Page:RussianFolkTales Afanasev 368pgs.djvu/50

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34
RUSSIAN FOLK-TALES

on the hill, and will jump up into your mouth all ready."

So the wolf stood on the hill, and the ram told him to open his mouth. So the wolf went and stood on the hill and opened his mouth for the food, and the ram ran down and hit him hard with the horns on his forehead—whack! The wolf was knocked off his feet, and the ram went away. And the wolf got up, looked all round, and there was never a sign of the ram.

So he went up with another complaint. And he found Christ and said: "Lord, even the ram has deceived me. Why, it almost knocked me to bits."

"All right!" said Christ, "go and eat the tailor."

So the wolf ran up, and he met a tailor on the way. "Tailor," he said, "I am going to eat you, by command of the Lord."

"All right. Let me say good-bye—I should like to greet my kin."

"No, I cannot let you say good-bye with your kin."

"Well, I cannot help it—it must be so. Come and eat me up. Only at least let me take your measurements. I only want to see whether I shall slip in easily."

"All right!—measure away," said the wolf.

So the tailor went back, took hold of the wolf by his tail, twined his tail round in his hand, and began to whip the wolf. And the wolf struggled and tussled, roared and shrieked, and tore until he tore his tail loose, and he then took to his feet. So he ran away with all of his might, and he met seven other wolves. They said: "Why are you, grey wolf, tailless?"

"Oh, the tailor tore it out."

"Where is the tailor?"

"You see him there, on the road."

"All right—we will hunt after him." And they started after the tailor.

When the tailor heard the chase coming after him,