And the Prince took Ilyá by his white hands and by his golden ring, and led him from the cold dungeon, brought him to his white stone palace, and placed him near himself. He kissed Ilyá and welcomed him, and invited him to the oaken table, and gave him sugar sweetmeats to eat and drink made from honey. Then spoke the Prince to Ilyá these words: “Old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom! Taken is our town of Kiev. The dog, King Kálin, has surrounded Kiev town with his great army. Do thou defend our Faith and Country and glorious Kiev town, and defend the Church of the Mother of God, and Vladímir thy Prince and the Princess Apráxia.” Then the old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom, went out from the palace of white stone, and walked through the town of Kiev to his dwelling of white stone. He asked for his beloved steed, and went to the broad yard and into the stable, and looked at his good war horse. And Ilyá said: “My beloved steed! My trusty and unchanging servant! Well hast thou been looked to, my hero horse.” He kissed him on his sweet mouth, led the good horse from the stable stall and into the fine broad courtyard; and then the old Cossack began to saddle his good horse there. Upon the horse he put a saddle-cloth, and upon the saddle-cloth he laid a cloth of felt; now the saddle-cloth was of silk, and upon the saddle-cloth he laid another cloth, and then the Circassian saddle. But the Circassian saddle did not hold firmly, and Ilyá fastened it by twelve girths of silk, and he drew them up with steel pins. And he fixed on stirrups of steel and buckles of red gold—not for show, but for heroic strength. Drawn up are the girths of silk, and they break not; steel and iron bend, but break not; and the buckles of red gold may get wet, but they rust not. Ilyá then got upon his good steed, and took with him his hero’s weapons. His club of steel took he, and his grooved spear, his sharp sabre also, and his whip for the journey. And Ilyá set out from the town of Kiev and rode through the open plain, and up to the Tartar army. And when he came near and saw that great host, and heard the shouting of the men and the neighing of the horses, he began to lose heart. And when the old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom rode through the free and open plain, he could not find out where the army ended. He leapt up a high hill, looked round on all sides and looked down upon the Tartar army; he could see no end or limit to it. He came down from that high hill and rode on through the free and open plain, and he leapt up another high hill and looked towards the western side and saw some white tents standing, and by the tents stood heroes’ horses. He hastened down from that high hill and rode through the freedom of the open plain, and he came to the white tents. And when Ilyá got down from his good horse near the white tents, there stood the heroes’ horses. They were standing by a white linen cloth, and on the cloth millet and spring corn were scattered.