“You will not take nine cities or give them to your nine sons, and you will not bring back for yourself a costly fur coat!”
The Cham of Tartary answered in a rage:
“Oh, you old devil! You were dreaming and saw yourself in your dream!”
And he struck her on her white face, and again he struck her on the other cheek. He threw the Queen down upon the brick floor, and threw her down a second time, and said:
“I shall ride to Holy Russia; I shall take nine cities, and give them to my nine sons; and for myself I shall bring back a costly fur coat.”
Volgá the Chief flew down from the window-ledge to the ground and turned himself into a grey wolf and jumped into the stable yard. He picked out all the good horses and tore out the throat of every one.
Then Volgá turned himself into a little ermine and slipped into the armoury, where the Cham kept a great stock of weapons for his men. Volgá broke all the tough bows, tore out the silken bow strings, destroyed the sharp arrows, bit notches in the sharp swords, and bent the steel maces into a bow. Then he turned [[7]]himself again into a little bird and soon flew back to Kiev town, where he turned himself back into his own shape, and was once more a goodly youth.
Volgá came to his body-guard of good comrades.
“My brave comrades,” said he, “let us go to the land of the Tartars!”
And they went to the land of the Tartars, and they took all the Tartar army prisoners. [[8]]