The Russian Story Book 26

The Russian Story Book 26

You have not paid much attention to the details of this story if

you cannot imagine what followed; but even the most careful reader

cannot measure the bliss of the lovers who had known that they loved

each other since their first meeting without a word being spoken;

and that is really a greater wonder than the magic feats performed

by Lame and Crooked, when you come to think about it soberly.

 

As for Peter, he was married to the Silver Tsaritza, while Vasily

wedded the Copper Tsaritza, and the shoemaker was made a general on

the retired list, which meant that he had fine uniforms and a grand

house, but was not expected to do any fighting. He was given a coat

of arms by Golden Tress which bore three spirit kegs, as a reminder

that he was to be a temperate man for the rest of his life, and for

all I know, he really was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VASILY THE TURBULENT

 

 

Peace had no charm for Vasily of Novgorod the Great, but where there

was fighting to be done there he was at his best and happiest. Rest

and ease had no attraction for him, but where the rover wandered

there was the place of his journeying. His father, however, had lived

in peace with the men of Novgorod the Great, and had died leaving to

his widow and his only son a great store of treasure, a wide palace

with a lofty tower, and a cellar full of green wine without price.

 

When Vasily had reached the age of seven years his mother sent him

to learn to read and write, for she longed to curb his fiery spirit

with the rein of reflection which learning places upon the violent;

and Vasily, being of a determined disposition, applied himself to

learning with a will so that he succeeded better than all the scholars

who studied by his side. But reading and writing did not curb his

fiery spirit, nor even church singing in which he also excelled,

and he could pass from the cathedral and the singing of holy songs to

noisy brawls in the city streets in which he cracked heads as if they

were nuts. He was so strong and thoughtless that even his friends ran

down side paths to avoid meeting him, for it was said that he had one

day torn out a young man's arm in the act of shaking hands with him,

and had stricken another to the ground by clapping him playfully upon

the back.

 

As Vasily grew up his vigorous pranks began to terrify the good people

of Novgorod, who came to his widow mother to beg for protection against

her son. She was a peaceable, gentle lady, who was greatly alarmed

at the strength which her son was developing, and she upbraided him

with tears in her eyes.

 

"My son," she said, "why do you delight in going about the city making

cripples? At your age your father had no treasure to speak of, but

he had a band of brave bodyguards, and was a wise leader among men

and a judge among the people of Novgorod the Great."

 

These gentle words displeased Vasily greatly, and instead of

restraining him moved him to greater mischief. "Men shall speak of my

might" he muttered as he left his mother, "and in after years shall

boast even in Novgorod of the heroic deeds of their own townsman, aye,

even if I crack hundreds of their own thick skulls for them. They

will remember me when they have forgotten men of wisdom and of safe

judgment." Then he proceeded to win his reputation.

 

He went up to his own room in the top of his lofty tower and sat

down at the table to write on a scroll of parchment, but it was no

psalm or cathedral hymn which the turbulent scholar wrote. It was an

invitation to a feast and ran thus:

 

"Whosoever wishes to eat savoury viands ready to his hand and without

cost to himself, as well as to drink green wine of priceless value

and to wear embroidered robes of the best, let him come to the court

of Vasily at once and instantly."

 

He wrote out this invitation many times and then gathering up the

scrolls went to the open window. Here he fitted each of the parchments

to a stout arrow and shot them into the city, which was about two

miles away; and as the men of Novgorod came from church they gathered

up these strange missives in the streets and lanes and broad paven

courtyards. Many of them wondered, and they came together in groups

gravely discussing the marvellous matter, until a priest came along

from the church and read one of the scrolls which was attached to the

arrow. Then the word buzzed round the town, "Vasily the Turbulent

commandeth us to an honourable feast." And the men of Novgorod the

Great thought that now their chance had surely come to pay off the long

score against the man who troubled the peace of their trading city.

 

Meanwhile Vasily was making preparation for his guests, and he meant

to use the occasion to select for himself a brave bodyguard. The test

for admission to this very select and honourable company was to be

so severe that Vasily would be perfectly sure of gaining protectors

of the bravest. He rolled a great cask of green wine from the vaults

and set it up in the middle of the banquet-hall, saying to himself,

"Whoever shall lift in one hand a cup of this wine and shall drain

it at one breath, and shall likewise stand upright after a blow from

my cudgel of red elm, shall make one of my brave bodyguard." Then he

went to his room in the top of the lofty tower and lying down upon his

heroic bed of smooth planks slept the sleep of Ilya the Old Cossáck.

 

The next morning, very early, his widow mother paced the passages

of her palace and chanced to look out upon the broad courtyard. To

her surprise she saw that it was crowded with a great company of the

men of Novgorod. In trembling haste she ascended the tall tower and

roused her unruly son from his heavy sleep.

 

"Do you sleep, Vasily," she said, "and take your ease and care nothing

for the peril which is even now at your gates? See, a company of

angry men make your courtyard as black as a raven's wing."

 

The young man at once sprang to his nimble feet, grasped his great club

of red elm in his white hands, and went out into the wide courtyard.

 

"Ho, there, Vasily the Turbulent," shouted some of the foremost of

the guests. "We have come to your banquet and are determined to eat

up all your stores of food, to drink up your green wine, to wear your

embroidered robes, and then drag forth your golden treasures."

 

The tone of the acceptance of the invitation could scarcely be

described as polite, and it roused the hot blood of Vasily the

Turbulent. He leapt forth into the courtyard, grasped his club of

red elm with a firm grip and began to brandish it. Wherever he swung

it forward an open lane appeared among the crowd, and when he drew

it backward he made an alley. Soon the men of Novgorod were lying in

great heaps in the courtyard, while the rest went back to the town; and

Vasily climbed once more to his chamber at the top of the tall tower.

 

After a while there came a black-browed handmaid to the door of the

chamber, and calling Vasily outside she told him that the New Trader

wished to join his bodyguard; and Vasily came down to the hall where

the young man stood near the great vat of green wine. He was a comely

youth with black curls upon a white brow, and blue eyes which looked

ever into the distance, as if he sighted new lands afar off and cared

not for the trodden ways. As soon as he saw him standing there proudly

erect, Vasily advanced swiftly upon him, grasping his great club of

red elm, and smote him a stunning, staggering blow. But the young

man was neither stunned nor did he stagger. He stood firm under that

heavy blow, the black curls upon his forehead did not move, and the

wine from the full cup in his hand was not spilt.

 

"Is my strength waning?" cried Vasily in despair, and then as if to

test it he raised the club again and brought it down upon a white and

burning stone which lay at his feet. The hard stone was shivered to

atoms and Vasily laughed grimly, as he turned to the New Trader.

 

"Drain off the green wine at a breath," he commanded, and the young

man did so. "Hail, New Trader!" cried Vasily the Turbulent, "you

shall be of my bodyguard from this day forward."

 

Then there entered the hall two young men of the town, one of whom

was known as the Lame and the other as the Hunchback, and in spite

of their infirmities these two stood the severe tests of Vasily and

were admitted to his bodyguard.

 

In this strange manner did Vasily the Turbulent choose his brave

bodyguard of three men only, three men and no more.

 

"Enter now my palace of white stone," said the hero, "and there we

will feast on the best that my larders can afford; and while we eat

together I will tell you how I shall entertain the men of Novgorod."

 

The four heroes sat down to the white tables and Vasily sat in the

great corner. They were waited upon by the black-browed maiden, and

when the meal was nearly over Vasily unfolded his plan for his next

banquet. His bodyguard laughed gently as they heard of his purpose; and

the next day they went out into Novgorod to invite the leading men to

come and partake of the hospitality of Vasily the Turbulent. They came

in a great crowd and found the tables prepared for a banquet, being

filled with dishes and huge cups, but there was only one waiting-maid,

the girl of the black brows, to attend upon this great company.

 

As soon as the guests were seated and Vasily had taken his place in the

big corner, the black-browed maid brought steaming dishes and foaming

tankards and placed them before her master and his bodyguard, but she

placed neither food nor drink before the men of Novgorod, who were

very hungry, for the wind was keen and the world was white. Now when

the citizens saw that they were mocked by Vasily and his bodyguard,

and even by the black-browed servant maid, they were spitefully angry

and cursed their host and his men, but this only made the four jokers

laugh the louder; whereupon the guests arose and crowded out into

the snow-covered courtyard rather more hungry than when they came in.

 

"We will not forget this vile insult," piped one small citizen in a

mantle of marten skins with a collar of sables; "why, my neighbour

was full of spleen because of my invitation to the lord's castle, and

when the story is known his pity and scorn will be much worse to bear

than his spleen. But we shall repay Vasily in his own bad coin. Let us

make such a feast as the citizens of Novgorod have never seen before,

and we will not send Vasily an invitation."

 

"That is a good thought," said two stout citizens, and they all went

home with their heads so high in the air that some of them slipped

down on the way upon some slides that certain wicked boys--who would

assuredly never grow up to be councillors--had made in the roadway. In

a few days the feast was prepared and the invitations were issued,

but there was no bidding for Vasily and his contemptible bodyguard.

 

It was impossible that the preparations for the banquet should escape

the vigilance of Vasily, and indeed the merchants agreed that it

would be well if he did hear of it. "Otherwise," said one of them,

who had made a great fortune by buying and selling rags and bones,

"how can he be humbled, for, look you, neighbours, if he does not

know of the feast he will not miss our invitation."

 

"That is so," said the others, "that is indeed so, and true, and

wise, and intelligent. Our friend must be the next Elder of Novgorod the Great."