“Oh, your Majesty, give me one prisoner who has sat long in the prison; I must have a companion on the road! I wish to go to foreign kingdoms, and I have no one with whom I can exchange a word.” “Certainly! Select whom you will,” said the King, and he led the _guslyár_ into the prison. The _guslyár_ looked at the prisoners, selected the Tsar, and they went out to roam together. As they were journeying on to their own kingdom the Tsar said, “Let me go, good man, for I am no simple prisoner, I am the Tsar himself. I will pay you ransom for as much as you will; I will grudge you neither money nor service.” “Go with God,” said the _guslyár_: “I do not need you at all.” “Well, come to me as my guest.” “When the time shall come, I will be there.” So they parted, and each set out on his own way. The Tsarítsa went by a circuitous route, reached home before her husband, took off her _guslyár’s_ dress and arrayed herself like an empress. In about one hour cries rang out and the attendants came up to the palace, for the Tsar had arrived. The Tsarítsa ran out to meet him, and he greeted them all, but he did not look at her. He greeted the ministers and said, “Look, gentlemen, what a wife mine is! Now she flings herself on my neck, but when I sat in prison and sent her a letter to sell all my goods and to redeem me she did nothing. Of what was she thinking if she so forgot her liege husband?” And the ministers answered the Tsar, “Your Majesty, on the very day the Tsarítsa received your letter she vanished no one knows where, and has been away all this time, and she has only just appeared in the palace.” Then the Tsar was very angry and commanded, “My ministers, do ye judge my unfaithful wife according to justice and to truth. Where has she been roaming in the white world? Why did she not try to redeem me? You would never have seen your Tsar again for ages of eternity, if a young _guslyár_ had not arrived, for whom I am going to pray God, and I do not grudge giving him half my kingdom.” In the meantime the Tsarítsa got off her throne and arrayed herself as the harpist, went into the courtyard and began to play the _gusli_. The Tsar heard, ran to meet her, seized the musician by the hand, led her into the palace and said to his Court, “This is the _guslyár_ who rescued me from my confinement.” The _guslyár_ then flung off his outer garment, and they then all recognised the Tsarítsa. Then the Tsar was overjoyed and for his joy he celebrated a feast which lasted seven whole days. THE TALE OF IVÁN TSARÉVICH, THE BIRD OF LIGHT, AND THE GREY WOLF