Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/33

Rh to look for it. When suddenly he came upon a hillock under a birch-tree, round which grew a number of red and blue flowers, and among them a reed.

The young shepherd cut off the reed, and made himself a pipe; but what was his astonishment when the moment he put the pipe to his mouth, it began to play by itself, saying,—

"Play, play, little pipe; comfort my dear parents, and my sisters, who so cruelly misused me, killed me, and buried me, for the sake of my silver plate and transparent apple."

The shepherd ran into the village greatly alarmed, and a crowd of people soon collected round him asking him what had happened. The shepherd again put the pipe to his mouth, and again the pipe began to play of itself.

"Who killed whom, and where, and how?" asked all the people together, crowding round.

"Good people," answered the shepherd, "I know no more than you do. All I know is, that I lost one of my sheep, and went in search of it, when I suddenly came upon a hillock under a birch-tree with flowers round it, and among them was a reed, which I cut off and made into a pipe, and the moment I put the thing into my mouth it began to play of itself, and pronounce the words which you have just heard."

It so happened that Simpleton's father and sisters were among the crowd, and heard what the shepherd said.

"Let me try your pipe," said the father, taking it and putting it into his mouth; and immediately it began to repeat the words,— C