98 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

—So Tremsin let his horse out to graze, and he himself
stood by the sea-shore, and watched and watched till
he saw a crab come swimming along. Then he said
to the crab: “T’ll catch thee.”—<Oh! seize me
not!” said the crab, “but let me get back into the
sea, and I'll be of great service to thee.” —* Very
well,” said Tremsin, “but thou must get me from the
sea the coral necklace of the thrice-lovely Nastasia,”
and with that he let the crab go back into the sea
again. Then the crab called together all her young
crabs, and they collected all the coral and brought it
ashore, and gave it to Tremsin. Then the faithful
steed came running up, and Tremsin mounted it, and
took the coral to the thrive-lovely Nastasia. ‘ Well,”
said Nastasia, “thou hast got the feather of the Bird
Zhar, thou hast got the Bird Zhar itself, thou hast got
me my coral, get me now from the sea my herd of
wild horses!”—Then Tremsin wag gore distressed,
and went to his faithful steed and wept bitterly, and
told him all about it. “Well,” said the horse, “this
time ’tis no trifle, but a real hard task. Go now to
thy master, and bid him buy twenty hides and twenty
poods? of pitch, and twenty poods of flax, and twenty
poods of hair.”—So Tremsin went to bis master and
told him, and his master bought it all. Then Tremsin
loaded his horse with all this, and to the sea they
1 A pood = 40 Ibs.