Ilya and the Boon Companions

From the city of Galich to Kief town ran a broad road of forty fathoms: along that road fared a pilgrim, and the road bent beneath his weight. His smock was tattered with use, and a rag was his girdle. His cap weighed forty poods, his foot-gear was of bast, his crutch was nine fathoms, and he leaned upon a hooked staff.

The old man's beard was sprinkled with gray, his head was all white. That aged pilgrim entered Kief town, and craved refreshment after his long journey, desiring to drink green wine in the royal pot-house.

He entered very softly, trod very lightly, said a prayer, crossing himself as enjoined and bowing on all sides as prescribed.

"Hail, ye vintner's men," quoth he. "Pour me a pail and a half of wine, to refresh me, a wandering pilgrim."

But the vintners made answer: "Nay, thou old dog, thou gray hound, we will not trust thee. We will not give thee the green wine without thy money."

But the pilgrim took from his neck an ancient and wondrous cross, six poods and a half in weight, of purest antique gold. "Take this cross as surety," he said; but they dared not.

But the poor boon companions of the pot-house, the peasants and villagers gave each a kopék, and bought therewith a bucket and a half of green wine for the pilgrim. The old man grasped it with one hand, swallowed it in one breath, and said:

"I thank ye, boon companions, and peasants of the village! Ye have given the old man wine to drunkenness; but now it is late. Come ye therefore to me to-morrow right early, and I will give you all wine even to drunkenness, in return."

Then the aged man climbed upon the brick oven, and slept. Very early on the morrow, as the warm red sun arose, he descended to the cellars, burst open the doors with his foot, took a cask of forty under one arm, another of the same under the other, and rolled a third before him with his foot, into the green meadow, and so to the marketplace. Then he shouted with all his heroic might, in a piercing, thunderous voice:

"Ho, ye boon companions and ye peasants of the village! Come to the old man's feast! I will give ye all green wine even to drunkenness, without price."

When the vintners heard that, they assembled, eighty men in number, to take the green wine from the aged pilgrim, but could do nothing, and so went to petition Prince Vladimir against him. They had told all their griefs, and Vladimir said:

"I will view this pilgrim, vintners, and I myself will requite you."

All the boon companions and village peasants had drunk their fill, when the old man said:

"Go now to your own homes, to your young wives and little children; but I will return to the royal pot-house, and sleep upon the oven of bricks."

This he did, and early on the morrow came trusty servants from the Prince, who said:

"Come to Prince Vladimir, thou wandering pilgrim."

But the old man answered: "In vain do ye disquiet me, brothers!" Let the old man sleep."Then he descended from the oven, and went through Kief, past the princely palace, and cried in a mighty voice:

"Hey, Prince Vladimir of royal Kief! Receive here thy money for the green wine from the Cossack of the Don, from Ilyá of Múrom. I go now to the open plain, to the heroic barriers, to the damp oak." And therewith he departed.