Page:The Russian story book, containing tales from the song-cycles of Kiev and Novgorod and other early sources.djvu/341

 "Why eat me?" asked the hawk in the speech of Holy Russia, "I can be of good service to you."

Then a great bear came shambling along with its fore-paws turned inwards to show that it was a bear of good breeding. "Bear, bear," said Ivan, "I will shoot you dead and eat you without cooking."

"Why eat me?" asked the bear in the speech of Holy Russia, "I can be of good service to you."

Then Ivan saw a great pike leap from the ocean sea and lie floundering upon the shingle shore. "Pike, pike," said he, "I will kill you and eat you without cooking."

"Better, far better, and much the best," said the pike, "if you cast me into the sea."

"It seems to me," said Ivan Tsarevich, "that the cakes of Peerless Beauty have wrought a spell, and that I am to have nothing further to eat. Well, then, in the strength of those cakes I will go on with it." So he flung the floundering pike back into the ocean sea, and when it splashed the great water boiled up and began to race along and up the shore so quickly that Ivan was forced to run before it with all his might and main.

Onward he ran and ever onward, with the water racing at his heels and occasionally washing them. Onward he ran and ever upward, until he came to a tall tree upon a high bank of sand. Upward he climbed and ever upward, and then saw that now the waters of the ocean sea were quickly falling; and