Page:Slavonic Fairy Tales.djvu/137

 120 The servants led the horse to water. Suddenly he broke loose, and rushed to the gate; but it was shut. The servants ran after him, put a bit into his mouth, fastened a rope round his neck and ears, and then began dragging him. The merchant's wife looked out of the window and screamed, "Hold him! Drag him along!"

The horse, however, kicked so violently that they were obliged to let him go.

At that moment Ivanushka came home from school. He could not bear to see the horse so cruelly treated, and said to the servants,—

"Why do you torment the poor beast?"

"We are taking him to water," they answered.

"I will water him myself," said Ivanushka. He then went to the well, drew out some fresh water and gave it to the horse.

The merchant's wife, seeing that she could neither destroy Ivanushka nor the horse, became very angry and pretended to be ill.

When the merchant returned home he found his wife groaning in bed.

"I fear you are ill, my love," said the merchant.

"Very ill."

"Has the doctor been?"

"Yes; he says it will be necessary to kill the horse, take out its gall, and use it for my medicine."