he moujik unharnessed his horse
and set it free to graze; meanwhile he laid himself down on
one of the graves. But somehow he didn't go to sleep.

He remained lying there some time. Suddenly the grave
began to open beneath him: he felt the movement and sprang
to his feet. The grave opened, and out of it came a corpse--wrapped
in a white shroud, and holding a coffin lid--came out
and ran to the church, laid the coffin-lid at the door, and then
set off for the village.

The moujik was a daring fellow. He picked up the coffin-lid
and remained standing beside his cart, waiting to see what would
happen. After a short delay the dead man came back, and was
going to snatch up his coffin-lid--but it was not to be seen.
Then the corpse began to track it out, traced it up to the moujik,
and said:

"Give me my lid: if you don't, I'll tear you to bits!"

"And my hatchet, how about that?" answers the moujik.
"Why, it's I who'll be chopping you into small pieces!"

"Do give it back to me, good man!" begs the corpse.

"I'll give it when you tell me where you've been and what
you've done."

"Well, I've been in the village, and there I've killed a couple
of youngsters."

"Well then, now tell me how they can be brought back to
life."

The corpse reluctantly made answer:

"Cut off the left skirt of my shroud, and take it with you.
When you come into the house where the youngsters were killed,
pour some live coals into a pot and put the piece of the
shroud in with them, and then lock the door. The lads will be
revived by the smoke immediately."

The moujik cut off the left skirt of the shroud, and gave up
the coffin-lid. The corpse went to its grave--the grave opened.
But just as the dead man was descending into it, all of a sudden
the cocks began to crow, and he hadn't time to get properly
covered over. One end of the coffin-lid remained sticking out
of the ground.

The moujik saw all this and made a note of it. The day
began to dawn; he harnessed his horse and drove into the village.
In one of the houses he heard cries and wailing. In he
went--there lay two dead lads.

"Don't cry," says he, "I can bring them to life!"

"Do bring them to life, kinsman," say their relatives.
"We'll give you half of all we possess."

The moujik did everything as the corpse had instructed him,
and the lads came back to life. Their relatives were de