240 COSSACK FAIRY TALES.

a son had been born to him there, and his son said
to him: “Why didst thou give me to the old she-
dragon, dad? But never mind, I’ll manage to live
in spite of her.” Then the father was very grieved
for a time, but what could he do? Now the name of
this son was Ivan.

So Ivan lost no time in going to the dragon, and

 

the dragon said to him: “Go to my house and do
me three tasks, and if thou dost them not, I’ll devour
thee.” Now round the dragon’s house was a large
meadow as far as the eye could reach. And the
dragon said to him: “Thou must in a single night
weed out this field and sow wheat in it, and reap the
wheat and store it, all in this very night ; and thou