is sister. She
immediately bade him saddle his horse, and taking his beasts with him,
go in search of her. They came to the place where he had left her, and
saw that the bucket which was put up for the serpent was full of
blood, but that the little Tsar's bucket was all dry and falling to
pieces. Then he perceived that she was still lamenting for the
serpent, and said to her, "God be with thee, but I will know thee no
more. Stay here, and never will I look upon thy face again!" But she
began to entreat and caress and implore him that he would take her
with him. Then the brother had compassion on his sister and took her
away with him.

Now when they got home she took out the serpent's tooth which she had
hidden about her, and put it beneath his pillow on the bed whereon he
slept. And at night-time the little Tsar went to lie down and the
tooth killed him. His wife thought that he was sulky, and therefore
did not speak to her, so she begged him not to be angry; and, getting
no answer, took him by the hand, and lo! his hand was cold, as cold as
lead, and she screamed out. But Protius came bounding through the door
and kissed his master. Then the little Tsar became alive again, but
Protius died. Then Nedviga kissed Protius and Protius became alive,
but Nedviga died. Then the Tsarevko said to Medvedik, "Kiss Nedviga!"
He did so, and Nedviga became alive again, but Medvedik died. And so
they went on kissing each other from the greatest to the smallest,
till the turn came to the hare. She kissed Vovchok and died, but
Vovchok remained alive. What was to be done? Now that the little hare
had died there was none to kiss her back into life again. "Kiss her,"
said the little Tsar to the little fox. But the little fox was artful,
and taking the little hare on his shoulder, he trotted off to the
forest. He carried her to a place where lay a felled oak, with two
branches one on the top of the other, and put the hare on the lower
branch; then he ran under the branch and kissed the hare, but took
good care that the branch should be between them. Thereupon the
serpent's tooth flew out of the hare and fastened itself in the upper
branch, and both fox and hare scampered back out of the forest alive
and well. When the others saw them both alive they rejoiced greatly
that no harm had come to any of them from the tooth. But they seized
the sister and tied her to the tail of a savage horse and let her
loose upon the endless steppe.

So they