220 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

They made a rich banquet of funeral meats that all
might know how much they mourned the old man 3 1b
was a splendid funeral. When the priest got up from
the table, the people all began to thank their hosts,
and the eldest son begeed the priest to say the
sorokoust* in the church for the repose of the dead
man’s soul. “Such a dear old fellow as he was!”
said he; “was there ever any one like him? ‘Take
this money for the sorokoust, reverend father!” so
horribly grieved was that eldest son. So the eldest
son gave the priest money, and the second son gave
him the like. Nay, each one gave him money for
an extra half sorokoust, all four gave him requiem
money. ‘‘ We'll have prayers in church for our father
though we sell our last sheep to pay for them,” cried
they. Then, when all was over, they hastened as fast
as they could to the money. ‘The coffer was brought
forth, They shook it. There was a fine rattling in-
side it. Every one of them felt and handled the
coffer. That was something like a treasure! Then
they unsealed it and opened it and scattered the
contents—and it was full of nothing but glass! They
wouldn’t believe their eyes. They rummaged among
the glass, but there was no money. It was horrible!
Surely it could not be that their father had dug up a
coffer from beneath an oak of the forest and it was

’ Prayers lasting forty days.