not!" said Michael, who was an independent old fellow; "he's
done quite enough for us already, in making us freemen, when we were all
slaves before.[3] Now, then, let's get to work. Come, Stepan [Stephen],
come, Ivan [John], and let us see what God will send us."

But at first the luck seemed to be still against them, for they drew
their net twice without catching anything. The third time, however, the
net felt unusually heavy, and there was such a tugging and kicking
inside of it that it was plain they had caught a pretty big fish of some
kind. John, who was the first to look in, gave a loud hurrah, and
shouted, "Father! father!--a sturgeon! a sturgeon!"

There, sure enough, lay the great fish amid a crowd of smaller ones, in
all the pride of its spiky back, and smooth, brown, scaleless skin. All
three rejoiced at the sight, for a sturgeon will always fetch a good
price in Russia, and the two lads began to think at once how far this
would go toward paying for a new boat.

They fished some time longer, and made one or two pretty good hauls; but
the sturgeon was the great event of the day. John and Stephen wrapped it
up carefully, and were quite proud to show it to their mother on getting
home; but they looked rather blank at hearing their father say, in a way
which showed that he meant it,

"This is the finest fish I've ever caught, and I won't sell it to any
one. It's a Czar among fish, just like Alexander Nikolaievitch among us;
so it shall be _his_ fish, and I'll give it to him as he passes."

The news of Michael's fish, and of what he meant to do with it, soon
spread through the village, and created considerable excitement. But
there was not much time to talk it over, for, two days later, young
Stephen, who had been sent to look out for the Czar's steamer, came
running to say that it was in sight. So Michael put his sturgeon into
the boat, and away they pulled. It was a hard pull against that strong
current, but at last they got near enough to hail the steamer and be
taken in tow.

Up went Michael, fish and all, and the captain led him aft to where the
Czar and his officers were standing. Many of them were handsome,
stalwart men, all ablaze with lace and embroidery; but the old
fisherman, with his tall, upright figure, clear bright eye, and hale old
face framed in snow-white hair, looked, despite his rough dress, as fine
a man as any of them.

"See here, father," said he, "this is the finest fish I ever caug