roomful of evil ones, and
they asked the rich moujik:

"What have you got here that smells so Russian?"

"You have been in Russia and brought away a Russian
smell with you," replied the moujik.

"How could that be?" they said. Then they began looking,
they found the Fiddler, and they shouted:

"Ha, ha, ha! Here's a Fiddler."

They pulled him off the stove, and set him to work fiddling.
He played three years, though it seemed to him only three
days. Then he got tired and said:

"Here's a wonder! After playing a whole evening I used
always to find all my fiddle-strings snapped. But now, though
I've been playing for three whole days, they are all sound. May
the Lord grant us his blessing!"[394]

No sooner had he uttered these words than every one of the
strings snapped.

"There now, brothers!" says the Fiddler, "you can see
for yourselves. The strings are snapped; I've nothing to
play on!"

"Wait a bit!" said one of the fiends. "I've got two hanks
of catgut; I'll fetch them for you."

He ran off and fetched them. The Fiddler took the strings,
screwed them up, and again uttered the words:

"May the Lord grant us his blessing!"

In a moment snap went both hanks.

"No, brothers!" said the Fiddler, "your strings don't suit
me. I've got some of my own at home; by your leave I'll go
for them."

The fiends wouldn't let him go. "You wouldn't come back,"
they say.

"Well, if you won't trust me, send some one with me as an
escort."

The fiends chose one of their number, and sent him with the
Fiddler. The Fiddler got back to the village. There he could
hear that, in the farthest cottage, a wedding was being celebrated.

"Let's go to the wedding!" he cried.

"Come along!" said the fiend.

They entered the cottage. Everyone there recognized the
Fiddler and cried:

"Where have you been hiding these three years?"

"I have been in the other world!" he replied.

They sat there and enjoyed themselves for some time.
Then the fiend beckoned to the Fiddler, saying, "It's time to
be off!" But the Fiddler replied: "Wait a little longer! Let
me fiddle away a bit and cheer up the young people." And so
they remained sitting there till the cocks began to crow. Then
the fiend disappeared.

After that, the Fiddler began to talk to the sons of the rich
moujik, and said:

"Your father bids you dig up the money--one pot