68 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

the starling said to him : “ Not so fast, not so fast, little
Tsar Novishny, for thy dogs have already gnawed their
way through ten doors!” The little Tsar picked up
the rottenest wood he could find and flung it on the fire,
to make believe he was making haste, but sprinkled
it at the same time with water, so that it might not
burn up too quickly, and yet the kettle soon began
to boil. Again he went to the forest for more wood,
and the starling said to him: “ Not so fast, not so
fast, little Tsar, for thy dogs have already gnawed
their way through all the doors, and are now resting !”
But now the water was boiling, and his sister ran up
and said to him: ‘Come, boil thyself, be quick ;
how much longer art thou going to keep us waiting?”
Then he, poor thing, began ladling the boiling water
over himself, while she got the table ready and spread
the cloth, that the serpent might eat her brother on
that very table.

But he, poor thing, kept ladling himself, and ericd :
“Oh, my dear brother-in-law, pray let me climb up
to the top of that white-thorn tree; let me have a look
out from the top of it, for thence one can see afar!”
—‘Don’t let him, dear!” said the sister to the
serpent; “he will stay there too long and lose our
precious time.’—But the serpent replied : “It doesn’t
matter, it doesn’t matter; let him climb up if he
likes.” So the little Tsar went up to the tree, and