“No, good people, I have not. I have been working for forty years in this church; not one bird has flown by, not one beast has rambled by.” So the hunt went back and reached home. “Your Imperial Majesty, we could not find the shepherd with the little lamb: the only thing we saw on the road was a church and an old man as pope.” “Why did you not break down the church and capture the pope? That was themselves!” the Sea Tsar exclaimed, and he himself leapt out to hunt after Iván Tsarévich and Vasilísa the Wise. So they went far, and again Vasilísa the Wise said, “Iván Tsarévich, put your ear to the ground; can you hear any hunt?” Then the Tsarévich leapt down, put his ear to the grey earth, and said, “I hear the talk of people and the thunder of horses’ hooves faster than before.” “This is the Sea Tsar himself who is galloping.” So Vasilísa the Wise turned the horses into a mere, Iván Tsarévich into a drake, and herself into a duck. The Sea Tsar came up to the lake and he instantly guessed who were the duck and the drake, so he struck the grey earth and turned into an eagle. The eagle wanted to smite them to death, and it might well have been; but, as soon as ever he struck at the drake, it dived into the water, and whenever he struck at the duck the duck dived into the water, and whatever he might do was all in vain. So the Sea Tsar galloped back to his own kingdom under the seas, and Vasilísa the Wise with Iván Tsarévich waited a while and then returned to Sacred Russia. It may-be long, it may-be short, at last they came into the thrice-ninth realm. When they arrived home his father and mother were overjoyed to see Iván Tsarévich, for they had given him up as lost. And they made a great feast and celebrated the marriage. I was there, I drank mead and wine: it flowed up to my beard, but it never entered my mouth. THE ANIMALS’ WINTER QUARTERS Once an Ox was wandering in the wood, and a Ram met him. “Where are you going, Ram?” asked the Ox. “I am seeking summer in winter,” answered the Ram. “Come with me.” So they went together. And they met a Pig. “Where are you going, Pig?” asked the Ox. “I am seeking summer in winter.” “Come with us.” So they all went together. And they then met a Goose. “Where are you going, Goose?” said the Bull. “I am seeking summer in winter,” said the Goose. “Well, come with us.” So the Goose came with them. So they went on, and they met a Cock. “Where are you going, Cock?” asked the Bull. “I am seeking summer in winter.” “Then come with us,” said the Bull again. So they went on their road and way, and began speaking amongst each other. “What shall we do, brothers and comrades? the cold time is approaching: how shall we have warmth?” So the Ox said, “We will build an _izbá_,[42] and we shall not freeze during the winter.” Then the Ram said: “My _shúba_ is very warm; I will pass the winter in this fashion.”