“‘What are you talking about? Don’t you deceive yourself, for I serve God and the Empire.’
“The warlock gnashed his teeth, howled aloud, and sprang at the soldier, who drew his sword and began laying about him with sweeping blows. They struggled and struggled; the soldier was all but at the end of his strength. ‘Ah,’ thinks he, ‘I’m a lost man, and all for nothing!’ Suddenly the cocks began to crow. The warlock fell lifeless to the ground.
“The soldier took the phials of blood out of the warlock’s pockets, and went to the house of his own people. When he had got there and exchanged greetings with his relatives, they said: ‘Did you see any disturbance, soldier?’
“‘No, I saw none.’
“‘There, now! Why, we’ve a terrible piece of work going on in the village. A warlock has taken to haunting it.’
“After talking a while they lay down to sleep. The next morning the soldier awoke and began asking: ‘I’m told you’ve got a wedding going on somewhere here.’
“‘There was a wedding in the house of a rich moujik,’ replied his relatives, ‘but the bridegroom has died this very night—what from nobody knows.’
“‘Where does this moujik live?’
“They showed him the house. Thither he went without speaking a word. When he got there he found the whole family in tears.
“‘What are you mourning about?’ says he.