he back
with this chain as hard as thou canst." So the innkeeper waited till
he had ducked his head under the water, and then he thrashed him with
the chain, whereupon he turned into a horse so beautiful that it was a
delight to look upon it. The innkeeper was so glad, so glad. "So I've
got rid of one guest only to get another one," thought he. He lost no
time in taking the horse to the fair, and offered it for sale, and
among those who saw it was the Tsar himself. "What dost thou ask for
it?" said the Tsar.--"I ask five thousand roubles." Then the Tsar
counted down the money and took the horse away. When he got to his
court, he made a great to-do about his beautiful horse, and cried to
his daughter, "Come and see, dear little heart, what a fine horse I
have bought." Then she came forth to look at it; but the moment she
saw it, she cried, "That horse will be my ruin. Thou must kill it on
the spot."--"Nay, dear little heart! how can I do such a thing?" said
the Tsar.--"Slay it thou must, and slay it thou shalt!" cried the
Tsarivna. So they sent for a knife, and began sharpening it, when one
of the maidens of the court took pity on the horse, and cried, "Oh, my
good, my darling horse, so lovely as thou art, and yet to kill thee!"
But the horse neighed and went to her, and said, "Look now! take the
first drop of blood which flows from me, and bury it in the garden."
Then they slew the horse, but the maiden did as she was told, and took
the drop of blood and buried it in the garden. And from this drop of
blood there sprang up a cherry-tree; and its first leaf was golden,
and its second leaf was of richer colour still, and its third leaf was
yet another colour, and every leaf upon it was different to the
others. One day the Tsar went out walking in his garden, and when he
saw this cherry-tree he fell in love with it, and praised it to his
daughter. "Look!" said he, "what a beauteous cherry-tree we have in
our garden! Who can tell whence it sprung?"--But the moment the
Tsarivna saw it, she cried, "That tree will be my ruin! Thou must cut
it down."--"Nay!" said he, "how can I cut down the fairest ornament of
my garden?"--"Down it must come, and down it shall come!" replied the
Tsarivna. Then they sent for an axe and made ready to cut it down, but
the damsel came running up, and said, "Oh, darling little cherry-tree,
darling little cherry-tree, so fair thou art! From a horse hast thou
sprung, and now they will fell thee before t