Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/167

Rh The man, who felt far from comfortable, tried hard not to appear frightened, and said laughingly,—

"Not so fast, my young friend. I have only come here to warn you. It seems that as no one else would cast you out, the king has sent for the angry wife, and she is coming to eat you up! Listen! do you hear the people? She has evidently arrived; fly for your life, my friend!"

The moment the little demon heard these words, he sprang out of the princess, and ran to the window, where he was greatly alarmed at seeing all the people running about, crying out,—

"Away! away! The angry wife is coming! The angry wife is coming! Run for you lives!" and so on.

The demon stood looking with his eyes very wide open, and his tail up in the air, like a devil out of his senses. At last he turned to the man and asked,—

"Good man, my dear good friend, tell me, oh tell me, what on earth I am to do, and where I am to go and hide myself!"

"Go," said our cunning friend, "to the pit where you were born, for if my angry wife has once got out, she will be in no particular hurry to get in again; so take my advice and go down."

The little devil did not wait to be told twice; but after thanking the man for his good advice, and his apparent great friendship for him, and also after telling him hurriedly that if ever he came to the pit himself, he would always be sure to find a warm welcome,—the little devil ran as hard as his legs would carry him straight to the forest, and, throwing himself into the pit, was heard of no more.