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 [[9]]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?”