Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/301

Rh Thief as he was called, because he killed everybody who happened to venture down that road by his whistling; he allowed no one to pass, whether on horseback or on foot; he killed them all! not by force, but by his extraordinary art!

On, on rode Elie Muromitch, until he came into an open field, where he discovered traces of some passing horsemen; he set spurs to his horse and followed up the track. The creature neighed angrily and began galloping along, covering four miles at a gallop! At this rate Elie soon reached the dark Brynske forests, on the black earth of Smolensk, near the River Smorodina. He slackened his horse's pace, and began bragging aloud of all the brave deeds he intended to do.

"If I am fortunate enough to arrive safely at the sacred city of Kiev, I shall kill every Tartar in the place, and take all the Tartar women prisoners!"

He rode on, faster than before, and reached another field, where he suddenly came upon a band of forty-four thieves bent on plunder.

"Hail to you! ye villains!" exclaimed Elie Muromitch. "What care I for you forty-four thieves. There is nothing that ye dare take from me. I have a great-coat, and that is a grey one, the price of which is sixty roubles. I have a quiver at my back, as you see, which contains five hundred arrows, and the price of these arrows is five roubles each. As for ready money—I have forty thousand roubles with me; while the beast I am riding on—is worth more than all put together!"

The robbers laughed outright.