“Agreed, good man; it is all the same to us from whom we get the money, so that we have it.”
Nikita took out fifty roubles. The blacksmiths took the money, and the moment they freed the old man out of the iron pincers, he vanished from the eye. Nikita looked. “But where is the old man?”
“Oh, look for him now; he is a wizard!”
Nikita ordered them to forge an iron staff of fifty poods. He hurled it up three hundred feet, and held out his hand: the staff stood the test, did not break. “This will do,” said Nikita, and rode off to overtake his comrades. All at once he heard a voice behind him. Nikita Koltoma stopped; he looked around, and saw the same old man running after him.
“Thanks to thee,” said the old man, “for saving me from cruel torture; I suffered that misery for thirty years exactly. Here is a present to remember me by,—take it; it will be of use to thee;” and he gave him a cap of invisibility. “Just put it on thy head; no man will see thee.”
Nikita took the cap, thanked the old man, and galloped on. He overtook his comrades, and all rode together. Whether it was long or short, near or far, they came to a castle; around the castle was a great iron paling; there was no way to enter, on foot or on horseback. The terrible Tsar said: “Well, brother Nikita, there is no passage farther.”
Nikita Koltoma answered: “Why not, Great Tsar? I’ll go through the whole world but I’ll find thee a bride. This paling is no stop to us. Now, boys, break the paling; open the gate to the wide court!”
The good youths came down from their horses and went at the paling; but no matter what they did, they could not break it, it stood fast.
“Oh, brothers,” said Nikita, “ye sail in shallow water! No use in my depending on you; I must work myself.”
Nikita sprang from his horse, went to the paling, took it with his heroic hand, pulled once,—the whole paling was on the ground. The terrible Tsar and the young men rode in on the broad court, and there on the green meadow they put up their white woven, gold-embroidered tents, ate what God sent them, lay down, and from weariness slept a sound sleep. Each one had a tent, but there was none for Nikita Koltoma; he found three worn bark mats, made himself a little hut, lay down on the bare ground. As to sleeping, he slept not; he waited for what would be.