22 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

I will not blow away the poor man’s corn. But, good
man, there is no need for thee to seek the Wind in
the open steppe, for I myself am the Wind.’—
“Then if thou art the Wind,” said the man, “ give
me back my corn.”—‘ Nay,” said the giant; “thou
canst not make the deal come back from the grave.
Yet, inasmuch as I have done thee a mischief, I will
now give thee this sack, good man, and do thou take
it home with thee. And whenever thou want’st a
meal say: ‘Sack, sack, give me to eat and drink !’
and immediately thou shalt have thy fill both of
meat and drink, so now thou wilt have wherewithal
to comfort thy wife and children.”

Then the man was full of gratitude. “I thank
thee, O Wind!” said he, ‘‘for thy courtesy in
giving me such a sack as will give me my fill of meat
and drink without the trouble of working for it.”—
“For a lazy loon, *twere a double boon,” said the
Wind. ‘Go home, then, but look now, enter no
tavern by the way; I shall know it if thou dost.”—
“No,” said the man, “I will not.” And then he
took leave of the Wind and went his way.

He had not gone very far, when he passed by a
tavern, and he felt a burning desire to find out
whether the Wind had spoken the truth in the matter
of the sack. “ How can a man pass a tavern without
going into it?” thought he; “Tl go in, come what