The Muzhichek-no-bigger-than-your-thumb wriggled about from side to side, tore himself out of Zor'ka's iron paws, though he left the ends of his moustaches in his fists, and ran away from him as hard as he could, Zor'ka after him--but whither, pray? He flew up into the air like fluff, vanished from before his eyes, and was gone. Zor'ka returned to the hut, and sat down by the window to await his beloved brothers. The brothers arrived, and were quite astonished to find him hale and whole, and the dinner ready. But Zor'ka drew out from his girdle the ends of the long moustaches which he had torn from the monster, and said to his brothers, with a smile, "Look, my brothers, I have twisted your headache that you caught from the fire [16] round my girdle! I see now that neither in strength nor stout-heartedness are ye fit comrades for me, so I will go on alone to discover the wondrous steed, but you go back to the village and plough land." Then he took leave of his brothers, and went on his way. Just as he was leaving the wood, Zor'ka came upon a crazy little hut, and in this crazy little hut he heard some one crying dolorously, "Whoever will give me to eat and to drink, him will I serve." The good youth went into the hut, and saw that on the stove lay an armless, legless one, piteously groaning, and begging for meat and drink. Zor'ka gave him to eat and drink, and asked him who he was. "A hero was I, no whit worse than thou, but lo! I ate one of the rams of the Muzhichek-no-bigger-than-your-thumb, and he made me a cripple for the rest of my life. But because you have had compassion upon me, and given me both to eat and to drink, I will show you how to get the wondrous horse."--"Show me, I pray, good man."--"Go, then, to the river hard by, take a ferry-boat on it, ferry people across it the whole year round, take money from none, and--you'll see what will happen."