THE STORY OF TREMSIN. 95

“Why, to fetch him the Bird Zhar.”—“ Why that’s
not a task, but a trifle,” replied the horse. “Let us
go to the steppes,” it continued, “and let me go a-
browsing ; but thou strip thyself stark naked and lie
down in the grass, and the Bird Zhar will straightway
swoop down to feed. So long as she only claws
about thy body, touch her not; but as soon as she
begins to claw at thy eyes, seize her by the legs.”

So when they got to the wild steppes, Tremsin
stripped himself naked and flung himself in the grass,
and, immediately, the Bird Zhar swooped down and
began pecking all about him, and at last she pecked
at his eyes. Then Tremsin seized her by both legs,
and mounted his horse and took the Bird Zhar to the
nobleman. Then his fellow-servants were more envious
than ever, and they said among themselves: “ How
shall we devise for him a task to do that cannot be
done, and so rid the world of him altogether?” So
they bethought them, and then they went to the
nobleman and said: “Tremsin says that to get the
Bird Zhar was nothing, and that he is also able to
get the thrice-lovely Nastasia of the sea.” Then the
nobleman again sent for Tremsin and said to him:
“Look now! thou didst get for me the Bird Zhar, see
that thou now also gettest for me the thrice-lovely
Nastasia of the sea.”—‘ But I cannot, sir!” said
Tremsin.— Answer me not so!” replied the noble-