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 answered for Uncle Toross: "My child, the treasure and the beast should belong to you. What shall I do with them?”

He looked around and saw upon a pyre a copper kettle with four handles, and in it were his forty calves. He stuck his oaken stick through the handles and raised the kettle, poured off the water, pushed the calves’ feet back into the kettle, lifted it to his shoulder, and went back to his comrade.

The two drove the rest of the herd into the village, and David called the owners to him and said: “If you deceive my brother a hair’s breadth in the reckoning it will go badly with you. Sell this kettle. May it repay you for your calves.”

He separated his own calves from the peasants’, and went home. It was then midday. He said to Uncle Toross: “Take quickly twenty asses and we will go out and bring back treasure that shall suffice you and your children till the seventh generation.”

And they took the asses and set forth. When they reached the cavern, Uncle Toross saw the bodies of the Dews stretched near the entrance, and they were swelled up like hills. In great fright Uncle Toross loosed his ass from the others and fell back.

David said: “You destroyer! I fled not before them living, but you fear them dead! If you believe me not, turn back and raise this stone. I concealed all their ears there.”

Uncle Toross came back and took the asses, and they went into the cave. They made a pack of all the treasure and carried it away with them. David said: “All this treasure belongs to you, but the steed is mine. If you will not give it to me, you shall follow after them.”

He answered: “My child, the horse and the treasure too are yours. What should I do with it?”

Uncle Toross let David mount the steed. He gave him the spurs and he bucked to right and left. This was no ordinary steed—the difficulties of managing him cannot be described.

They returned to Sassun with the treasure. David procured a beautiful falcon and rode off to hunt. The calves he had long ago given over.

Once, as he hunted, he rode across the soil of a poor man, whose family numbered seven heads, and the man had seven beds of millet. Four beds he laid waste, and three remained.