--- title: Opening, part 24 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees · page 2 description: Opening, part 24, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: So they started, and off they went. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/24/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/) / Opening, part 24 # Opening, part 24 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/24/) **2** Iván Tsarévich got up, went into the stable, and lay behind the crib.[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") Bába Yagá made a tremendous stir and cried out to her mares: “Why did you come back?”[78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") “How should we not come back?—all the bees from every part of the world, visible and invisible, flew round us, and they stung us till our blood flowed.”[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") Bába Yagá went to sleep; and that same night Iván Tsarévich stole the mangy steed from its stall, mounted it and flew to the fiery river.[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") He reached that river, waved the cloth three times to the right; and, at once, from some strange source, a lofty, splendid bridge hung all the way over.[81](../../81/ "tree and pragmatics") The Tsarévich crossed the bridge, waved the cloth to the left twice, and all that was left of the bridge was a thin thread.[82](../../82/ "tree and pragmatics") In the morning Bába Yagá woke up and she could not see the mangy foal, so she hunted to the chase: with all her strength she leapt into her iron mortar and she chased after with the pestle, and very soon she was on their track.[83](../../83/ "tree and pragmatics") When she came to the river of fire, she looked across and thought, “Ah ha ha! a fine bridge!”[84](../../84/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she went on to the bridge; but as soon as she got on to the bridge it snapped, and Bába Yagá slipped into the river, and it was a savage death she had.[85](../../85/ "tree and pragmatics") Iván Tsarévich fed his foal on the green, and a splendid horse grew out of him; then the Tsarévich arrived at the palace of Márya Moryévna.[86](../../86/ "tree and pragmatics") She rushed out, fell upon his neck and said, “How has God blessed you?”[87](../../87/ "tree and pragmatics") And he told her how it had gone with him.[88](../../88/ "tree and pragmatics") “I am frightened, Iván Tsarévich; if Koshchéy catches us up you will again be torn to atoms.”[89](../../89/ "tree and pragmatics") “No, he will not catch us up now; I have a fine knightly horse which flies like a bird.”[90](../../90/ "tree and pragmatics") So they sat on the horse and went.[91](../../91/ "tree and pragmatics") Koshchéy the Deathless came back home, and his horse stumbled.[92](../../92/ "tree and pragmatics") “Oh, you sorry jade, why do you stumble, or is it that you fear some evil?”[93](../../93/ "tree and pragmatics") “Iván Tsarévich has arrived, and has taken away Márya Moryévna.”[94](../../94/ "tree and pragmatics") “Can one catch them up?”[95](../../95/ "tree and pragmatics") “God knows; now Iván Tsarévich has a knightly horse better than me.”[96](../../96/ "tree and pragmatics") “No, I will not stand it,” Koshchéy the Deathless said.[97](../../97/ "tree and pragmatics") “We will up and after him!”[98](../../98/ "tree and pragmatics") And, sooner or later, so soon he caught up Iván Tsarévich, and he leapt to him and was going to cleave him with his curved sabre; but then the steed of Iván Tsarévich kicked Koshchéy the Deathless with all his might, and clove in his head, and the Tsarévich struck him down with his club.[99](../../99/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the Tsarévich gathered together a mass of timber, set fire to it, burnt Koshchéy the Deathless on the pile and scattered the dust to the winds.[100](../../100/ "tree and pragmatics") Márya Moryévna then sat on Koshchéy’s steed, and Iván Tsarévich on his own, and the two went and stayed as guests, first of all with the Crow, then with the Eagle, and lastly with the Hawk.[101](../../101/ "tree and pragmatics") Wherever they went they were joyously received.[102](../../102/ "tree and pragmatics") “Oh\![103](../../103/ "tree and pragmatics") Iván Tsarévich, I am so glad to see you\![104](../../104/ "tree and pragmatics") We never expected to see you back.[105](../../105/ "tree and pragmatics") And your work has not been in vain; such a beauty as Márya Moryévna might be sought for all over the world and you would not have found any other.”[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") So they were as guests and junketed well, and arrived into their own kingdom, reached it and began to live a life of joy enduring and to drink good mead.[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") THE REALM OF STONE[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, once there lived a soldier who had served long and faithfully and knew all about the Tsar’s service, the reviews, and always came up to parade looking clean and smart.[109](../../109/ "tree and pragmatics") The last year of his service came along, and, to his ill-luck, his superior officers, great and small, did not like him, and as a result he was soundly thrashed.[110](../../110/ "tree and pragmatics") This grieved the soldier, and he thought of deserting.[111](../../111/ "tree and pragmatics") So, with his wallet on his back and his gun on his shoulder, he began to bid farewell to his comrades, who asked him, “Where are you going?[112](../../112/ "tree and pragmatics") Do you want to enter a battalion?”[113](../../113/ "tree and pragmatics") “Do not ask me, my brothers; just buckle my wallet firmly on, and do not think evil of me.”[114](../../114/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the good youth set forth whither his eyes gazed.[115](../../115/ "tree and pragmatics") May be far, may be near, he went on and on, and arrived at another kingdom, saw the sentry-guard and asked “May I rest here?”[116](../../116/ "tree and pragmatics") So the sentry-guard told the Corporal, the Corporal told the Officer, and the Officer told the General, and the General told the King himself.[117](../../117/ "tree and pragmatics") And the King ordered the soldier to be brought before him in order that he might see him with his own eyes.[118](../../118/ "tree and pragmatics") And the soldier appeared before him in his proper regimentals, with musket on his shoulder, as though he were rooted to the ground.[119](../../119/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the King asked him, “Tell me on your faith and oath, whence are you and where are you going?”[120](../../120/ "tree and pragmatics") “Your kingly Majesty, do not have me punished\![121](../../121/ "tree and pragmatics") Bid the word be not spoken.”[122](../../122/ "tree and pragmatics") And he told the whole story to the King, and asked to be admitted to the service.[123](../../123/ "tree and pragmatics") “Very well,” said the King; “come and serve me as sentry in my garden.[124](../../124/ "tree and pragmatics") All is not well in my garden: somebody is breaking my best-loved trees, and you must endeavour to preserve them; and, as to the reward for your labour, you shall not fare ill.”[125](../../125/ "tree and pragmatics") So the sentry agreed and stood as sentry in the garden.[126](../../126/ "tree and pragmatics") For a year, for two years, he served on, and all went well.[127](../../127/ "tree and pragmatics") But in the third year, as he went out, he went to look in the garden, and saw that half of the best trees had been shattered.[128](../../128/ "tree and pragmatics") “My goodness!” he thought to himself, “what a fearful misfortune\![129](../../129/ "tree and pragmatics") If the King observes this he will instantly have me pinioned and hanged.”[130](../../130/ "tree and pragmatics") So he took his gun in his hand, went to a tree, and began pondering very hard.[131](../../131/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he heard a crackling and a rumbling.[132](../../132/ "tree and pragmatics") So the good youth glimpsed down, and he saw a fearful, huge bird flying into the garden and overthrowing the trees.[133](../../133/ "tree and pragmatics") The soldier fired at the bird, but could not kill it; and could only wing it on the right wing, and three feathers fell out of the wing, but the bird took to flight.[134](../../134/ "tree and pragmatics") After him the soldier dashed.[135](../../135/ "tree and pragmatics") The bird’s wings were swift, and very speedily it flew into a pit and vanished from sight.[136](../../136/ "tree and pragmatics") But the soldier was not afraid and dived down after him into the pit, fell into the deep crevasse, fell down flat and lay for whole days unconscious.[137](../../137/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/24/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/24/) - next →: [Opening, part 25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/25/) - ↑ back to [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/)