“Here comes Volgá with his brave body-guard! Yes, I need the help of God to do my peasant’s work! Is it far thou goest, Volgá, and whither dost thou go with thy brave body-guard?” “Well, good ploughman, I am going to town to collect the tribute. First I go to Gurchevitz town, and next I am going to Orechovitz, and then to a third town, Krestyanovitz.” “Well, my Lord Volgá,” said the ploughman, “I was in town not long since on my bay mare, and I brought away with me from the town two bags of salt, only two bags of salt, each of fourteen hundred pounds weight, and the peasants there are all thieves; they asked me for threepence for toll. But I had my whip for the journey, and I paid them their toll with my whip.” “Now come with me, good ploughman,” said Volgá, “come and join my body-guard!” And the good ploughman straightway unfastened his ropes of silk, took his mare from the plough, and got on her back. Volgá’s body-guard were all mounted on their good horses and were setting off, but the ploughman stopped Volgá and said: “Now, Volgá, I left the plough in the furrow; would it not be better to pull the plough out of the ground and shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush? Not for fear of any passing travellers who might take it, but on account of the good-for-nothings in the village who might meddle with my plough.” Young Volgá ordered five strong young men out of his brave body-guard to pull the plough out of the ground, to shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. The five strong young men rode up to the plough of maple wood, they turned the plough about by the shaft, but could not pull the plough out of the ground, or shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. Young Volgá then sent from his brave body-guard a whole half-score to pull the plough out of the ground, to shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. They turned the plough round by the shaft, but could not pull the plough out of the ground, or shake the earth from the ploughshare, or throw the plough behind the broom bush. Young Volgá then sent his whole brave body-guard to pull the plough out of the ground, shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush, but, though they tried their hardest, they could not pull the plough out of the ground, or shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. Then the good ploughman came riding up upon his light bay mare to this plough of maple wood. He took hold of the plough with one hand, pulled the plough out of the ground, shook the earth from the ploughshare, and threw the plough into the broom bush.