ing,
and the stars dancing all around.

Well, what more is there to be said? You certainly can imagine the
rest. The courtship was not long and the wedding feast was soon
ready, for you know kings always have everything at their command. The
brothers Simeon were at once dispatched to the king of Buzan with a
message from the korolevna, his daughter, and this is what she wrote:

"Dear father, mighty king and sovereign: I have found a husband
according to my heart's wish and I am asking thy fatherly blessing.
My bridegroom, the Tsar Archidei Aggeivitch, sends his counselors to
thee, begging thee to come to our wedding."

At the very moment when the merchant ship was to land at the island of
Buzan, crowds of people had gathered to witness the execution of the
unfortunate guards and brave warriors whose ill-luck it was to have
allowed the princess to disappear.

"Stop!" Simeon the seventh shouted aloud from the deck. "We bring a
missive from the korolevna Helena. Holla!"

Very glad indeed was the king of the island of Buzan, and glad
were all his subjects. The missive was read and the condemned were
pardoned.

"Evidently," the king said, "it is fated that the handsome and witty
Tsar Archidei and my beautiful daughter are to become husband and
wife."

Then the king treated the envoys and the brothers Simeon very well and
sent his blessings with them, as he himself did not wish to go, being
very old. The ship soon returned and the Tsar Archidei rejoiced over
it with his beautiful bride, and at once summoned the seven Simeons,
the seven brave peasants.

He said to them: "Thanks! thanks! my peasants, my brave tillers of
the soil. Take as much gold as you wish. Take silver also and ask for
whatever is your heart's desire. Everything shall be given you with
my mighty hand. Would you like to become boyars, you shall be the
greatest among the very great. Do you choose to become governors, each
one shall have a town."

The first Simeon bowed to the Tsar and cheerfully answered:

"Thanks also to thee, Tsar Archidei Aggeivitch. We are but simple
people and simple are our ways. It would not do for us to become
boyars or governors. We do not care for thy treasures either. We have
our own father's field, which shall always give us bread for hunger
and money for need. Let us go home, taking with us thy gracious word
as our reward. If thou choosest to be so kind, give us thine order
which shall save us from the judges and tax