“Emelian has done this task too,” he said, “and I have no reason for cutting off his head. This was not difficult enough; we must give him something more difficult still. You decide what it shall be, or else I’ll have your heads cut off first.” And the servants bethought them to set Emelian to make a river that was to wind round the palace and have ships sailing on it. The King summoned Emelian and set him the new task. “If you could make a temple in a single night,” he said, “you can do this too. See that it is all finished by to-morrow, or else I shall cut off your head.” Emelian’s spirits fell lower than ever and he went home to his wife in a sad mood. “Why so sad?” asked his wife. “Has the King set you a new task?” Emelian told her what it was. “We must run away,” he concluded. And the wife said, “We cannot escape the soldiers. You must obey.” “But how can I?” “My dear, don’t worry. Have your supper and go to bed. Get up early in the morning and all will be ready in time.” Emelian went to bed. In the morning his wife woke him. “Go to the palace,” she said; “everything is finished. Only by the harbour, opposite the palace, there is a little mound that wants levelling; take the spade and level it.” Emelian set out. He came to the town and there around the palace a river flowed with ships sailing on it. Emelian went up to the harbour opposite the palace and he saw an uneven place and began to level it. The King awoke and looking out of his palace window he saw a river where there was not one before and ships were sailing on it and Emelian was levelling a little mound with his spade. And the King was alarmed. He took no pleasure in the river or the ships, he was only annoyed that he could not cut off Emelian’s head. “There is no task he cannot do,” he thought. “What shall we do now?” And the King summoned his servants and conferred with them. “Think of a task,” he said, “that will be beyond Emelian’s strength, for so far he has done everything we have thought of and I cannot take away his wife.” And the courtiers thought for a long time, then came to the King and said, “You must summon Emelian and say to him, ‘Go to--I don’t know where, and bring me--I don’t know what.’ He won’t be able to escape you then, for wherever he goes you can say it was not the right place and whatever he brings was not the right thing. Then you can cut off his head and take away his wife.” The King was pleased with the idea. He sent for Emelian and said to him, “Go to--I don’t know where, and bring me--I don’t know what. And if you don’t, I’ll cut off your head.” Emelian went back to his wife and told her what the King had said. The wife reflected. “Well,” she said. “Be it on the King’s own head what his courtiers have taught him. We must act with cunning now.”