The Russian Story Book 28

The Russian Story Book 28

"Set the sails towards the town of Novgorod," he cried, and in a short

space of time they caught the shore, threw out gangways to the bank,

and having left a watch behind on the ship came into the town and

thence to the palace of Vasily. The hero sought out his widow mother

and gently folded his strong arms about her trembling form.

 

"Lady mother," he said in persuasive tones, "give me your sacred

blessing, for with my brave bodyguard I will go to pray in Jerusalem

city, to worship at the holy of holies, to visit the grave of the

Risen Christ, and to bathe in the Jordan river."

 

"Ah, my son," his mother made answer, "if you go with a good purpose

I will give you my good blessing, but if you go to rob I will not give

it. If that is your purpose may moist Mother Earth no longer bear you."

 

"That is to be discovered and found out," said Vasily, and he persuaded

his mother so that she gave him freely from the armoury great stores of

weapons, and from the kitchen and larder as much bread and other food

as the black-browed maid had prepared in a month of Holy Days. Then

she said good-bye with tears, and the black-browed maid stood upon

the bank as the red ship with sails of fair white linen sailed away

from Novgorod and ran out like a full-breasted water-bird upon the

bosom of Lake Ilmen.

 

For a long time the black-browed maid stood shading her eyes with

her hand while her white shoulders heaved. Then when the ship could

no more be seen, she turned and went back to the kitchen, where she

wrapped the widow mother in her cloak of sables; for though the sun

shone the mother of Vasily was cold as with the breath of winter from

the broad white world.

 

For two days the red ship sailed onward, and on the second day they

met a ship which they spoke in a friendly fashion. "Whither away,

Vasily?" asked the sailors, who hailed from Novgorod the Great.

 

"I am going, my mariners," said Vasily, "upon an unwilling path. Young

as I am I am blood-guilty, and I must save my soul; so now I go to

pray in Jerusalem city, to worship at the holy of holies, to visit the

grave of the Risen Christ, and to bathe in the Jordan river. Tell me,

good youths, where is the straight way to the Sacred City?"

 

Then they told him that the straight way would lead him by a seven

weeks' journey, but that the way about would take a year and a half to

traverse. But if he took the straight way he would meet with a stout

barrier, for the chieftains of the Cossacks, in number about three

thousand, made their lair upon the island of Kuminsk, robbing merchant

vessels and destroying red ships with sails of fair white linen.

 

"I trust in my cudgel of the red elm," said Vasily. "Haste now,

my bodyguard, and steer my red beauty by the straight way."

 

So they sailed onward, turning neither to the right hand nor to the

left, until they came to a lofty mountain which sloped down steeply

to the water. Tired of his confinement Vasily ran in to the shore and

ascended the steep hill with his brave bodyguard at his heels. Half-way

up the ascent they found a human skull and human bones lying in the

pathway. Vasily cast them aside with spurning foot, and from the hollow

skull came a human voice. "Hey, Vasily the Turbulent, why do you spurn

me? There was a time, O youth, when I was such as you are, and even

yet I know how to defend myself. Upon this lofty mountain, in the

days that are to come, shall lie the skull of Vasily the Turbulent."

 

The young man made a gesture of disgust and passed on, saying, "Surely

a spirit unclean speaks from this hollow skull." At the top of the

mountain he found a huge stone on which was carved the inscription:

"He who shall comfort himself at this stone and divert himself by

leaping along it shall break his turbulent head."

 

Vasily scoffed at the warning and began to divert himself by leaping

across the great stone, his brave bodyguard following his example. But,

somehow, they did not feel inclined to leap lengthwise. After spending

some time in this diversion and stretching their cramped limbs thereby,

they came down from the mountain and embarked once more upon the

red ship. Then they hoisted the sails of fair white linen and sped

swiftly over the heaving bosom of the Caspian Sea until they came to

that great barrier feared of merchantmen where the robber Cossacks

hid in the island of Kuminsk, robbing merchant vessels and destroying

red ships with sails of fair white linen.

 

At the landing stood a hundred fierce warriors, but neither

their height nor their girth nor their weapons had any terrors for

Vasily. He drew near to the shore, his men cast out landing-stages,

and he crossed over into the midst of the Cossack guard, flourishing

his cudgel of red elm.

 

As soon as the brave hundred saw Vasily coming they trembled, turned

and fled to their chieftains, who did not seem to be greatly surprised

at the news brought by the young men.

 

"Surely," they said quietly, "it is Vasily the Turbulent from Novgorod

the Great who comes upon us with the flight of the falcon."

 

They had no sooner spoken these words than the young man stepped

boldly among them with his club of red elm in his hand. But instead

of making a lane with a forward stroke and an alley with a backward,

Vasily bowed courteously before the Cossack chiefs and said, "Hail,

masters! Show me now the straight road to the holy city of Jerusalem."

 

The chieftains bowed in return saying, "Hail, Vasily of Novgorod! We

entreat you to eat bread and drink green wine with us."

 

Then they poured out green wine without price, and Vasily, grasping the

cup in one hand, emptied it at a single draught, though it contained

a bucket and a half. At this the chieftains wondered greatly but said

nothing, and when they had broken bread together, Vasily went back to

the red ship with fair white linen sails, taking with him rich gifts

from the Cossack chieftains--a bowl of red gold, another of white

silver, and a third of fine seed pearls. He was also accompanied by

a young Cossack chieftain who had undertaken to be his guide to the

holy city of Jerusalem.

 

Without loss of time Vasily and his brave bodyguard hoisted their

sails of fair white linen and ran out upon the Caspian Sea. After

much journeying they came to the Jordan river, where they threw out

strong anchors and landing-stages upon the steep banks; and Vasily

with his brave bodyguard entered in all peacefulness the holy city

of Jerusalem. They came to the cathedral church and attended mass,

where Vasily prayed for his mother, himself, and all his family, and

as he prayed the thought of Novgorod the Great softened his turbulent

heart. On the next day a service was held for the bold travellers,

and the priests begged forgiveness for all their guilt in the matter

of violence and headstrong wilfulness. Then Vasily prayed before the

holy of holies, bathed in the sacred river Jordan, gave gold without

stint to the priests of the city as well as to the aged people,

and embarked once more on his red ship with sails of fair white linen.

 

Now before they put off again the brave bodyguard went also to bathe

in the sacred Jordan river, and as they did so an aged woman came

down to them.

 

"Why do you bathe," she said, "in Jordan river? None must bathe therein

save Vasily only, whom you shall lose on your way home. Do you not know

that your master will be taken from your head as you go homewards?"

 

And the youths answered curtly:

 

"Be silent."

 

In a short time the sails were hoisted, and they put out once more on

the broad bosom of the Caspian Sea, and came at last to the island

of Kuminsk, where they sought out the Cossack chieftains and bowed

down before them. But Vasily was somehow disinclined to talk of his

travels or of his early days of violence and headiness. He gave to the

chieftains a parchment scroll which he had brought from Jerusalem,

in which were written many hard commandments that he enjoined the

Cossack chiefs to follow. When these men invited him to a banquet

Vasily declined, and taking leave of them very quietly for a man of

such a turbulent heart, he set out once more across the Caspian Sea

for Novgorod the Great.

 

When they had sailed for two weeks they came to the steep mountain,

and being weary of confinement on the ship they landed to stretch

their legs. The young man went up the steep face of the mountain with

springing step and came at last to the great stone upon the summit

across which they all leapt in much merriment of heart. Then Vasily

in his height of spirits tried to leap lengthwise along the stone,

but fell in a heap upon it and was taken up dead; and his brave

bodyguard buried him at the place where the hollow skull had lain.

 

Then the sad youths hoisted the fair white sails upon the masts of

the red ship and came at last to the city of Novgorod the Great. They

sought out the widow mother of Vasily who sat huddled by the stove in

the kitchen and who gave no sign of surprise when the brave bodyguard

entered, bowed before her, and gave her a letter which Vasily had

written upon the voyage. She read the scroll without tears, surprise,

or cries of desolation, and then holding up her head in the pride of

sacred grief she said:

 

"Thanks to you, good and noble youths. Go now into the treasure-house

and take from thence whatever your hearts desire."

 

Then the black-browed maiden came forward and led them to the vaults,

turning her white shoulders from them as they chose whatever seemed

good to them. When they returned to the kitchen they found the dry-eyed

widow mother preparing clothes and boots and food and wine for them

that they might clothe themselves afresh and feast well before they

went into the city to speak with the men of Novgorod.

 

After supper they sat quietly near the stove and the widow mother was

the first to break the silence. "Yet Sadko came back to Novgorod the

Great," she said; "Sadko came back to take his ease in his own city."

 

"But Sadko was a trader," said the black-browed maid with quiet scorn.

 

"Tell on," said the brave bodyguard. And the maiden said, "It will

pass the time till morning if I tell you the tale of Merchant Sadko

which has been told in Novgorod since you went away in your red ship

with fair white linen sails." So she seated herself at the feet of

the widow mother on the red bricks of the floor for humility, and

told her story to the listening youths, the tale of

 

 

Merchant Sadko, the Rich Guest of Novgorod.

 

In Novgorod the Great dwelt Sadko the harpist, who had no store of

treasure except the golden tones of his harp of maple-wood. He went

about to the great feasts of the nobles and made all merry with

his playing.

 

Now for three days Sadko had not been bidden to any merry feast,

and his heart grew sad within him. So he went down to the shore of

Lake Ilmen and sat down upon a blue stone. And there, to soothe his

spirit, he began to play upon his harp of maple-wood, and played from

early morning until far into the night. Then a great storm arose;

the waves lashed up the shore to the blue stone on which Sadko sat,

and great terror seized upon the heart of the minstrel so that he returned to Novgorod in haste and disquiet.