THE TSAR AND THE ANGEL. 171

“T’]] tell you who I am,” said he, when he had eaten
his fill, “I am your Tsar. Lead me to my capital,
and there I will reward you!”—‘ What, thou
wretched rogue!” they cried, “thou dost presume
to mock us, thou old ragamuffin, and magnify thyself
into a Tsar! Thou reward us,
indeed!” And they looked at
him in amazement and scorn.—
“Dare to laugh at me again,”
said he, “and Ill have your
heads chopped off!” For he
forgot himself, and thought he
was at home.—‘ What! thou!”
Then they fell upon him and
beat him. They beat him and
hauled him about most unmer-
cifully, and then they drove him
away, and off he went bellowing
through the forest.

He went on and on till at
last he saw once more a smoke
rising up out of the wood. Again he thought:
“That is surely my hunting-pavilion,” and so he
went up to it. And towards evening he came to
another brick-kiln. There, too, they had pity upon
and kindly entreated him. They gave him to eat
and to drink. They also gave him ragged hose