Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar/The Three Kopeks
THE THREE KOPEKS.[1]
A peasant called one day on a very rich merchant and wanted to be engaged as a workman. The merchant agreed, for he liked the man, and was in need of a steady-going workman.
After working a whole year the peasant demanded his wages. The merchant gave him the wages he usually gave, but the peasant returned the money, only keeping one kopek. With this he went to the river-side, and, throwing it into the water, said to himself,—
"If I have worked well and honestly the kopek will float, but if I have not worked properly it will sink!"
But the kopek sank, and he returned to the merchant, and asked to be re-engaged, to which the merchant was only too glad to consent.
When another year was over he again asked for his wages, and received what was due to him; but greatly to the merchant's surprise, he again only took one kopek, and, going to the river-side, threw it into the water, saying, as before,—
"If I have worked properly the kopek will float on the surface, but if I have not worked properly it will sink!"
Again the kopek sank, and again he went to the merchant, and asked to be taken back for the third time. He worked hard for a whole year, and then asked for his money. This time the merchant offered him more than his usual pay, but still the man refused it, and only took one kopek, which he threw into the river, as before, when, to his great surprise, he saw all the three kopeks floating on the water. He took them out, and went on farther. On the road he met a merchant going to church, with some candles in his hands. He went up to him, and asked him for a candle, giving him a kopek for it. The merchant sold it him, and went to church, when he somehow let the kopek which the peasant had given him drop on the ground, and from it came flames of fire. The people were greatly alarmed, and asked who it was that had let it fall.
"I did," said the merchant; "a workman bought a candle of me, and paid me with that kopek."
The people were very much astonished, and went and lit their candles at the wonderful coin.
Meanwhile the workman continued his way, and soon met another merchant who was going to market; he stopped him, and, giving him a kopek, asked him to get him something for it in the market. The merchant laughed; but, nevertheless, took the kopek, and went to the market, and, after buying some things for himself, he recollected the kopek, and laughed again.
"What on earth am I to get with it?" he thought.
At that moment a boy came running up with a lovely white cat, and begged him to buy it.
"How much do you want for it?" asked the merchant.
"Only one kopek, sir," replied the boy, "though it is worth three ships."
The merchant bought the cat and pursued his journey, when he was suddenly stopped by some sailors, who asked him to go on board their ship with his cat, as a very big rat had got in somehow, and no one could get rid of the creature, for no dogs or cats could catch the horrid thing; but they thought that perhaps his cat would be able to succeed. The merchant agreed to this proposal, and went on board with his cat, which soon began hunting and smelling for the rat, and, after some difficulty, she caught and killed it.
When the king heard of this wonderful cat he called the merchant and offered to buy it, but at first the merchant would not sell it, saying that it did not belong to him, but that he had bought it of a little boy in the market to give to a peasant. The king, however, said that he would give him anything he liked in exchange. At last the merchant said that it was worth three ships, and if the king would give him these, he would consent to part with the cat.
The king agreed to this, and the merchant set out on his way home, when he met the workman, who stopped and asked him what he had bought with the kopek. The merchant told him the whole story, and gave him the ships, which were anchored not very far off.
The peasant was greatly amused, and asked the merchant to accept two of them for his trouble, while he himself sailed away in the other. He sailed and sailed till he came to another kingdom, on the shores of which were some splendid oak-trees; here he thought he would spend the night; so he anchored and climbed up into one of the oak-trees, and fell asleep. Suddenly he was awakened by some one talking beneath. He sat up to listen, and heard Erachta, who was a well-known robber and murderer, whom no one had been able to catch, boasting to his comrades that on the following night he intended to steal the king's beautiful daughter. His comrades, in reply, told him that if he failed to do so they would flog him with iron rods!
As soon as the peasant heard this he got down, unseen, and went to the king, told him what he had heard Erachta say, and also asked to be allowed to be in the palace and save the princess. The king thanked him, and consented, telling him that he would reward him handsomely if he succeeded in saving her.
When night came on the peasant took out his last kopek, threw it on the ground, and out came flames of fire; so that when Erachta arrived to carry off the princess he could not do so, on account of the magic power of the coin. He went back to his comrades, who kept their promise, and nearly flogged him to death with their iron rods, and then threw him into a dark cave.
Meanwhile the peasant became a great man, married the king's daughter, whose life he had saved, and lived happily for many a long year.
- ↑ About three farthings.