They listened to their big brother their Chief, and they did the thing he ordered. They took sharp axes, good for cutting wood, and built a ship of oak. They took fishing nets of silk, but they could not catch a single fish. Volgá the Chief turned himself into a big pike and swam in the blue sea. He sent up salmon and white sturgeon, pike and dace, and the costly fish—sturgeon, and drove them into the nets of his men. And again, when he was at Kiev with his body-guard of good comrades, Volgá the Chief said: “My good brave comrades, why should we not send to the country of the Tartars to find out what the Cham is thinking of? For the Cham may be thinking of something. And what if he were thinking of riding into Holy Russia? Now, whom shall we send? If we send an old man he will go slowly, and we shall have long to wait. If we send a middle-aged man he will tarry and drink by the way; and if we send a boy he will stop and play. It seems as if Volgá will have to go himself!” Then Volgá the Chief turned himself into a little bird and flew up beneath the clouds. He flew on and soon came to the country of the Tartars. He came to the house of the Tartar Cham and perched at the Cham’s own window and listened to his secret talk. The Cham said to his wife: “Now I tell you, my Queen, I know what I know. In Russia the grass grows not as it used to grow. The flowers bloom not as before. Volgá must be dead and gone.” The Queen said: “Come now, Santal, Cham of Tartary, the grass grows in Russia just as before. The flowers bloom in Russia just as before. I dreamed in the night—in dreams one sees all things. It seemed that from the East, that dear country, a bird was flying—a small singing bird—and from the West—the old country—after the little bird there flew a black crow. They flew together over the open plain, and they were pecking at each other, and the little singing bird was pecking the black crow, and she pulled out his feathers, and all were carried away on the wind.” And the Cham Santal of Tartary answered her: “Oh, my Queen! I am thinking of riding soon to Holy Russia with my army, and I shall take nine cities and give them to my nine sons, and for myself I shall bring back a costly fur coat.” But the Queen said: “You will not take nine cities or give them to your nine sons, and you will not bring back for yourself a costly fur coat!” The Cham of Tartary answered in a rage: “Oh, you old devil! You were dreaming and saw yourself in your dream!” And he struck her on her white face, and again he struck her on the other cheek. He threw the Queen down upon the brick floor, and threw her down a second time, and said: “I shall ride to Holy Russia; I shall take nine cities, and give them to my nine sons; and for myself I shall bring back a costly fur coat.”