, and away they went over the sea to learn what
fortune, good or bad, God had in mind for a crew of old men with a
ninny for a master.

The fourth day after they set sail there came a great wind over the
sea. The feeble old men did the best they could with the ship; but the
old, torn sails tore from the masts, and the wind did what it pleased,
and threw the little ship on an unknown island away in the middle of
the sea. Then the wind dropped, and left the little ship on the
beach, and Ivan the Ninny and his ancient old men, like good Russians,
praising God that they were still alive.

"Well, children," said Ivan, for he knew how to talk to sailors, "do
you stay here and mend the sails, and make new ones out of the rags we
carry as cargo, while I go inland and see if there is anything that
could be of use to us."

So the ancient old sailormen sat on deck with their legs crossed, and
made sails out of rags, of torn scraps of old brocades, of soiled
embroidered shawls, of all the rubbish that they had with them for a
cargo. You never saw such sails. The tide came up and floated the
ship, and they threw out anchors at bow and stern, and sat there in
the sunlight, making sails and patching them and talking of the days
when they were young. All this while Ivan the Ninny went walking off
into the island.

Now in the middle of that island was a high mountain, a high mountain
it was, and so white that when he came near it Ivan the Ninny began
thinking of sheepskin coats, although it was midsummer and the sun was
hot in the sky. The trees were green round about, but there was
nothing growing on the mountain at all. It was just a great white
mountain piled up into the sky in the middle of a green island. Ivan
walked a little way up the white slopes of the mountain, and then,
because he felt thirsty, he thought he would let a little snow melt in
his mouth. He took some in his fingers and stuffed it in. Quickly
enough it came out again, I can tell you, for the mountain was not
made of snow but of good Russian salt. And if you want to try what a
mouthful of salt is like, you may.

"No, thank you, grandfather," the children said hurriedly together.

Old Peter went on with his tale.

Ivan the Ninny did not stop to think twice. The salt was so clean and
shone so brightly in the sunlight. He just turned round and ran back
to the shore, and called out to his ancient old sailormen and told
them to empty everything they had on boar