Page:RussianFolkTales Afanasev 368pgs.djvu/31

Rh "Hail, Dog, with what luck are you meeting? Is it bread you are eating?"

"Praise be to God," answered the dog, "it is no mere living, it is butter week. And what are you doing? Let us go into the izbá. The masters have gone out for a walk and will not see what you are doing. You come into the izbá and go and hide under the stove as fast as you can. I will await you there and will recall you."

"Very well."

And so they went into the izbá. The dog saw that his master's guests had drunk too much, and made ready to receive his friend. The bear drank up one glass, then another, and broke it. The guests began singing songs, and the bear wanted to chime in. But the dog persuaded him: "Do not sing, it would only do harm." But it was no good, for he could not keep the bear silent, and he began singing his song. Then the guests heard the noise, laid hold of a stick and began to beat him. He burst out and ran away, and just got away with his life.

Now the peasant also had a cat, which had ceased catching mice, and even playing tricks. Wherever it might crawl it would break something or spill something. The peasant chased the cat out of the house. But the dog saw that it was going to a miserable life without any food, and secretly began bringing it bread and butter and feeding it. Then the mistress looked on, and as soon as she saw this she began beating the dog, beat it hard, very hard, and saying all the time, "Give the cat no beef, nor bread."

Then, three days later, the dog went to the courtyard and saw that the cat was dying of starvation. "What is the matter?" he said.

"I am dying of starvation: I was able to have enough whilst you were feeding me."