56 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

and again the Tsarivna sat upon his head and the
Tsarevko sat down by her side, till a bullock came
up, full tilt, and said to them: * Hail, little Tsar
Novishny! art thou here with thy leave or art
thou here against thy leave ?”— Alas! dear little
bullock, I came not hither by my leave; but may-
be I was brought here against my leave !”—*« Sit
on my back, then,” said the bullock, “and I'll
— But they said: “Nay, if a
horse and a bee could not manage it, how wilt

B)

carry you away.’

thou ?”—** Nonsense!” said the bullock. “Sit down,
and Pll carry you off!” So he persuaded them.—
“Well, we can only perish once!” they cried; and
the bullock carried them off. And every little while
they went a little mile, and jolted so that they very
nearly tumbled off. Presently the serpent awoke
and was very very wroth. He rose high above the
woods and flew after them—oh! how fast he did
fly! Then eried the little Tsar: “Alas! bullock,
how hot it turns. Thou wilt perish, and we shall
perish also!”—Then said the bullock: “Little
Tsar! look into my left ear and thou wilt see
a horse-comb. Pull it out and throw it behind
thee !”—The little Tsar took out the comb and threw
it behind him, and it became a huge wood, as thick
and jagged as the teeth of a horse-comb, But the
bullock went on at his old pace: every little while