Chapter 147 164. Pigeon girl

Once upon a time there was a young man who lived in poverty.One day, he had nothing to eat, which was very miserable.He went out, sat by the sea, and tried to find a way out of his predicament.After a while he looked up and saw a Greek coming towards him.The man said to him, "Young man, you look sad. What's your trouble?" "I'm starving, that's all. I ain't got nothing to eat, and I can't get anything to eat." "Well, boy, cheer up. Come with me, and I'll give you food and money and whatever you want." "What shall I do to repay you?" asked the young man.

"Small idea. Follow me, you only need to do one thing for me throughout the year." The young man was so happy that he thought he heard it wrong! They made a contract and signed it.For quite a long time thereafter, the young man did not do any work at all.Then one day the Greek called him and said, "Get on two horses, and let's go for a walk." The young man got everything ready, and they set off.After riding for a long distance, they came to the foot of a steep mountain. "Now," said the Greek, "you must climb this mountain, and climb to the top."

"How can I climb it?" asked the boy. "I have a plan." "But what if I don't want to go?" "We have an appointment. You will do one thing for me a year. Whether you want to or not, now you have to do something for me. You have to go to the top of the mountain, and if you see any stones, throw them down for me." So saying, the Greeks took a horse, slaughtered it, skinned it, and ordered the young man to wrap it in the hide.At this moment, an eagle flying in the sky saw the horse hide, jumped down, grabbed the horse hide, and took the young man inside to the sky.The eagle landed on the top of the mountain, and the young man who was hiding inside jumped out. "Throw me the stone!" shouted the Greeks down the mountain.The young man looked around: What are these stones? They are all precious stones, diamonds, and gold bars as thick as tree trunks! He looked down the mountain, and the Greek standing in the distance looked as small as an ant.He was still there shouting loudly: "Quick, throw the stone down!"

The young man thought to himself: If I throw the gem to him, he will throw me on the top of the mountain and never ask me again, making it impossible for me to go down the mountain.I might as well keep these gems to myself and make my way down the mountain and get home.He inspected the top of the hill and found what looked like the mouth of a well.He lifted the lid and went down.Ho, inside is a magnificent palace! This is the residence of the wizard Savino. "What are you doing on my mountain?" the wizard asked immediately when he saw the young man. "I'm going to roast you and have a good meal! You come to me and steal gems for that Greek thief. He does it every year, but I eat his men every year!"

Trembling with fright, the young man fell on his knees before the wizard, and swore that he had not a single gem in him. "If you are telling the truth," said the wizard Savino, "I will spare your life. He went to the top of the mountain, counted the gems, and found that there was indeed one. "Well," said the wizard, "you are not lying.You stay and work for me.I have twelve horses.Every morning, you beat each horse with ninety-nine sticks.Listen, I'm right here, I've got to hear you beating your horse.have you understood?" The next morning the young man went into the stable with a thick stick in his hand.However, when he saw those horses, he felt very pitiful and couldn't bear to beat them.At this time, one of the horses turned around and said to him: "Please don't hit us. We used to be human beings like you, and the wizard Savino turned us into horses. Well, you hit the ground, you Hit it once, and we yell, as if the stick really hit us."

The boy did it in this way.The wizard heard the sound of clubs and the neighing of horses, and was satisfied. 'Well,' a horse asked the lad one day, 'do you wish to be lucky? Go into the garden, where you will see a beautiful pond.Every morning, twelve pigeons came to drink water.They got into the water, and when they came out of the water again, they became twelve radiant and beautiful girls.They hung the pigeon clothes on the branches and started playing.You must hide among the bushes, and when they are at their best, you take off the dress of the most beautiful girl and hide it under your blouse.She will say to you: 'Give me back my clothes! Give me back my clothes!' But you must not give them back, or she will become a dove again and fly away with her sisters. "

The boy did as the horse said.He hides in a place where no one can see him, waiting for the dawn.At dawn, he heard the sound of a bird beating its wings.The sound got louder and louder, he poked his head out and saw a flock of pigeons.He curled up and reminded himself, "Here they come!" The pigeons came to the edge of the pool, drank the water, and then plunged into the water. When they emerged from the water, they turned into twelve maidens as beautiful as celestial beings. Then they started chasing and playing with each other. The young man picked a suitable moment, stooped quietly out of the bushes, took off a piece of clothing, and stuffed it under his shirt.At this time, the girls all turned into doves again and flew into the sky.Only one girl did not find her pigeon clothes, so she stood in front of the young man and begged, "Give me back my clothes! Give me back my clothes!? The young man ran away, and the young girl followed closely behind.The boy, after a long run (the horse had told him the way), returned to his own house, and introduced the maiden to his mother. "Mom, this is my fiancée. Whatever, don't let her go out.

Before the boy went down the mountain, his pockets were full of gems.As soon as he got home, he decided to go out and sell gems, leaving the girl alone with her mother-in-law. "Give me my clothes back! Give me my clothes back!" the girl murmured all day, and the mother-in-law got impatient and said, "My God, this is driving me crazy, I'll look and see if I can find your clothes Bar!" The old lady thought that her son might have put that dress in the closet.She opened it, and sure enough, there was a beautiful pigeon dress. "Is this one, son?" The girl grabbed the clothes before her mother-in-law took them out, put them on her body, and flew into the sky like a dove.

The old lady was terrified. "Now, what should I do when my son comes back? His fiancée is gone, how can I explain to him?" Before she finished speaking, the doorbell rang and her son walked into the house.He was very annoyed when he saw his fiancée leave. "Mother," he cried, "you've done me a disservice!" Then, calming down, he said, "Mother, bless me, I'm going to find her." ' He took a little bread, put it in his bag, and set off. As the boy was going through a forest, he met three robbers, who were quarreling deeply.They called him to him, and said, "Come, you are a stranger, and judge for us. We have stolen three things, and are quarreling over who should have what. You decide."

"Three what?" "A wallet, whenever you open it, it is always full of money; a pair of boots, you can walk faster than the wind; a coat, no one can see you." "I'll try," said the boy, "to see if you're telling the truth." He put on his boots, took the purse, and put on his coat. 'Can you see me?" he asked. "Out of sight!" replied the robbers. "You will never see me again!" The boy ran away.Wearing those boots that could run faster than the wind, he came to the top of the mountain where the wizard Savino lived.

Once again he hid near the pond and saw pigeons coming to drink, and his betrothed was among them.He jumped out of the bushes, picked up her clothes hanging from the branches and ran. "Give me my clothes back! Give me my clothes back!" the pigeon girl shouted again.But this time, the young man immediately lit the fire and burned the pigeon clothes. "Well," said the girl, "now I am willing to be with you and be your wife. But first you must go and cut off the head of the wizard Savino, and then remake the twelve horses in the stable. Adults. To do this, you only need to pluck three manes from each horse." So the young man put on the cloak of invisibility, cut off the wizard's head, rescued the twelve horsemen who had turned into horses, and returned home with the girl with all the gems on the mountain.It turned out that the girl was the daughter of the King of Spain.