cushions with it. And out of those
cushions there streamed blood.

So they all went on further. They rode and rode; presently
there stood before them an apple-tree, and upon it were gold
and silver apples. Then the elder brothers said, "Let's eat an
apple apiece." But Ivan said, "Wait a minute, brothers; I'll
try them first," and he took his mace, and struck the apple-tree
with it. And out of the tree streamed blood.

So they went on further. They rode and rode, and by and
by they saw a spring in front of them. And the elder brothers
cried, "Let's have a drink of water." But Ivan Popyalof
cried: "Stop, brothers!" and he raised his mace and struck
the spring, and its waters became blood.

For the meadow, the silken cushions, the apple-tree, and the
spring, were all of them daughters of the Snake.

After killing the Snake's daughters, Ivan and his brothers
went on homewards. Presently came the Snake's Wife flying
after them, and she opened her jaws from the sky to the earth,
and tried to swallow up Ivan. But Ivan and his brothers threw
three poods of salt into her mouth. She swallowed the salt,
thinking it was Ivan Popyalof, but afterwards--when she had
tasted the salt, and found out it was not Ivan--she flew after
him again.

Then he perceived that danger was at hand, and so he let
his horse go free, and hid himself behind twelve doors in the
forge of Kuzma and Demian. The Snake's Wife came flying
up, and said to Kuzma and Demian, "Give me up Ivan Popyalof."
But they replied:

"Send your tongue through the twelve doors and take him."
So the Snake's Wife began licking the doors. But meanwhile
they all heated iron pincers, and as soon as she had sent her
tongue through into the smithy, they caught tight hold of her
by the tongue, and began thumping her with hammers. And
when the Snake's Wife was dead they consumed her with fire,
and scattered her ashes to the winds. And then they went
home, and there they lived and enjoyed themselves, feasting
and revelling, and drinking mead and wine.

I was there, too, and had liquor to drink; it didn't go into
my mouth, but only ran down my beard.[80]

The skazka of Ivan Buikovich (Bull's son)[81] contains a variant of
part of this story, but the dragon which the Slavonic St. George kills
is called, not a snake, but a Chudo-Yudo.[82] Ivan watches one night
while his brothers sleep. Presently up ride