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story is a story of the past—of the days when Christ and the Twelve Apostles still walked on earth.

One day they were still on their road, going on a long, long road, and a wolf met them and said: "Lord, I am feeling hungry."

"Go," Christ said to him, "and eat a mare."

So the wolf went to look for a mare.

And he saw her going up and down, and said: "Mare, the Lord has bidden me eat you!"

So she answered: "Well, please do not eat me—it is not the proper thing. But I have a passport on me; only it is driven in very hard."

"Well, show it me."

"Just come near my hind feet!"

So the wolf went up, and she kicked him with her hoofs, and knocked out his front teeth, so that the wolf was thrown, at a blow, three sazhéns away, and the mare ran off.

Back the wolf came with a petition, met Christ, and said: "Lord, the mare almost killed me!"

"Well, go on and eat the ram."

So the wolf ran up to the ram—ran up and said: "Ram, I am going to eat you—it is the command of the Lord."

"Well, come and eat me up if you will. I will stand