at the folly of the man; nevertheless he would not refuse, as he
wished to have some sport; so he told the man to go into the field. So
he tucked his cask under his arm, betook himself to the field, and
waited for the nobleman, who came riding to meet him with a number of
attendants; and, when he drew near, he ordered his servants, for a
joke, to thrash the peasant soundly. The man saw that they were
mocking him, and he was wroth with the nobleman, and said: "Come, Sir!
give me my basket back this instant, or it shall fare ill with you
all, I promise!" Nevertheless they did not stop beating, so he cried
out: "Out, Five to each! thrash them soundly!" Immediately five stout
fellows sprang out of the cask upon every man of them and began to
beat them unmercifully. Then the nobleman thought that they would kill
him, and roared out with might and main: "Stop, stop, my good friend
and hear me!" So the countryman, upon this, cried: "Hold! you fellows!
back to the cask!" Then they all stopped beating, and crept back into
the cask again. And straightways the nobleman ordered his servants to
fetch the basket and give it to the countryman, who took it and hied
back home, and lived ever after with his wife in peace and harmony.

STORY OF THE DUCK WITH GOLDEN EGGS

Once upon a time there lived an old man named Abrosim, with his old
wife Fetinia: they were in great poverty and want, and had a son named
Ivanushka, who was fifteen years of age. One day the old man Abrosim
brought home a crust of bread for his wife and son to eat; but hardly
had he begun to cut the bread than Krutchina (Sorrow) sprang from
behind the stove, snatched the crust out of his hands and ran back. At
this the old man bowed low to Krutchina, and begged her to give him
back the bread as he and his wife had nothing to eat. Old Krutchina
answered: "I will not give you back the bread; but I will give you
instead a duck, which lays a golden egg every day."

"Well and good," said Abrosim; "at all events I shall go to bed
without a supper to-night; only do not deceive me, and tell me where I
shall find the duck."

"Early in the morning, as soon as you are up," replied Krutchina, "go
into the town and there you will see a duck in a pond; catch it and
bring it home with you." When Abrosim heard this, he laid himself
down to sleep.

Next morning the old man rose early, went to the town, and was
overjoyed when he really saw a duck in the pond: so he began to c