Page:The Russian story book, containing tales from the song-cycles of Kiev and Novgorod and other early sources.djvu/228

 the month reached the summit with a sigh of relief. "Well," he said, "well, well, glory be to God!"

For a little while he rested, and then walked onward on the summit of the mountain—walked and walked, walked and walked, until he came to a castle of copper. At the gateway sat terrible wriggling serpents fastened with copper chains, crowds of them writhing in a mass upon the earth; and not far away was a well, at the mouth of which was a copper bucket fastened with a copper chain. Now Ivan watched the writhing serpents for a moment, and then, obeying an impulse of kindliness, he drew water in the copper bucket and gave to them to drink. When they had quenched their thirst they lay down in quiet, and Ivan was able to enter the castle unmolested.

At the doorway and just over the threshold the young man was met by a Tsaritza who was clothed in a cloth of a coppery red, warm and brilliant, and whose hair was of a deep auburn tinged with light and shining with the early gloss of youthfulness. She looked coolly at Ivan as if she thought little of him, but her greeting was courteous enough. "Who are you, gallant youth?" she asked, and the young man replied simply:

"I am Ivan, youngest son of the Great White Tsar."

"How did you come here?" asked the Copper Tsaritza, "with your own will or against your will?"

"With my own will," said Ivan. "I am in