OG COSSACK FAIRY TALES,

second door, but the dogs were shut in by the doors.
Through all twelve doors he went, and came out
again at the first door, and looked about him, and—
there were no dogs to be seen. He whistled, and
he heard his dogs whining where they could not
get out. Then he wept sore, mounted his horse,
and went home. He got home, and there was his
sister making merry with the serpent. And no
sooner did the brother enter the hut than the serpent
said: “Well, we wanted flesh, and now desh has
For they had just slain a bullock,

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come to us
and on the ground where they had slain it there
sprang up a white-thorn tree, so lovely that it may
be told of in tales, but neither imagined nor divined.
When the little I'sar saw it, he said: “ Oh, my dear
brother-in-law !” (for without his dogs he must needs
be courteous to the serpent,) “ pray let me climb up
that white-thorn tree, and have a good look about
me!” But the sister said to the serpent: “Dear
friend, make him get ready boiling water for him-
self, and we will boil him, for it does not become
thee to dirty thy hands.”—‘ Very well,” said the
serpent; “he shall make the boiling water ready !”
So they ordered the little Tsar to go and chop wood
and get the hot water ready. Then he went and
chopped wood, but as he was doing so, a starling
flew out and said to him: “Not go fast, not so