"Fear nothing!"
said the angel. "God hath sent me down on earth to protect thee!" So,
early in the morning, the priest rose up full of joy and prayed
gratefully to God.

The Tsar also awoke early in the morning, and bawled to his huntsmen
to gather together and go a-hunting with him in the forest.

So away they went hunting in the forest, and it was not long before a
stag leaped out of the thicket beneath the very eyes of the Tsar. Off
after it went the Tsar; every moment the stag seemed to be faltering,
and yet the Tsar could never quite come up with it. Hot with
excitement, the Tsar spurred his horse on yet faster. "Gee up! gee
up!" he cried; "now we've got him!" But here a stream crossed the
road, and the stag plunged into the water. The Tsar was a good
swimmer. "I've got him now, at any rate," thought he. "A little
longer, and I shall hold him by the horns." So the Tsar took off his
clothes, and into the water he plunged after the stag. But the stag
swam across to the opposite bank, and the Tsar was extending his hand
to seize him by the horns--when there was no longer any stag to be
seen. It was the angel who had taken the form of a stag. The Tsar was
amazed. He looked about him on every side, and wondered where the stag
had gone. Then he saw some one on the other side of the river putting
on his clothes, and presently the man mounted his horse and galloped
away. The Tsar thought it was some evil-doer, but it was the self-same
angel that had now put on the Tsar's clothes and gone away to collect
the huntsmen and take them home. As for the Tsar, he remained all
naked and solitary in the forest.

At last he looked about him and saw, far, far away, smoke rising above
the forest, and something like a dark cloud standing in the clear sky.
"Maybe," thought he, "that is my hunting-pavilion." So he went in the
direction of the smoke, and came at last to a brick-kiln. The
brick-burners came forth to meet him, and were amazed to see a naked
man. "What is he doing here?" they thought. And they saw that his feet
were lame and bruised, and his body covered with scratches. "Give me
to drink," said he, "and I would fain eat something also." The
brick-burners had pity on him; they gave him an old tattered garment
to wear and a piece of black bread and a gherkin to eat. Never from
the day of his birth had the Tsar had such a tasty meal. "And now
speak, O man!" said they; "who art thou?"--"I'll tell you who I am,"
said he, when