Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/302

285 "Though we have been pretty nearly all over the wide world," said they, "we have never, to our knowledge, come across such a fool before. Come, strip him, children; let us see whether the big fool speaks the truth."

Elie Muromitch suddenly seized his bow, and taking an arrow from the quiver, he aimed at an old oak-tree; the arrow pierced it through the middle, and the big old oak fell with a tremendous crash, breaking in four quarters. No sooner had the robbers seen what had happened than they became alarmed, and mounting their horses they galloped off in all directions.

Elie Muromitch laughed to himself, and rode on farther, through different portions of the Brynske forests, until he arrived at the wonderful town of Chernigov. When he entered this town he found it in the possession of a force of Mussulmen, who wanted to plunder it, to pull down its walls, to destroy its religious houses, to burn its churches, and to take all its generals and the Prince of Chernigov prisoners.

Elie Muromitch felt sorry for the town of Chernigov, and he determined to beat the Mussulman forces and drive them out.

So he galloped up, and with the sharp point of his lance he pierced their jerkins through and through, and flourishing his sword he slaughtered them, right and left, so that by nightfall Elie Muromitch had succeeded in destroying the whole of the Mussulman force and taking their king prisoner. He took the Mussulman king and walked him all round the wonderful town of Chernigov. The prince, with all