Page:RussianFolkTales Afanasev 368pgs.djvu/32

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16
RUSSIAN FOLK-TALES

"Come with me."

So they went away. The dog went on, until he saw a drove of horses, and he began to scratch the earth with his paws and asked the cat, "Cat, O cat, are my eyes beautiful?"

"No, they are not beautiful."

"Say that they are beautiful!"

So the cat said, "They are beautiful."

"Cat, O cat, is my fur dishevelled?"

"No it is not dishevelled."

"Say, you idiot, that it is dishevelled."

"Well, it is dishevelled."

"Cat, O cat, is my tail raised?"

"No, it is not raised."

"Say, you fool, that it is raised." Then the dog made a dash at a mare, but the mare kicked him back, and the dog died.

So the cat said, "Now I can see that his eyes are very red, and his fur is dishevelled, and his tail is raised. Good-bye, brother Dog, I will go home to die."