Chapter II: Mikúla the Villager’s Son

Next we come to the story of Mikúla, the villager’s son, and how he meets with Volgá and joins his band of heroes. Young Volgá had an uncle who was a prince in the land, and the prince gave Volgá for his own three towns, and the towns were to pay him a yearly tribute, and so he set out with his body-guard of brave youths to collect this tribute.

Volgá set out, and as he rode through the free and open plain he heard a ploughman in the open field. The ploughman’s plough could be heard scraping over the ground and scrunching over the stones, but the ploughman and his plough were out of sight on the boundless plain. Volgá rode towards the ploughman all day from morning till evening with his brave body-guard, but he could not come up with the ploughman. And Volgá rode on the whole of another day, another day from morning till evening, but he could not come up with the ploughman. The ploughman was ploughing the field and still drove on. The ploughman’s plough scraped on and the ploughshare creaked over the stones, but still Volgá could not come within sight of him, and on the third day Volgá and his comrades rode from morning till midday, and at midday they came up with the ploughman in the open field. The ploughman was ploughing in the field, and on he drove. From edge to edge he swept the long furrows. When he reached the edge of the field he could not see the other edge. He cast out the stumps and stones, and all the large stones he piled up in a trench.

The ploughman had a light bay mare, and the stock of his plough was of maple wood. His mare was harnessed with ropes of silk.

When Volgá came up with the ploughman he spoke to him and said:

“God help thee, good ploughman, to plough the field and till the ground, and to do thy labour, to sweep the furrows from edge to edge of the field, and to turn out the stumps and stones from the ground.”

The ploughman looked at Volgá and said:

“Here comes Volgá with his brave body-guard! Yes, I need the help of God to do my peasant’s work! Is it far thou goest, Volgá, and whither dost thou go with thy brave body-guard?”

“Well, good ploughman, I am going to town to collect the tribute. First I go to Gurchevitz town, and next I am going to Orechovitz, and then to a third town, Krestyanovitz.”

“Well, my Lord Volgá,” said the ploughman, “I was in town not long since on my bay mare, and I brought away with me from the town two bags of salt, only two bags of salt, each of fourteen hundred pounds weight, and the peasants there are all thieves; they asked me for threepence for toll. But I had my whip for the journey, and I paid them their toll with my whip.”

“Now come with me, good ploughman,” said Volgá, “come and join my body-guard!”

And the good ploughman straightway unfastened his ropes of silk, took his mare from the plough, and got on her back.

Volgá’s body-guard were all mounted on their good horses and were setting off, but the ploughman stopped Volgá and said:

“Now, Volgá, I left the plough in the furrow; would it not be better to pull the plough out of the ground and shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush? Not for fear of any passing travellers who might take it, but on account of the good-for-nothings in the village who might meddle with my plough.”

Young Volgá ordered five strong young men out of his brave body-guard to pull the plough out of the ground, to shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. The five strong young men rode up to the plough of maple wood, they turned the plough about by the shaft, but could not pull the plough out of the ground, or shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush.

Young Volgá then sent from his brave body-guard a whole half-score to pull the plough out of the ground, to shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. They turned the plough round by the shaft, but could not pull the plough out of the ground, or shake the earth from the ploughshare, or throw the plough behind the broom bush.

Young Volgá then sent his whole brave body-guard to pull the plough out of the ground, shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush, but, though they tried their hardest, they could not pull the plough out of the ground, or shake the earth from the ploughshare, and throw the plough behind the broom bush. Then the good ploughman came riding up upon his light bay mare to this plough of maple wood. He took hold of the plough with one hand, pulled the plough out of the ground, shook the earth from the ploughshare, and threw the plough into the broom bush.

Again they all mounted their good steeds and rode on. The ploughman’s mare went on at a trot, but Volgá’s horse had to gallop to try to get up to the ploughman’s mare, and Volgá’s horse was left behind. Volgá began to wave his cap, and he shouted:

“Stop, good ploughman. If that mare of yours were a horse, I would give five hundred for that mare.”

The ploughman answered him:

“Stupid is Volgá, the son of Svyátoslav. I took the mare as a foal from the dam, and I paid five hundred for that mare when she was a foal. If the mare were a horse, she would be priceless!”

Said Volgá, the son of Svyátoslav:

“Here, good ploughman-farmer, by what name art thou called? What is thy father’s name, and whence comest thou?”

And the ploughman answered him:

“Well now, Volgá, son of Svyátoslav, I plough the fields for rye, I build my ricks, I stack my corn, I lead it home; when I’ve brought it home, I grind the corn, I split wood, and I brew beer. When I have brewed beer I give it to the peasants to drink. And the peasants call me Young Mikúla, the villager’s son!”