226 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

is sailing above my head!” Then he took up his
fife and began to play, and the moment he began to
play, everything around him began to dance; the
wolves, and the hares, and the foxes, and the bears,
nay, the very birds lit down upon the ground and
began to dance, and Ivan went on laughing and
playing all the time. Even the savage, surly bears
danced and danced till their legs tottered beneath
them. ‘Then they clutched tight hold of the trees
to stop themselves from dancing; but it was of no
use, dance they must. At last Ivan himself was
tired, and lay down to rest, and when he had rested
a little, he got up again and went on into the
town. There all the people were in the bazaars,
buying and selling. Some were buying pancakes,
others baskets of bright-coloured eges, others again
pitchers of kvas. Ivan began playing on his fife,
and forthwith they all fell a-dancing. One man who
had a whole basket of egos on his head danced them
into bits, and danced and danced till he looked like
the yolk of an egg himself. Those who were asleep
got up and gave themselves up to dancing straight-
way ; there were some who danced without trousers,
and some who danced without smocks or shirts, and
there were some who danced with nothing on at all,
for dance they must when Ivan began a-playing. The
whole town was turned upside down: the dogs, the