---
title: Opening, part 13 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees
description: Opening, part 13, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: “We’ll see who’ll have the last word if it comes to eating,” said the soldier, shook the nosebag open, and asked, “What is this?”
---

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# Opening, part 13

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Opening, part 13 of «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole text, 158 sentences and 2578 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself.

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**1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/13/page/2/)

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“We’ll see who’ll have the last word if it comes to eating,” said the soldier, shook the nosebag open, and asked, “What is this?”[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics")

“A nosebag,” said the devils.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Well, in you all go, by God’s own spell!”[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") And he collected them all together—so many you couldn’t count them all\![4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the soldier buckled the bag tightly, hung it on a peg, and lay down to sleep.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics")

In the morning the Tsar sent for all his folks.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") “Come up to me and inform me how does it stand with the soldier.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") If the unholy powers have destroyed him, bring me his little bones.”[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics")

So off they went and entered the palace, and there saw the soldier trudging up and down gaily in the rooms and smoking his pipe.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well, how are you, discharged soldier?[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") We never expected to see you again alive.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") How did you pass the night?[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") What kind of bargain did you make with the devils?”[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics")

“What devils\![14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") Just come and look what a lot of gold and silver I won off them.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Look, what piles of it!”[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") And the Tsar’s servants looked and were amazed.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") And the soldier told them: “Bring me two smiths as fast as you can.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Tell them to bring an iron anvil and a hammer.”[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics")

Off they went helter-skelter to the smiths, and the matter was soon arranged.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics")

The smiths arrived with iron anvil and with heavy hammers.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Now,” said the soldier, “take this nosebag and beat it hard after the ancient manner of smiths.”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the smiths took the nosebag, and they began to whisper to each other: “How fearfully heavy it is\![23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") The devil must be in it.”[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics")

The devils shrieked in answer: “Yes, we are there, father—yes, we are there\![25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Kinsmen, help us!”[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the smiths instantly laid the nosebag on the iron anvil, and they began to knock it about with their hammers as though they were hammering iron.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics")

Very soon the devils saw that they could not possibly stand such treatment, and they began to shriek: “Mercy on us!—mercy on us\![28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") Let us out, discharged soldier, into the free world.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Unto all eternity we will not forget you, and into this palace never a devil shall enter again.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") We will forbid everybody—all of them—and drive them all a hundred \_versts\_ away.”[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the soldier bade the smiths stop, and as soon as he unbuckled the nosebag the devils rushed out, and flew off, without looking, into the depths of hell—into the abysses of hell.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") But the soldier was no fool; and as they were flying out he laid hold of one old devil—laid hold of him tight by his paw.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") “Come along,” he said; “give me some written undertaking that you will always serve me faithfully.”[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics")

The unholy spirit wrote him out this undertaking in his own blood, gave it him, and took to his heels.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics")

All the devils ran away into the burning pitch, and got away as fast as they could with all their infernal strength, both the old ones and the young ones; and henceforth they established guards all round the burning pit and issued stern ordinances that the gates be constantly guarded, in order that the soldier and the nosebag might never draw near.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics")

The soldier came to the Tsar, and he told him some kind of tale how he had delivered the palace from the infernal visitation.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Thank you,” the Tsar answered.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") “Stay here and live with me.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") I will treat you as if you were my brother.”[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the soldier went and stayed with the Tsar, and had a sufficiency of all things, simply rolled in riches, and he thought it was time he should marry.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") So he married, and one year later God gave him a son.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") Then this boy fell into such a fearful illness—so terrible that there was nobody who could cure it—and it was beyond the skill of the physicians; there was no understanding of it.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") The soldier then thought of the old devil and of the undertaking he had given him, and how it had run in the undertaking: “I shall serve you eternally as a faithful servant.”[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") And he thought and said: “What is my old devil doing?”[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics")

Suddenly the same old devil appeared in front of him and asked: “What does your worship desire?”[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics")

And the soldier answered: “My little boy is very ill.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Do you know how to cure him?”[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the devil fumbled in his pocket, got out a glass, poured cold water into it, and put it over the head of the sick child, and told the soldier: “Come here, look into the water.”[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") And the soldier looked at the water; and the devil asked him: “Well, what do you see?”[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics")

“I see Death standing at my son’s feet.”[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Well, he is standing at his feet; then he will survive.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") If Death stands at his head, then he cannot live another day.”[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") So the devil took the glass with the water in it and poured it over the soldier’s son, and in that same minute the son became well.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Give me this glass,” the soldier said, “and I shall never trouble you for anything more.”[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") And the devil presented him with the glass, and the soldier returned him the undertaking.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then the soldier became an enchanter, and set about curing the \_boyárs\_ and the generals.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") He would go and look at the glass, and instantly he knew who had to die and who should recover.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Now, the Tsar himself became ill, and the soldier was called in.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") So he poured cold water into the glass, put it at the Tsar’s head, and saw that Death was standing at the Tsar’s head.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics")

The soldier said: “Your Imperial Majesty, there is nobody in the world who can cure you.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") Death is standing at your head, and you have only three hours left of life.”[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics")

When the Tsar heard this speech, he was furious with the soldier.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") “What, what!” he shrieked at him.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") “You who have cured so many \_boyárs\_ and generals, cannot do anything for me\![65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") I shall instantly have you put to death.”[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the soldier thought and thought what he should do.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") And he began to beseech Death.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") “O Death,” he said, “give the Tsar my life and take me instead, for it doesn’t matter to me whether I live or die; for it is better to die by my own death than to suffer such a cruel punishment.”[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics")

And he looked in the glass, and saw that Death was standing at the Tsar’s feet.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the soldier took the water and sprinkled the Tsar, and he recovered completely.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now, Death,” said the soldier, “give me only three hours’ interval in order that I may go home and say farewell to my wife and my son.”[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Well, you may have three hours.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") Go,” Death replied.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the soldier went away home, lay down on his bed, and became very ill.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics")

And when Death was standing very near him, she said, “Now, discharged soldier, say good-bye quickly—you have only three minutes left to live in the bright world.”[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the soldier stretched himself out, took his nosebag from under his head, opened it, and asked: “What is this?”[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics")

Death answered: “A nosebag.”[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Well, if it is a nosebag, then jump into it!”[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics")

And Death instantly jumped straight into the bag.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") And the soldier, ill as he was, jumped up from his bed, buckled the nosebag together firmly, very tightly, threw it on his shoulder, and went into the Bryánski Woods, the slumbrous forest.[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") And he went there, and he hung this bag on the bitter aspen, on the very top twig, and he went back home.[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics")

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