The same very rich merchant came along in his gilded carriage; and, as of old, all the fellows who saw him coming rushed away. The merchant's son remained alone. "Will you be my workman?" "I will at two hundred rubles a day. If so, let us to work." "A rather expensive fellow." "If too expensive go to others; get a cheap man. There were plenty of people, but when thou didst appear--thou seest thyself--not one is left." "Well, all right. Come to-morrow to the landing place." They met at the landing place, boarded a ship and sailed toward the island. The first day they spent rather gayly, and on the second, master and workman went to work. When they reached the golden mountain the rich, proud merchant treated his hired man to a tumbler. "Before all, have a drink." "Wait, master! thou art the head; thou must drink the first. Let me treat thee this time." The young man had already prepared some of the drowsy stuff and he quickly mixed it with the wine and presented it to the master. The proud merchant drank and fell sound asleep. Our merchant's son killed a miserable old horse, cut it open, pushed his master and the shovel inside, sewed it all up and hid himself in the bushes. All at once black crows came flying,--black crows with iron beaks; they promptly lifted up the horse with the sleeping merchant inside, bore it to the top of the mountain, and began to pick the bones of their prey. When the merchant awoke he looked here and looked there and looked everywhere. "Where am I?" "Upon the golden mountain. Now if thou art strong after thy rest, do not lose time; take the shovel and dig. Dig quickly and I'll teach thee how to come down." The proud, rich merchant had to obey and dug and dug. Twelve big carts were loaded. "Enough!" shouted the merchant's son. "Thank thee, and farewell!" "And I?" "And thou mayst do as thou wishest! There are already ninety and nine fellows perished before thee; with thyself there will be a hundred." The merchant's son took along with him the twelve heavy carts with gold, arrived at the golden palace and married the lovely girl; the rich merchant's daughter became mistress of all her father's wealth, and the merchant's son with his family moved to a large town to live. And the rich merchant, the proud, rich merchant? He himself, like his many victims, became the prey of the black crows, black crows with iron beaks. Well, sometimes it happens just so. [Illustration] FATHER FROST