Page:Slavonic Fairy Tales.djvu/20

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Carried Away by the Wind.
5

suddenly a strong wind arose, and made the hut tremble. Then the witch took the peasant into the yard, and told him to look up. He raised his eyes and saw the wicked magician, with nothing on but his night-shirt, whirling round and round in the air.

"There is your enemy," said the witch; "he will hurt you no more. If you wish him to see your wedding, do as I will tell you. For the rest, he will suffer the same punishment as he had designed for you."

The delighted peasant ran back home. In a month's time he was married. When the guests were dancing at his wedding, the peasant went into the yard, looked up, and saw above the hut the magician spinning round and round in the air. He took a new knife, and aiming at the magician, threw it with all his might. The magician fell down, and then it was seen that he was nailed by the foot to the ground; thus he was obliged to stand by the window, a miserable witness of the happiness of the peasant and his friends.

On the following morning the magician had disappeared from before the hut. Some people said they saw him flying through the air over a large lake some miles off; before and behind him were large flocks of crows, which, by their croaking, told of his continued flight through space.