[Illustration:  “Well, I struck a snag”]

The fellow guest speedily ate everything up.  Dimian was rather amazed, but brought out his kaftan.

“Take off thy sheepskin,” said he to the guest; “put on my new kaftan.”

In proposing it he thought within himself: 

“I will bet that this time he will not dare accept; then I will teach him a lesson.”

But the fellow quickly put on the new kaftan, tightened it with the belt, shook his curly head and answered: 

“Have my thanks, uncle, for thy gift.  How could I dare not take it?  Why, one must obey his host’s bidding.”

Dimian’s temper was rising, and he wanted at any rate to have his own way.  But what to do?  He hastened to the stable, brought out his best horse, and said to his guest: 

“Thou art welcome to all my belongings,” and within himself he thought, “He certainly will refuse this time, and then my turn will come.”

But the fellow did not refuse, and smilingly answered: 

“In thy house thou art the ruler,” and quickly he jumped on the horse’s back and shouted to Dimian, the peasant: 

“Farewell, master! no one pushed thee into the trap but thyself,” and with these words the fellow was off.

Dimian looked after him and shook his head.

“Well, I struck a snag,” said he.

[Illustration]

THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN

[Illustration] Once upon a time a merchant’s son had too much fun spending money, and the day came when he saw himself ruined; he had nothing to eat, nothing to drink.  He took a shovel and went to the market place to see if perchance somebody would hire him as a worker.

A rich, proud merchant, worth many, many thousands, came along in a gilded carriage.  All the fellows at the market place, as soon as they perceived him, rushed away and hid themselves in the corners.  Only one remained, and this one was our merchant’s son.

“Dost thou look for work, good fellow?  Let me hire thee,” the very rich merchant said to him.

“So be it; that’s what I came here for.”

“And thy price?”

“A hundred rubles a day will be sufficient for me.”

“Why so much?”

“If too much, go and look for some one else; plenty of people were around and when they saw thee coming, all of them rushed away.”

“All right.  To-morrow come to the landing place.”

The next day, early in the morning, our merchant’s son arrived at the landing; the very rich merchant was already there waiting.

They boarded a ship and went to sea.  For quite a long time they journeyed, and finally they perceived an island.  Upon that island there were high mountains, and near the shore something seemed to be in flames.

“Yonder is something like fire,” said the merchant’s son.

“No, it is my golden palace.”