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Rh of my belly snakes, worms and all sorts of reptiles will creep; jackdaws, magpies and crows will fly: you must catch them and throw them on the pile. If a single worm escapes, it will be no good, for I shall creep out into that worm."

So the soldier listened and remembered. So they had a long talk, and at last they came to the grave.

"Now, my brother," said the wizard, "I am going to tear you to bits? otherwise you will tell the tale!" "Now! Let's argue this out! How are you going to tear me to bits; I am a servant of God and the Tsar!"

So the wizard gnashed his teeth, howled, and threw himself on the soldier. But he drew out his sabre and dealt a backstroke. They tussled and struggled, and the soldier was almost exhausted. Ho, but this is a sorry ending! Then the cocks crowed and the wizard fell down breathless.

The soldier got the bladders out of the wizard's pockets, and went to his relations. He went in and he greeted them. And they asked him, "Have you ever seen such a fearful stir?"

"No, I never have!"

"Why, have you not heard? There is a curse on our village: a wizard haunts it."

So they lay down and went to sleep.

In the morning the soldier rose and began asking: "Is it true that there was a wedding celebrated here?"

So his kin answered him, "There was a wedding at the rich peasant's house, only the bride and bridegroom died that same night. No, we don't know at all of what they died."

"Where is the house?"

So they showed him, and he said never a word, and went there, got there, and found the whole family in tears.