IVAN THE FOOL AND ST. PETERS FIFE. 227

swine, the cocks and hens, everything that had life
came out and danced. At last Ivan was tired, so
he left off playing and went into the town to seek
service. The parson there took a fancy to him, and
said to him: “Good man! wilt enter my service ?”
—<That will I, gladly,” said Ivan.—‘* How much
wages dost thou want by the year then ?”—“ It won’t
come dear; five karbovantsya* are all I ask.”—
“Good, I agree,” said the parson. So he engaged
Ivan as his servant, and the next day he sent him out
into the fields to tend his cattle. Ivan drove the
cattle into the pastures, but he himself perched on
the top of a haystack while the cattle grazed. He
sat there, and sat and sat till he grew quite dull, and
then he said to himself: “Tl play a bit on my fife,
I haven't played for along time.” So he began to
play, and immediately all the cattle fell a-dancing ;
and not only the cattle, but all the foxes, and the
hares, and the wolves, and everything in the hedges
and ditches fell a-dancinge too. They danced and
danced till the poor cattle were clean worn out
and at the last gasp. In the evening Ivan drove
them home, but they were so famished that they
tugged at the dirty straw-roofs of the huts they
passed, and so got a chance mouthful or two. But
Ivan went in and had supper and a comfortable

1 A karbovanets is about four shillings.