home he said to
the ikon, "A pretty surety _thou_ art!" Then he took St Michael down
from the niche, dug out his eyes, and began beating him.

He beat St Michael again and again, and at last he flung him into a
puddle and trampled on him. "I'll give it thee for standing me surety
so scurvily," said he. While he was thus abusing St Michael, a young
fellow about twenty years old came along that way, and said to him,
"What art thou doing, my father?"--"I am beating him because he stood
surety and has played me false. He took upon himself the repayment of
a silver rouble, which I lent to the son of a pig, who has since gone
away and died. That is why I am beating him now."--"Beat him not, my
father! I'll give thee a silver rouble, but do thou give me this holy
image!"--"Take him if thou wilt, but see that thou bring me the silver
rouble first."

Then the young man ran home and said to his father, "Dad, give me a
silver rouble!"--"Wherefore, my son?"--"I would buy a holy image,"
said he, and he told his father how he had seen that heathen beating
St Michael.--"Nay, my son, whence shall we who are poor find a silver
rouble to give to him who is so rich?"--"Nay, but give it me, dad!"
and he begged and prayed till he got it. Then he ran back as quickly
as he could, paid the silver rouble to the rich man, and got the holy
image. He washed it clean and placed it in the midst of sweet-smelling
flowers. And so they lived on as before.

Now this youth had three uncles, rich merchants, who sold all manner
of merchandise, and went in ships to foreign lands, where they sold
their goods and made their gains. One day, when his uncles were again
making ready to depart into foreign lands, he said to them, "Take me
with you!"--"Why shouldst thou go?" said they; "we have wares to sell,
but what hast thou?"--"Yet take me," said he.--"But thou hast
nothing."--"I will make me laths and boards and take them with me,"
said he.--His uncles laughed at him for imagining such wares as these,
but he begged and prayed them till they were wearied. "Well, come,"
they said, "though there is naught for thee to do; only take not much
of these wares of thine with thee, for our ships are already
full."--Then he made him laths and boards, put them on board the ship,
took St Michael with him, and they departed.

They went on and on. They sailed a short distance and they sailed a
long distance, till at last they came to another tsardom and another
empire.