4 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

his knee.—‘* What dost thou want of me, O man?”
he asked.—The man was amazed at the strangeness
of his coming to light, and said to him: “I did not
call thee; begone!”—‘* How canst thou say that
when thou didst call me?” asked the little old man.—
“Who art thou, then?” asked the father.—‘ I am Oh,
the Tsar of the Woods,” replied the old man; “why
didst thou call me, I say ?”—‘ Away with thee, I did
not call thee,” said the man.—‘‘ What! thou didst not
call me when thou saidst ‘Oh’ ?”—I was tired, and
therefore I said ‘Oh’!” replied the man.—‘* Whither
art thou going?” asked Oh—‘ The wide world lies
before me,” sighed the man. “ I am taking this scurvy
blockhead of mine to hire him out to somebody or
other. Perchance other people may be able to knock
more sense into him than we can at home; but send
him whither we will, he always comes running home
again !”—“Hire him out to me [I warrant Pll
teach him,” said Oh. ‘ Yet I'll only take him on one
condition. Thou shalt come back for him when a
year has run, and if thou dost know him again, thou
mayest take him; but if thou dost not kuow him
again, he shall serve another year with me.’”—
“Good!” cried the man. So they shook hands upon
it, had a right-down good drink to clinch the bargain,
and the man weut back to his own home, while Oh
took the son away with him.