Page:The Russian Garland of Fairy Tales.djvu/244

 happiness to thee, O Tsar, to thy family, and all thy princes and boyars! Take me into thy service!" Then said Dalmat: "Man, whence comest thou, and what is thy name, and whose son art thou?" So Yaroslav told him, and the Tsar said: "Which way hast thou come, by land or by water?" Yaroslav replied: "By land," and the Tsar said: "I have a knight who dwells upon the open plains, and has guarded my kingdom for three-and-thirty years; no man or animal has ever passed him, on horse, foot, or wing; and how hast thou ridden past?" Yaroslav answered: "I have vanquished this man, O Tsar; but I knew not that he belonged to thee."

On hearing this the Tsar was terrified, and thought to himself: "If he has slain such a knight he can easily conquer my kingdom, and he only wants to rob me of my throne." This thought made him sorrowful, and he commanded all honour to be shown to Yaroslav Lasarevich, and gave him drink from his own goblet. Then Yaroslav oberved that the Tsar feared him: he went out of the castle, saddled his steed, and rode away out of the kingdom. Tsar Dalmat was rejoiced to be freed from Yaroslav, and ordered the gates to be closed fast behind him.

Yaroslav now resolved to go to the city of Dobri