beforehand. The fool was horrified. "Why, I could not drink a single bucketful," said he. "Don't be frightened," said the Drinker, "I'll drink for all; it will be little enough for me." They poured out the forty barrels of wine; the Drinker came and drank the whole lot at one draught; he drank it right to the dregs, and said, "Ugh! little enough, too! I should have liked as much again." After that the Tsar commanded the fool to get ready for his wedding, and go to the bath-room to have a good wash. Now this bath-room was of cast-iron, and the Tsar commanded that it should be heated hotter than hot, that the fool might be suffocated therein in a single instant. So they heated the bath red-hot. The fool went to wash himself, and behind him came the muzhik with the straw. "I must straw the floor," said he. They locked them both in the bath-room; the muzhik scattered the straw, and it became so cold that the fool was scarce able to wash himself properly, the water in the bath froze so hard. He crept up on the stove and there he passed the whole night. In the morning they opened the bath, and they found the fool alive and well, lying on the stove and singing songs. They brought word thereof to the Tsar. The Tsar was sore troubled, he did not know how to rid himself of the fool. He thought and thought, and commanded him to produce a whole army of his own devising. "How will a simple muzhik be able to form an army?" thought he; "he will certainly not be able to do that." As soon as the fool heard of this he was much alarmed. "Now I am quite lost," said he; "you have delivered me from my straits more than once, my friends, but it is plain that nothing can be done now." "You're a pretty fellow," said the man with the bundle of wood; "why, you've clean forgotten me, haven't you?" The servant came and told the fool the Tsar's command: "If you will have the Tsarevna to wife, you must put on foot a whole army by morning." "Agreed. But if the Tsar, even after this, should refuse, I will conquer his whole Tsardom and take the Tsarevna by force." At night the fool's companion went out into the fields, took his bundle of wood, and began scattering the faggots in different directions--and immediately a countless army appeared, both horse and foot. In the morning the Tsar saw it, and was terrified in his turn, and in all haste he sent to the fool precious ornaments and raiment, and bade them lead him to court and marry him to the Tsarevna. The fool attired himself in these costly ornaments, and they made him look handsomer than words can tell. He appeared before the Tsar, wedded the Tsarevna, received a large wedding-gift, and became quite clever and witty. The Tsar and the Tsaritsa [6] grew very fond of him, and the Tsarevna lived with him all her life, and loved him as the apple of her eye. THE MUZHICHEK [7]-AS-BIG-AS-YOUR-THUMB-WITH-MOUSTACHES- SEVEN-VERSTS[8]-LONG.