it must be without the hood."--"As if we want _thy_ hood!
We'll make for it a hood worthy of a Tsar." So they higgled and
haggled, but at last they gave him the three hundred roubles. Then the
young nobles sent the falcon after another quail, and it flew and flew
till it beat down its prey; but then he became a youth again, and went
on with his father.

"How shall we manage to live with so little?" said the father.--"Wait
a while, dad, and we shall have still more," said the son. "When we
pass through the fair I'll change myself into a horse, and thou must
sell me. They will give thee a thousand roubles for me, only sell me
without a halter." So when they got to the next little town, where
they were holding a fair, the son changed himself into a horse, a
horse as supple as a serpent, and so fiery that it was dangerous to
approach him. The father led the horse along by the halter; it pranced
about and struck sparks from the ground with its hoofs. Then the
horse-dealers came together and began to bargain for it. "A thousand
roubles down," said he, "and you may have it, but without the
halter."--"What do we want with _thy_ halter? We will make for it a
silver-gilt halter. Come, we'll give thee five hundred!"--"No!" said
he. Then up there came a gipsy, blind of one eye. "O man! what dost
thou want for that horse?" said he.--"A thousand roubles without the
halter."--"Nay! but that is dear, little father! Wilt thou not take
five hundred with the halter?"--"No, not a bit of it!"--"Take six
hundred, then!" Then the gipsy began higgling and haggling, but the
man would not give way. "Come, sell it," said he, "with the
halter."--"No, thou gipsy, I have a liking for that halter."--"But, my
good man, when didst thou ever see them sell a horse without a halter?
How then can one lead him off?"--"Nevertheless, the halter must remain
mine."--"Look now, my father, I'll give thee five roubles extra, only
I must have the halter."--The old man fell a-thinking. "A halter of
this kind is worth but three _grivni_[4] and the gipsy offers me five
roubles for it; let him have it." So they clinched the bargain with a
good drink, and the old man went home with the money, and the gipsy
walked off with the horse. But it was not really a gipsy, but Oh, who
had taken the shape of a gipsy.

[4] A _grivna_ is the tenth part of a rouble, about 2-1/2 d.

[Illustration: "HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT FOR THAT HORSE?"]

Then Oh rode off on the horse, and the h