20 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

friendly manner: “ Whence hath God brought thee
hither, good man ?”—*I am wandering through the
wide world in search of the Wind,” said the man.
“Tf I find him, I will turn back ; if I don’t find him,
-Ishall go on and on till I do.”—“ What dost thou
want with the Wind?” asked the old giant lying on
the floor. “Or what wrong hath he done thee, that
thou shouldst seek him out so doggedly ?”—“« What
wrong hath he done me?” replied the wayfarer.
‘“ Hearken now, O Ancient, and I will tell thee! I
went straight from my wife into the field and reaped
my little plot of corn; but when I began to thresh
it out, the Wind came and caught and scattered every
bit of it in a twinkling, so that there was not a single
little grain of it left. So now thou dost see, old man,
what I have to thank him for. Tell me, in God’s
name, why such things be? My little plot of corn
was my all-im-all, and in the sweat of my brow did
I reap and thresh it; but the Wind came and blew
it all away, so that not a trace of it is to be found in
the wide world. Then I thought to myself: ‘Why
should he do this?’ And I said to my wife: ‘Tl
go seek tue Wind, and say to him: “ Another time,
visit not the poor man who hath but a little corn,
and blow it not away, for bitterly doth he rue
it 1”’"—* Good, my son!” said the giant who lay on
the floor. “TJ shall know better in future ; in future