ed on the surface;
the whole vessel went to the depths like a heavy stone. In an hour or
so Simeon, with his left hand, led the ship to the blue surface of
the sea again, and with his right he presented to the Tsar a most
magnificent sturgeon for his "kulibiaka," the famous Russian fish pie.

While the Tsar Archidei enjoyed himself with looking at the marvelous
vessel, the fifth Simeon built a blacksmith shop in the court back of
the palace. There he blew the bellows and heated the iron. The noise
from his hammers was great and the result of his peasant work was
a self-shooting gun. The Tsar Archidei Aggeivitch went to the wild
fields and perceived high above him, very high under the sky, an eagle
flying.

"Now!" exclaimed the Tsar, "there is an eagle forgetting himself with
watching the sun; shoot it. Perchance thou shalt have the good luck to
hit it. Then I will honor thee."

Simeon shook his locks, smiled, put into his gun a silver bullet,
aimed, shot, and the eagle fell swiftly to the earth. The sixth Simeon
did not even allow the eagle to fall to the ground, but, quick as a
flash, he ran under it with a plate, caught it on that big plate and
presented his prey to the Tsar Archidei.

"Thanks, thanks, my brave fellows, faithful peasants, tillers of the
soil!" exclaimed the Tsar Archidei gayly. "I see now plainly that all
of you are men of trade and I wish to reward you. But now go to your
dinner and rest awhile." The six Simeons bowed to the Tsar very low,
prayed to the holy icons and went. They were already seated, had time
to swallow each one a tumbler of the strong, green wine, took up
the round wooden spoons in order to attack the "stchi," the Russian
cabbage soup, when lo! the Tsar's fool came running and shaking his
striped cap with the round bells and shouted:

"You ignorant simpletons, unlearned peasants, moujiks! Is it a
suitable moment for dinner when the Tsar wants you? Go in haste!"

All the six started running toward the palace, thinking within
themselves: "What can have happened?" In front of the palace stood the
guards with their iron staves; in the halls all the wise and learned
people were gathered together, and the Tsar himself was sitting on his
high throne looking very grim and thoughtful.

"Listen to me," he said when the peasants approached, "you, my brave
fellows, my clever brothers Simeon. I like your trades and I think, as
do my wise advisers, that if thou, the second Simeon, art able