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276 youth, but none of them acknowledged that he was the father. "No," the boy answered, "none of them is my father."

Then the Tsar bade the maids of honour and attendants take him up to every courtyard, through all the streets, and to show him to all manner of people. So the attendants and maids of honour took the youth through all the courtyards, through all the streets they went. But the boy said nothing.

At last they came to the poor peasant's hut. As soon as the boy saw that peasant, he at once stretched out his little hands and said "Tyátya, Tyátya!" Then they told the Emperor of this, and they summoned the poor man into the palace, and the Tsar began to inquire of him, "Acknowledge on oath, is this your boy?"

"No, he is God's son."

Then the Tsar was angry and married the poor man to the Princess, and after the wedding he set them both with the child, in a big tub, smeared it with tar, and sent it out into the open sea. So the tub sailed on the open sea, and the boisterous winds carried and bore it to a distant shore. When the poor man heard that the water no longer moved under them, he said:

let the barrel rest on a dry spot."

So the barrel turned round and got on to a dry spot, and they went on, following their eyes. And they went on and on, on and on, and they had nothing to eat or drink. The Princess was utterly exhausted and had pined away to a shadow, and she could hardly stand on her legs.

"Now," said the poor man, "do you know what hunger and thirst are?"