nTHE HUNGRY WOLF.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nThere was once a wolf, and he got very hungry, and so he went to have a\nlook to see what he could find for dinner. After a bit he saw a ram\nfeeding in a meadow, so he went up to him and said: \"Mr. Ram, Mr. Ram,\nI'm going to eat you!\" But the ram answered: \"Who are you, I should like\nto know, that you mean to eat me?\" \"I'm a wolf, and I'm looking for a\ngood dinner,\" said the wolf. \"What sort of a wolf do you fancy you are?\"\nanswered the ram, \"you're not, you're a dog!\" \"No, I'm not a dog,\" said\nhe, \"I'm a wolf.\" \"Well then,\" answered the ram, \"if you're a wolf,\nstand at the bottom of the hill and open your jaws wide. Then I'll run\ndown the hill and jump straight into your mouth.\" \"All right,\" said the\nwolf.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo he stood at the bottom of the hill and opened his mouth wide, while\nthe ram climbed to the top of the hill. Then he ran down the hill very\nfast, and hit the wolf with his horns as hard as he could.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe wolf rolled over, knocked senseless with the blow, while the ram ran\noff home. And there lay the wolf, till at last he came to himself again,\nwith all his bones aching.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"Well, what a fool I must have been!\" thought he. \"Who ever saw a ram\njump into one's mouth of his own free will?\"\n\nThen he went on further, just as hungry as ever, and after a bit he saw\na horse walking in a meadow nibbling the grass.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo he went up to him and said: \"Mr. Horse, Mr. Horse, I'm going to eat\nyou!\" But the horse answered: \"Who are you, I should like to know, that\nyou mean to eat me?\" \"I'm a wolf!\" \"You think again,\" answered the\nhorse, \"You're only a dog!\" \"No, I'm not a dog,\" said he, \"I'm a wolf.\"\n\"Oh, if you are sure you're a wolf, it's all right. Only I'm not very\nfat yet, so you'd better begin on my tail, and meanwhile I'll be\nmunching some more grass and get a little fuller.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo the wolf went up to him from behind, and was just going to get to\nwork on his tail, when the horse let out at him as hard as he could! And\nthe wolf rolled over, while the horse ran off.\n\nAnd there sat the wolf, and he thought: \"Well, wasn't I a fool! wasn't I\na noodle! Who ever heard of anyone starting to eat a horse by the tail?\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd so he wandered on further, when after a bit he saw a pig coming\ntowards him, so when he got to him he said: \"Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig, I'm going\nto eat you!\" But the pig answered: \"Who are you, I should like to know,\nthat you mean to eat me?\" \"I'm a wolf.\" \"You're a queer sort of wolf,\"\nanswered the pig, \"you're only a dog!\" \"No, I'm not a dog,\" said he,\n\"I'm a wolf!\" \"Oh, that's all right then,\" answered the pig, \"you just\nsit down on my back. I'll give you a ride, and then you can eat me.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo the wolf sat down on the pig's back, when lo and behold! the pig\ncarried him straight into the village.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd all the dogs ran out, made a dash for the wolf, and began to tease\nhim. And they teased him so much, it was all he could do to tear\nhimself away and run off back into the forest.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: Guess how old I am!]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PEASANT AND THE BEAR.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOnce upon a time a certain peasant lost his wife, then he lost his other\nrelations, and then he was left alone with no one to help him in his\nhome or his fields. So he went to Bruin and said: \"Look here, Bruin,\nlet's keep house and plant our garden and sow our corn together.\" And\nBruin asked: \"But how shall we divide it afterwards?\" \"How shall we\ndivide it?\" said the peasant, \"Well, you take all the tops and let me\nhave all the roots.\" \"All right,\" answered Bruin. So they sowed some\nturnips, and they grew beautifully. And Bruin worked hard, and gathered\nin all the turnips, and then they began to divide them. And the peasant\nsaid: \"The tops are yours, aren't they, Bruin?\" \"Yes,\" he answered. So\nthe peasant cut off all the turnip tops and gave them to Bruin, and\nthen sat down to count the roots. And Bruin saw that the peasant had\ndone him down.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd he got huffy, lay down in his den, and started sucking his paws.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next spring the peasant again came to see him, and said: \"Look here,\nBruin, let's work together again, shall we?\" And Bruin answered:\n\"Right-ho! only this time mind! you can have the tops, but I'm going to\nhave the roots!\" \"Very well,\" said the peasant. And they sowed some\nwheat, and when the ears grew up and ripened, you never saw such a\nsight. Then they began to divide it, and the peasant took all the tops\nwith the grain, and gave Bruin the straw and the roots. So he didn't get\nanything that time either.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd Bruin said to the peasant: \"Well, good-bye! I'm not going to work\nwith you any more, you're too crafty!\" And with that he went off into\nthe forest.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND THE COCK\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOne summer a certain peasant's crops failed him, and so he had no food\nto give to his animals, which were a cock and a dog. And the dog said to\nthe cock: \"Well, brother Peeter, I think we should get more to eat if\nwe went and lived in the forest than here at our master's, don't you?\"\n\"That's a fact,\" answered the cock, \"let's be off, there's no help for\nit.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo they said good-bye to their master and mistress and went off to see\nwhat they could find. And they went on and on, and couldn't find a nice\nplace to stop. Then it began to grow dark, and the cock said: \"Let's\nspend the night on a tree. I'll fly up on to a branch, and you take\nshelter in the hollow. We'll get through the night somehow.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo the cock made his way on to a branch, tucked in his toes, and went to\nsleep, while the dog made himself a bed in the hollow of the tree. And\nthey slept soundly the whole night through, and towards morning, when it\nbegan to get light, the cock woke up and, as was his custom, crew as\nloud as he could: \"Cock-a-doodle-doo! cock-a-doodle-do! all wake up! all\nget up! the sun will soon be rising, and the day will soon begin!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd he crew so loud, that a fox in a hole near by was up in an instant\nthinking: \"What a funny thing for a cock to be crowing in the forest! I\nexpect he's lost his way and can't get out again!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd he began to look for the cock, and after a bit he saw him sitting\nupon the branch of the tree. \"Oho!\" thought the fox, \"he'd make a fine\nmeal! How can I get him to come down from there?\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo he went up to the tree and said to the cock: \"What a splendid cock\nyou are! I've never seen such a fine one all my days! What lovely\nfeathers, just as if they were covered with gold! And your tail! nobody\ncould describe it in words or on paper, it's so beautiful! And what a\nsweet voice you've got! I could listen to it all day and all night. Do\nfly down a little closer and let's get to know each other a little\nbetter. That reminds me, I've got a christening on at my place to-day,\nand I shall have plenty of food and drink to offer such a welcome guest.\nLet's go along to my home.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"Right you are,\" answered the cock, \"I'll certainly come, only you must\nask my companion too. We always go about together.\" \"And where is your\ncompanion?\" asked the fox. \"Down below in the tree hollow,\" answered\nthe cock. And the fox poked his head into the hole, thinking there was\nanother cock there, when the dog popped his head out and caught Mr. Fox\nby the nose!\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nKING FROST.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived an old man and his wife. She had one\ndaughter of her own, and he had one of _his_ own. And the old woman took\na dislike to her step-daughter. Whatever her own daughter did, she\npraised her for everything and stroked her head, but whatever her\nstep-daughter did, she grumbled at her and scolded her for everything;\nit was simply dreadful. And the old woman began to want to drive her\nstep-daughter off the face of the earth, and she said to her husband:\n\"Take her away into the dark forest, and let the frost freeze her to\ndeath.\" So there was nothing for the old man to do but harness his horse\nto the sledge, put his daughter in it, and drive her off into the\nforest. And he brought her right into the middle of the forest, set her\ndown on the snow, and drove off home.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd there the little girl sat in the forest all alone, shivering with\nthe cold. When lo and behold! there was old King Frost coming towards\nher, and he said: \"Hullo, little girl, are you warm?\" And she answered:\n\"Yes, King Frost.\" Then he blew a cold breath on to her and again asked:\n\"Are you warm, little girl?\" And she answered: \"Yes, King Frost!\" Then\nhe began to make it still colder; he made the branches crack, and\ncovered them with hoar-frost, and let loose such cold, that you could\nhear the air creaking.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen he asked her again: \"Well, little girl, are you warm now?\" And she\nanswered: \"Yes, King Frost!\" And when he saw that she was a good girl,\nhe felt sorry for her. So he put on her a fur coat, with trimmings of\nbeaver, and made her warm, and said to her: \"You're a good girl, and so\nI'll stop. Here's a little present for you from King Frost.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd he brought her a trunk full of all sorts of things, silver and gold,\nand bright-coloured stones.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMeanwhile her step-mother was saying to the old man at home: \"I expect\nyour daughter's frozen by now. Go into the forest and bring her back.\"\nSo he harnessed his horse to the sledge, and set out to fetch his\ndaughter.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen his wife began to watch at the window, and at last she saw her\nhusband driving towards home, and she said to herself: \"That's all\nright, there come the old man's daughter's bones back in the sledge.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut the doggie outside said: \"Bow, wow, bow-wow-wow! The old man's\nbringing his daughter home. She's blooming like the poppy-bloom, and\nshe's got a fine present, and a new coat with a beaver collar!\" And lo\nand behold! it was true; the old man drove up with his daughter alive\nand well, in her fine clothes and with her presents. \"Well,\" thought her\nstep-mother, \"if King Frost has given all those things to the old man's\ndaughter, he'll give my pretty girl ever so much more.\" And she said to\nher husband: \"Take my daughter to the same place as quick as you can,\nand let King Frost give her a share too!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSo the old man took her daughter, left her in the forest, and then drove\noff home. And there the girl sat, with her teeth chattering with the\ncold, when lo and behold! there was King Frost coming along, and he\nsaid: \"Hullo, little girl, are you warm?\" And she answered: \"What's that\ngot to do with you? Go away to where you came from!\" And King Frost grew\nangry and blew a cold breath on to the girl, and then asked her: \"Are\nyou warm, little girl?\" And she answered: \"Fancy asking! You can see I'm\nfrozen! Be quick and give me the presents, and then get away to your\nhome.\" Then King Frost began to make the girl still colder. And he kept\nmaking it colder and colder till he had frozen her through and through.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nMeanwhile her mother was saying to the old man at home: \"Go into the\nforest now, and bring back my daughter. And mind, don't forget to take\nthe trunk and the fine clothes as well.\" So the old man started off, and\nhis wife began to watch at the window.\n\nShe waited and waited, and at last she saw her husband driving towards\nhome, and said to herself: \"That's all right, there comes the old man\nbringing back my daughter all in silver and in gold.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut the doggie outside said: \"Bow, wow, bow-wow-wow, the old man's\nbringing back bones in his sledge!\" The old man drove up, and it was too\ntrue, instead of the bad old woman's daughter there was only an icicle!\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR'S PAW.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOne day a peasant saw a bear asleep in the forest, so he crept up to him\nand cut off one of his hind paws with an axe. And he brought the paw\nhome, and said to his wife: \"Boil some soup from the flesh, and knit\nsome warm gloves out of the wool.\" So she took off the skin, threw the\nflesh into the pot to boil, and sat down to spin the wool.\n\nAnd when Bruin woke up, he found his paw gone. There was no help for\nit, so he cut a bit of wood off a tree, hewed it, tied it on instead of\nhis leg, and set out for the village. As he went along he sang:\n\n[Illustration]\n\n  \"Hobble, hobble, hobble,\n  On my lime-tree leg,\n  On my birchen crutch!\n  The water's asleep,\n  And the earth's asleep,\n  The whole village is asleep,\n  Only one woman's awake,\n  And she's boiling my flesh,\n  Sitting on my skin,\n  And spinning my wool!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the peasant's wife got very frightened, and hid as quick as she\ncould in the cellar under the floor. And Bruin went into the house, and\nsaw there was no one there. So he took his bit of skin, got his flesh\nout of the pot and made off.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: May I?]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR AND THE OLD MAN'S DAUGHTERS.\n\n\nThere was once an old man and he had three little daughters, and one day\nhe said to them: \"I am going out into the fields to plough, and you, my\nlittle daughters, bake me a loaf and bring it to me.\" \"But how are we to\nfind you, daddy?\" they said.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"As I go along,\" he said, \"I shall drop shavings in a row along the\npath, and that will help you to find me.\" And as the old man rode along\nhe threw down the shavings one after the other, and a bear came and\ndrew them all aside on to the path that led to his den.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen the eldest daughter said to the youngest: \"Go and take the bread to\ndaddy.\" And the youngest said: \"But how am I to find daddy, and where am\nI to take the bread to?\" Then the eldest answered: \"He kept dropping\nshavings in a row along the path as he went.\" Then she took the loaf,\nand started off to follow the shavings, when lo and behold! she came to\nthe bear's den.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the bear saw her and said: \"O-ho! What a nice little girl has come\nto see me!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day the old man went off to sow, and he said to his daughters:\n\"My dear little daughters, my clever little ones, bake me a loaf and\nbring it to me in the field.\" \"But how are we to find you, daddy?\" they\nsaid. And he answered: \"Yesterday I threw one row of shavings down,\nto-day I will throw two.\" And he set off, throwing the shavings down in\ntwo rows, and the bear came and drew them all aside on to the path that\nled to his den. Then the second daughter started out with the loaf,\nfollowing the shavings, and went straight to the bear's den. And the\nbear saw her and said: \"O-ho! here's another little girl come to see\nme!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day the old man went off to the field to harrow, and he said to\nhis daughter: \"My dear little daughter, bake me a loaf and bring it to\nme in the field. I will throw three rows of shavings.\" And the old man\nwent off, throwing the shavings down in three rows, and the bear came\nand drew them all aside on to the path that led to his den. And the\neldest daughter set out, and she, too, came to the bear's den. And the\nbear saw her and said: \"O-ho! here's a third little girl come to see me\nin my den!\" And there they went on living, when one day the eldest\nsister said: \"Bruin, Bruin, I'll bake some pies, and you take them and\ngive them to my daddy to eat.\" \"All right,\" answered the bear, \"I'll\ntake them.\" And so she popped her youngest sister into a sack, and\nsaid: \"Here, Bruin, take this to my daddy, and mind, don't you eat it\nyourself on the way!\" And the bear took the sack and set off with it to\nthe old man. And as he went along, he kept saying to himself: \"Suppose I\nsit down on a stump, and suppose I just eat one little pie!\" And the\nyoungest daughter in the sack heard him and said: \"Don't sit down on a\nstump, don't! Don't eat a pie, don't!\" And the bear thought that this\nwas the eldest sister, and said to himself: \"There now, fancy that! I've\ncome a long way, and yet she can still hear me!\" And he brought the\nsack right up to the old man's courtyard, when the dogs all rushed out\nand began to bark at him! So he flung down the sack and ran off home.\nAnd the eldest sister asked him: \"Did they make you welcome, Bruin, and\ngive you nice things to eat?\" \"They didn't give me anything to eat,\" he\nanswered, \"but their welcome was loud enough.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day the eldest sister said: \"Bruin, take my daddy some more\npies to eat!\" And she tied up her other sister in the sack, and the bear\nput it on his back and carried it off into the village. And as he went\nthrough the forest he kept saying to himself: \"Suppose I sit down on a\nstump, and suppose I just eat one little pie!\" And the second daughter\nsaid to him from out of the sack: \"Don't sit down on a stump, don't!\nDon't eat a pie, don't!\" And the bear thought: \"There now, fancy that!\nI've come a long way, and yet she can still hear me, and tells me not to\neat a pie!\" And so he reached the old man's courtyard, and when the dogs\nwent for him that time, they all but worried him to death! So he flung\ndown the sack and ran off home. And the eldest sister asked him: \"Did\nthey welcome you warmly, Bruin, and give you plenty to eat?\" \"It was\n_such_ a warm welcome, and they gave me so much to eat, that I shan't\nforget it in a hurry!\" he answered.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the next day the eldest girl said: \"I'll bake some more pies, and\nyou take them to my daddy for him to eat.\" And so she herself sat down\nin the sack, and the bear carried her off. And as he carried her along\nhe kept saying to himself: \"Oh, I _should_ so like to sit down on a\nstump, and I _should_ so like to eat one little pie!\" And the eldest\ndaughter said to him from out of the sack: \"Don't sit down on a stump,\ndon't! Don't eat a pie, don't!\" And the bear thought: \"There now, fancy\nthat! Look at the long way I've come, and yet she can still see and hear\nme!\" And so he brought the sack to the old man, and then the dogs came\nupon him and all but tore him in bits. And he ran off into the forest\nwithout as much as looking round, and the old man began once more to\nlive with his three little daughters.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: I don't like what is nice, but what I like _is_ nice!]\n\n\n\n\nTHE STRAW OX.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOnce upon a time there lived an old man and his wife, and one day she\nsaid to him: \"Make me a straw ox and smear him over with pitch.\" And he\nasked: \"What for?\" And she answered: \"Do what I tell you! Never mind\nwhat it's for--that's my business!\" So the old man made a straw ox and\nsmeared him over with pitch. Then his wife got ready in the early\nmorning and drove the ox to pasture. She sat down under a tree, and\nbegan spinning flax and saying to herself: \"Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh\ngreen grass. Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!\" And she went on\nspinning and spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of the thick\nwood, from out of the dark forest, a bear came running, and ran right up\nagainst the ox. \"Who in the world are you?\" he asked. And the ox\nanswered: \"I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and smeared over\nwith pitch.\" Then the bear said: \"Well, if you're smeared over with\npitch, give me some to put on my poor torn side.\" And the ox answered:\n\"Take some!\" So the bear seized hold of the ox, when lo and behold! his\npaw stuck in the pitch. And when he tried to free it with the other\npaw, that one stuck too. Then he started gnawing with his teeth, and\nthey stuck too. He couldn't tear himself away anyhow. And the old woman\nwoke up and saw the bear stuck fast to the ox. So she ran home and\nshouted to her husband: \"Come along quick, a bear has stuck fast to our\nox, hurry up and catch him!\" And he came along, took the bear, led him\nhome, and shut him up in the lumber room.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day, as soon as the sun rose, the old woman again drove the ox\nto pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began spinning\nflax and saying to herself: \"Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of\nthe field! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass of the field!\" And\nshe went on spinning and spinning, and fell asleep. Suddenly from out of\nthe thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a wolf came running, and\nran right up against the ox. \"Who in the world are you?\" he asked. And\nthe ox answered: \"I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and\nsmeared over with pitch.\" Then the wolf said: \"Well, if that's so, give\nme some pitch to put on my poor torn side.\" And the ox answered: \"By all\nmeans!\" So the wolf tried to take some pitch, when lo and behold! his\npaw stuck in it. And when he tried to free it, it stuck all the faster.\nAnd the old woman woke up and saw the wolf sticking to the ox. So she\nran to fetch her husband and said: \"Come as quick as you can, there's a\nwolf stuck to the ox!\" And he came and caught the wolf and put him in\nthe cellar.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day, before even the sun had risen, the old woman again drove\nthe ox to pasture, and she herself sat down under a tree, and began\nspinning flax and saying to herself: \"Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green\ngrass! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass!\" And she went on\nspinning and spinning, and fell asleep.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSuddenly from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a fox\ncame running, and ran right up against the ox. \"What sort of a beast\nare you?\" he asked. And the ox answered: \"I'm the three-year-old ox, all\nmade of straw and smeared over with pitch.\" Then the fox said: \"Well\nthen, give me some pitch to rub on my side.\" And the fox was just going\nto take some pitch, when he stuck fast and couldn't free himself. And\nthe old woman woke up and saw the fox sticking to the ox. So she ran to\nfetch her husband, and he came and took the fox and put him in the\ncellar as well.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day the old woman again sat down under the tree to spin her\nflax while the ox fed, and she began spinning and saying to herself:\n\"Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh green grass! Feed, feed, ox, on the fresh\ngreen grass!\" And she went on spinning and spinning and fell asleep.\nSuddenly from out of the thick wood, from out of the dark forest, a grey\nhare came running and ran right up against the ox. \"What sort of beast\nare you?\" he asked. \"I'm the three-year-old ox, all made of straw and\nsmeared over with pitch.\" Then the hare said: \"Well then, give me some\npitch to rub on my side.\" \"Take some!\" answered the ox. And the hare\ncaught hold of him with his teeth, when lo and behold! his teeth stuck\nfast. He tore and tore, but couldn't tear them free. And the old woman\nwoke up, and ran to fetch her husband, and said: \"Come as quick as you\ncan, there's a hare stuck to the ox!\" And the old man came, took the\nhare and flung him into the cellar. Then the old man began to grind his\nknife, and the bear heard him and asked: \"What are you grinding your\nknife for?\" And he answered: \"I'm grinding my knife to take the skin off\nyour back and make myself a fur coat out of it.\" But the bear said: \"Oh!\ndon't take the skin off my back! Better let me go free, and I'll repay\nyou handsomely.\" \"Well, mind you do!\" answered the old man, and so he\nlet the bear go free, and he ran off into the forest.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe next day the old man again began to grind his knife outside the\ncellar, and the wolf asked him: \"What are you grinding your knife for?\"\nAnd he answered: \"I'm grinding my knife to take the skin off your back\nand make myself a fur coat out of it.\" But the wolf said: \"Oh! don't\ntake the skin off my back! Better let me go free, and I'll repay you\nhandsomely.\" \"Well, mind you do!\" answered the old man, and so he let\nthe wolf too go free. And again he began to grind his knife outside the\ncellar, and the fox asked him: \"What are you grinding your knife for?\"\nAnd he answered: \"I'm grinding my knife to take the skin off your back,\nand make myself out of it a collar for my fur coat.\" But the fox said:\n\"Oh! don't take the skin off my back! Better let me go free, and I'll\nrepay you handsomely.\" \"Well, mind you do!\" answered he.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThen the hare was left all alone.\n\nAnd again the old man began to grind his knife, and the hare asked him:\n\"What are you grinding your knife for?\" And he answered: \"I'm grinding\nmy knife to take the skin off your back, and make myself some fur gloves\nout of it.\" But the hare said: \"Oh! don't take the skin off my back!\nBetter let me go free, and I'll repay you handsomely.\" \"Well, mind you\ndo!\" he answered, and let the hare too go free.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nEarly the next morning the old man heard someone knocking at the gate,\nso he asked: \"Who's there?\" And the answer came: \"It's I, the bear, come\nto pay you my debt.\" And the old man opened the gate, and there was the\nbear with a hive of honey he had brought. So the old man took the honey,\nwhen again he heard knock-knock at the gate! \"Who's there?\" he asked,\nand the answer came: \"It's I, the wolf, come to pay you my debt.\" And\nthere was the wolf with a whole flock of sheep he had driven up. So the\nold man let the sheep into the yard, when again he heard knock-knock at\nthe gate. \"Who's there?\" he asked, and the answer came: \"It's I, the\nfox, come to pay you my debt.\" And there was the fox with a whole\nfarm-yardful of cocks and hens, and ducks and geese. Suddenly there came\nanother knock-knock at the gate. \"Who's there?\" asked the old man, and\nthe answer came: \"It's I, the hare, come to pay you my debt.\" And he had\nbrought with him a whole heap of cabbages. And the old man and his wife\nbegan to live happily together, and always spoke well and kindly of\nthose beasts.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE BLACKBIRD.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nA fox was walking through the forest when he fell into a deep hole. And\nthere he sat and sat, till all at once he began to feel hungry. He\nstarted looking round, but could see nothing. Then he looked up, and\nthere he saw a blackbird in the tree above weaving its nest, and he\nsaid: \"Mr. Blackbird, Mr. Blackbird, what are you doing?\" And the\nblackbird answered: \"I'm weaving my nest.\" \"What are you weaving your\nnest for?\" asked the fox. \"To bring up my children in,\" answered the\nblackbird. \"But I'm going to eat your children,\" said the fox. \"Don't\neat my children,\" answered the blackbird. \"Well then, feed me, I'm\nhungry,\" said the fox. At that the blackbird began to fret and to worry:\nhow should he feed the fox? Then he flew off into the village, and\nbrought back a chicken for the fox.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the fox ate the chicken, and after a little he said: \"Mr. Blackbird,\nMr. Blackbird, you fed me, didn't you?\" And the blackbird answered:\n\"Yes.\" \"Well then,\" said the fox, \"give me a drink!\" At that the\nblackbird began to fret and to worry: how was he to get the fox a\ndrink? Then he flew off into the village, and brought back a little\npailful of water for the fox.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd the fox had a good drink, and after a little he said: \"Mr.\nBlackbird, Mr. Blackbird, you fed me, didn't you?\" And the blackbird\nanswered: \"Yes.\" \"And you got me a drink?\" \"Yes.\" \"Well then,\" said the\nfox, \"come and pull me out of the hole!\" At that the blackbird began to\nfret and to worry: how could he pull the fox out of the hole? Then he\nbegan to gather sticks in the forest and started throwing them into the\nhole. And he kept throwing them in and throwing them in, till he filled\nthe hole. And the fox climbed up on to the sticks and out of the hole.\nAnd when he had climbed out, he lay down right under the tree. And there\nhe lay and lay, and he said to the blackbird: \"Look here, you fed me,\ndidn't you, Mr. Blackbird?\" And the blackbird answered. \"Yes.\" \"And you\ngot me a drink?\" \"Yes.\" \"And you pulled me out of the hole?\" \"Yes.\"\n\"Well then,\" said the fox, \"now make me laugh!\" At that the blackbird\nbegan to fret and to worry: how should he make the fox laugh? At last he\nsaid: \"Very well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll fly into the village,\nand you run after me.\" So they agreed to do that, and the blackbird flew\noff into the village and perched on the gate of a rich peasant's house,\nwhile the fox lay down under the gateway. Then the blackbird began to\nsing: \"Mistress, Mistress, bring a lump of fat! Mistress, Mistress,\nbring a lump of fat!\" And the fox said: \"That's fine, let's have it\nagain!\" So the blackbird began once more: \"Mistress, Mistress, bring a\nlump of fat! Mistress, Mistress, bring a lump of fat!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nSuddenly from under the gate a dog said angrily: \"Wow-wow!\" and the fox\ntook to his heels and hopped it into the forest as quick as he could!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd that's all about it.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: Work is just as good as leisure, when we want to give\npleasure.]","title":"More Russian Picture Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":7064}