Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar/The Wonderful Sailor
THE WONDERFUL SAILOR.
In a certain kingdom there lived a sailor, who had served his master, the king, well and faithfully. He was a steady-going, clean fellow, and a great favourite with the captain and all his superiors.
One day he asked leave to go on shore and enjoy himself about town. He let himself down from the ship—which lay at anchor—into a little boat; he rowed to shore. After walking about for some time, he entered a traktir or public-house, and, seating himself at a small table, ordered wine and eatables to be brought him; for he intended to enjoy himself thoroughly. He ate and drank, and refreshed himself, spending about ten roubles, and yet he was not satisfied, but kept on ordering more things.
"Look here, sailor!" said the waiter at last; "you are consuming a great deal, but have you the money to pay for everything?"
"Don't be so very suspicious, my brother!" replied the sailor, taking out a gold piece from his pocket, much to the waiter's amazement, as gold was a very rare thing to see. He threw it on the table, saying,—
"There, take the money, and be happy!"
The waiter took the gold, made up the account, and brought back the change.
"Oh, I don't want any of your stupid change, brother!" said the sailor, laughing. "Keep what remains for yourself for drink."
Next day, after doing his work on board, the sailor again asked leave to go on shore. He went into the very same traktir, drinking as before, and paying with another gold piece. On the third day he did the same, and pretty nearly every day after, always paying with gold, but never asking for change, telling the waiter to keep what remained for himself for drink.
At last the traktirshik, or the public-house keeper, began to notice this, and thought it looked rather queer.
"What does it all mean?" he asked himself. "The sailor seems rather a good sort, but I cannot understand how it is that he manages to throw his money about like dirt. He seems to have found a whole casket-full of gold. I know how much pay the sailors get as a rule, so that they cannot possibly afford to throw money away. Most likely this sailor has found a hidden treasure somewhere. I think I had better go and inform his captain of this, for who knows, there might, after all, be something queer, and if I don't say anything about it, I may be sent to Siberia for receiving the money."
So he went and told the captain, who at once had the sailor sent for and brought before him.
"Come and confess," said he to the sailor, "from whence you got all the gold?"
"There is not much to confess, sir," the sailor answered; "the gold which I had can be found in every blessed mud-hole."
"That is a lie!"
"By no means; it is the real truth, your honour. The traktirshik tells the lies, not I; let him show you the gold which he received from me."
The traktirshik then brought his cash-box, opened it, and what was his amazement to see that all the gold which the sailor had given him had turned into bones!
"How is this, brother?" said the traktirshik. "You paid me with gold, which has now turned into bones. Show us how you did this?"
"I had nothing to do with the changing of the gold, but I will explain everything to you to the best of my ability." Then, addressing the captain, the sailor continued, "This, your honour, is a sign that death is approaching us, and that we shall all be flooded; the sea will rise higher and higher, and will swamp the town, and drown the inhabitants."
"Good heavens!" cried the captain; "what are we to do? Whither shall we go?"
"Well, your honour," said the sailor, "if you have no particular wish to get drowned, you had better follow me, and let us both climb up a chimney."
They did so; and, getting on to the roof, they stood up, and, looking all around, saw the whole town submerged. It was such an overflow that some of the houses in the low-lying districts of the town were quite invisible, while the waters continued rising higher and higher.
"Well, little brother," said the captain, "if the sea continues rising at this rate, I am very much afraid that we shall not escape drowning. What do you think?"
"I don't know, your honour, what must be—will be."
"My death is now approaching," thought the captain to himself, and, falling down upon his knees, began to pray.
Suddenly a little boat came floating by, and stuck on the corner of the roof.
"Your honour," said the sailor, "get into the little boat as quickly as you can, and let us float away in it. We may escape, and be saved, after all. Perhaps the waters may subside in time."
They seated themselves in the little boat, and were driven along in it by the wind. They drifted away for two whole days, and on the third day the water began to subside, and very rapidly too; but where did it all go to? All round them dry land appeared. On drifted the little boat until it came to a full stop by the strand of an unknown country. The captain and his companion got out, and asked some of the inhabitants—who had evidently not been drowned—where they were, and how far they had drifted? and were greatly astonished to hear that they had arrived at the Twenty-seventh kingdom. What were they to do? How were they to get back to their own country? They had no money with them, not a penny; they could do nothing.
"We must become workmen," said the sailor, "and earn our money, for without money we need not think of living at all. As for returning to our own country, that is quite impossible."
"It is all very well for you, little brother, to talk of working. You are used to that sort of thing; but I, as you yourself know, am a captain in the king's service, and am not accustomed to labour."
"Never mind, your honour; I shall find you something which will not prove so very difficult."
They went into the village, and hired themselves out as shepherds; the sailor passing himself off as a real shepherd, and the captain as only his man. Thus they worked on through the whole summer, looking after the village cattle, and in the autumn they went and collected their money from the peasants, after which the sailor began dividing it between them, giving the captain half, and keeping the other half for himself. But the captain, when he saw that the sailor divided the money equally, was offended at being put on a level with a common sailor.
"Why do you put me on an equality with yourself?" he asked. "Do you not know that I am a captain, while you are only a—common sailor?"
"Yes, I know! I ought to divide the money into three parts, keeping two for myself, and giving you the third; for I was a real shepherd, and worked hard, while you were only—my helper, and did not do much!"
The captain became very angry, and began scolding the sailor, who seemed to be growing stronger and stronger, and did not care what the captain was saying. Then he suddenly waved his hand, and struck the captain in the side. The captain jumped up and—awoke! He looked around him—everything was just as it always had been; he was in his own room in his comfortable arm-chair, for he had never left it; but while the sailor and traktirshik were explaining everything he had fallen asleep. He now did not wish to judge the sailor any more, but only told him to leave his presence, while the traktirshik went back without getting any satisfaction.