170 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

seen. It was the angel who had taken the form of a
stag. The Tsar was amazed. He looked about him
on every side, and wondered where the stag had
gone. Then he saw some one on the other side of
the river putting on his clothes, and presently the
man mounted his horse and galloped away. The
Tsar thought it was some evil-doer, but it was the
selfsame angel that had now put on the Tsar’s
clothes and gone away to collect the huntsmen and
take them home. As for the Tsar, he remained all
naked and solitary in the forest.

At last he looked about him and saw, far, far
away, smoke rising above the forest, and something
like a dark cloud standing in the clear sky. “ May-
be,” thought he, “that is my hunting-pavilion.” So
he went in the direction of the smoke, and came at
last to a brick-kiln. The brick-burners came forth
to meet him, and were amazed to see a naked man.
“What is he doing here?” they thought. And they
saw that his feet were lame and bruised, and_ his
body covered with scratches. ‘Give me to drink,”
said he, ‘and I would fain eat something also.” The
brick-burners had pity on him; they gave him an
old tattered garment to wear and a piece of black
bread and a gherkin to eat. Never from the day of
his birth had the Tsar had such a tasty meal. “ And
now speak, O man!” said they; ‘who art thou ?’”—