Geese and swans, geese and swans, Waft me away on your pinions: Take me home to my mother and father; With my mother and my father There is plenty to eat And life is sweet! “Perhaps the last may take you.” So he waited on, and as the third flock appeared he said: Geese and swans, geese and swans, Waft me away on your pinions: Take me home to my mother and father; With my mother and my father There is plenty to eat And life is sweet! They took him home on their wings up to the hut and placed Iváshechko in the loft. Early next day the woman cooked a pancake on the stove, and whilst cooking it thought of her poor little boy Iván, and said: “Where is my Iváshechko? I dreamed of him last night!” And gaffer said: “I dreamed last night the geese and swans were wafting our little Iván home.” She had finished the pancake by now, and said: “Now, gaffer, we’ll share it, this bit for you, this bit for me!” “And none for me!” Iváshechko chimed in. “This is for you, and this is for me!” “And none for me!” “What’s that noise, gaffer?” the woman asked. The grandfather clattered up into the loft and found Iváshechko. They were overjoyed, asked him all about everything, and lived a jolly life. NEVER-WASH Once upon a time there was a soldier who had served through three campaigns, but had never earned as much as an addled egg, and was then put on the retired list. Then, as he went on the road marching on and on, he became tired and sat down by a lake. And, as he rested, he began thinking things out: “Where shall I now betake myself, and how shall I feed myself, and how the devil shall I enter into any service?” As soon as he had spoken these words a little devil rose up at once in front of him and said, “Hail, soldier, what do you wish? Did you just now not say that you wished to become one of our servants? Why, soldier, come up and be hired: we will pay you well.” “What is the work?” “Oh, the work is easy enough: for fifteen years you must not shave, you must not have your hair cut, you must not blow your nose, and you must not change your garb. If you serve this service, then we will go to the king, who has three daughters. Two of them are mine, but the third shall be yours.” “Very well,” said the soldier, “I will undertake the contract; but I require in return to get anything my soul hankers after.” “It shall be so; be at peace; we shall not be in default.” “Well, let it befall at once. Carry me at once into the capital and give me a pile of money; you know yourself how little of these goods a soldier ever gets.” So the little devil dashed into the lake, got out a pile of gold, and instantaneously carried the soldier into the great city, and all at once he was there!