THE STORY OF LITTLE TSAR NOVISHNY. 73

crept up to him, unfastened the self-slicing sword
from his side, went up to the little Tsar, and said:
“Self-slicing sword! slay him!” Then the self-
slicing sword cut him into little bits, and his beasts
knew nothing about it, for they were sleeping after
their labours. After that the lackey said to the
Tsarivna: “Thou must say now to all men that !
saved thee from death, or if not, I will do to thee
what I have done to him. Swear that thou wilt say
this thing!” Then she said: “I will swear that thou
didst save me from death,” for she was sore afraid of the
lackey. Then they returned to the city, and the Tsar
was very glad to see them, and clothed the lackey in
goodly apparel, and they all made merry together.

Now when Nedviga awoke he perceived that his
master was no longer there, and immediately awoke
all the rest, and they all began to think and consider
which of them was the swiftest. And when they
had thought it well over they judged that the hare
was the swiftest, and they resolved that the hare
should run and get living and healing water and the
apple of youth also. So the hare ran to fetch this
water and this apple, and he ran and ran till he came
to a certain land, and in this land the hare saw a
spring, and close to the spring grew an apple-tree
with the apples of youth, and this spring and this
apple-tree were guarded by a Muscovite, oh! so