There lived an orphan Yanka, the son of a forester. His father and mother died, and there were no relatives. So he lived alone in the forest, in his father’s house. And to make it more fun, I kept a motley cat.

The cat got used to it. It used to be that wherever the owner goes, he goes there.

Once Yanka went to collect brushwood. Well, of course, and the cat follows him. Yanka picked up a bundle of brushwood and carries it home, and the cat drags a dry twig after him. Yanka got tired, sat down on a tree stump to rest, thinking how hard it was for him to live in the world, and groaned loudly:

And as soon as he said so, a little old man with a long beard jumped out from under the stump.

Why did you call me, lad?

Yanka looked at him in fear and said:

No, grandpa, I didn't call you.

Why didn’t you call? - the old man argued. - I'm not deaf! You called my name twice: Oh, Oh... Now you have to tell me what you will demand from me.

Yanka thought and said:

I don't need anything. It's just that I'm very hungry. If you have a piece of bread, then give it to me.

Oh ducked back under the stump and pulled out a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

“Here,” he says, “eat.” The orphan ate his fill, fed the cat and bowed deeply to the old man:

Thank you, grandfather, for lunch: I haven’t eaten such delicious food for a long time.

He shouldered his brushwood and walked home cheerfully.

A day has passed, the second, hunger overcomes again. I remembered Yank about the old man. “I’ll go,” he thinks, “maybe he’ll feed me again.”

I came to that very place, sat down on a tree stump and sighed:

The old man jumped out.

What do you say, lad? Yanka bowed to him:

I'm hungry, grandpa. Maybe you could give me a piece of bread?

The old man immediately brought him a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

And so it went from then on: if Yanka wants to eat, he goes to the old man.

Once the old man brought him a gold snuffbox instead of lunch.

That’s it, lad,” he says, “don’t bother me anymore: I’m already old and it’s hard for me to carry lunch.” Take this snuff box. If you need anything, you open it, and my servant will instantly appear before you. He will do everything you order just as well as me.

Yank took the golden snuff-box, thanked the old man from the bottom of his heart, and went dancing home. He opened a golden snuffbox at home - a little man jumped out of it, but not like grandfather Oh, but young and quick.

What do you want? - the little man asks Ianku in a thin voice.

Give me something to eat, brother.

And the little man instantly put a bowl of cabbage soup on the table, put a large slice of rye bread, and he jumped into the golden snuffbox and closed it.

Yanka lived like this for some time, and he wanted to go around the world, see people, show himself, otherwise he had never been anywhere except his forest.

He took the golden snuff-box, called the cat and set off.

He walked around many villages and cities, saw many miracles and finally came to the blue sea. He sees a silver fish lying on the seashore. Apparently, she was thrown out by a wave during the surf. The fish flutters, hits the rocks, but can’t get back into the sea.

Yanka felt sorry for the poor fish. He took it slowly and threw it into the sea.

The fish splashed its tail, took a sip of water, woke up, and then stuck its head out of the water and said in a human voice:

Thank you, good fellow, for saving me from death. Maybe someday I will help you.

Yanka grinned:

Why do I need your help, fish: I don’t have such an assistant in my pocket.

But the fish no longer heard him.

The cat grabbed her behind the back and wanted to eat her.

Yanka felt sorry for the mouse. He was the kind of person who felt sorry for everyone: he remembered how difficult life had been for him before. He took the mouse, stroked it and put it in his pocket, and then took a crust of bread out of the bag and threw it there.

“Eat,” he says, “you must be hungry.” The mouse calmed down and began gnawing on the crust. He walks, walks along the seashore, and then evening has come - he must look for a place to stay for the night. He sees a large palace rising on the mountain. “No,” Yanka thinks, “they won’t let me in there.” He went further. Lo and behold, there’s a small fishing hut standing by the sea. Yanka went into a fishing hut and asked to spend the night.

“Okay,” says the owner, “stay the night.” It will be more fun for me.

Yanka talked with the owner.

What kind of palace was this on the way? - he asks the owner.

This is a royal palace,” says the owner. - The king himself lives there. Yes, recently he had a misfortune: a sea serpent flew in at midnight, grabbed his daughter and took him to his enchanted island, where he could neither reach nor swim. The king is now tearing out the hair on his head. He announced throughout the kingdom: whoever, they say, returns his daughter to him, will marry her off and give away the entire kingdom after his death. Many different princes and princes came here, but no one could get to that island: the sea serpent raises such a wave that nothing can be done...

Yanka remembered his magical assistant from the golden snuffbox and said to the fisherman:

Tell the king, if you can, that he will see his daughter before dawn tomorrow.

The fisherman went and told the king about it. The king called Yanka to his place. He looked at him and shrugged. “Can it really be,” he thinks, “that this simple man will do what the princes and princes could not do? This can’t be! The king wanted to see his daughter so much that he decided to try his luck again. So he asks Yanka:

Is it true, lad, that you are undertaking to rescue my daughter from captivity?

Yanka bowed to the king and answered:

True, Mister King. I don't know how to lie.

Well, be careful,” says the king, “that my daughter is with me before sunrise tomorrow, otherwise I will order you to be torn to pieces with iron harrows.”

Okay,” Yanka agreed. - Let it be your way.

He left the palace and opened the golden snuffbox. A nimble little man jumped out of it:

What do you want?

Show me your mercy, brother: build an iron bridge overnight from the royal palace to the enchanted serpent island and place a golden carriage with a six-wheeler on it. Tomorrow at first light I will go to the island.

“Okay,” says the little man, “everything will be done as you ask.”

Yanka returned to the fisherman and fell asleep. The next morning he got up before dawn, and lo and behold, an iron bridge had been thrown from the royal palace to the serpent island, and on the bridge stood a golden carriage, drawn by a six-wheeler, and near the horses stood his assistant with a whip.

Yanka approached his assistant, took out his snuffbox and said:

Thank you, brother. Now go and rest, otherwise you’re obviously very tired.

The little man gave Yanka the whip, and he hid in the golden snuffbox.

Yanka got into the carriage and went after the queen. He arrives on the island, sees a large dark castle standing there and the amazed princess looks out of the window. She had not seen people for a long time and was delighted with Yanka as if she were her own brother.

Who are you? - asks. - And why did you come here?

Don’t ask, lady,” Yanka answers, “but get into the carriage as soon as possible.” Let's go to your father.

The princess rejoiced even more when she heard such words.

But I can’t go out through the door, the damned snake is sleeping there. He flies at night for prey, and during the day he rests at the door.

So climb through the window.

Yank held up his hands:

The princess jumped out of the window and straight into his arms. Yanka grabbed her, put her in a carriage and rushed like lightning to the royal palace.

He heard the snake roar, jumped up, and lo and behold, there was no princess... He followed. He runs, the bridge is shaking, fire is blazing from his mouth...

Yanka looked around - the snake was chasing him with all his might.

It's about to catch up. Let the guy whip the horses then. They rush forward at full horse speed.

Yanka rushed to the shore, dropped the princess out of the carriage, then slowly opened the golden snuffbox and ordered his assistant to demolish the bridge. The man instantly demolished the bridge, and the starved snake fell into the deep sea and choked.

Meanwhile, the king woke up, looked out the window - he couldn’t believe his eyes: his daughter was leading Yank to the palace!

The king ran out to meet her and began to hug and kiss his daughter. So happy, so glad.

Well, guy,” he says to Yanka, “you made me happy.” For this I will give you my daughter as a wife, and after my death I will assign the entire kingdom to you.

They celebrated a wedding, and the orphan Yanka became the princess’s husband. Everyone loved him, only one princess looked askance at him: she did not like the fact that she became the wife of a simple peasant. So one day she pestered her husband:

Tell me, who built the bridge for you across which you brought me?

Yanka kept silent, refused, but his wife did not give him peace.

“I’ll die,” he says, “if you don’t confess.” What to do here - Yanka admitted and showed his wife the golden snuff-box.

Just swear,” he says, “that you will never take it in your hands without me.” The wife swore, and then said:

I want to live with you in a castle on an island. Tell your assistant to build the bridge.

Yanka did not contradict her: he opened the snuffbox in front of his wife, told his assistant, and the bridge was built.

They moved to the snake castle. Wife says:

Don’t remove the bridge: we will drive along it to the shore - to visit our father and wherever we want.

They lived for several days in the castle. Yanka wanted to go hunting. He took a bow, a cat and a mouse to make the journey more fun, and drove across the bridge.

As soon as he went ashore, lo and behold, there was no bridge behind him! “What a miracle?” - thinks Yanka. Grab your pocket, but there’s no snuffbox there... He took the cat, he took the mouse, but he forgot the snuffbox...

Then he guessed everything. “Here’s the princess’s oath!” - Yanka thought to himself. “I took pity on her, helped her out of trouble, and she repaid me with evil for my goodness.” Now I’ll have to go back to my hut again and starve as before.”

He sat down on the seashore and even cried out of resentment.

Suddenly he hears a mouse scratching in his pocket. She stuck her head out and asked:

Why are you crying, good man? Yanka told her about his grief.

It’s okay,” the mouse consoles him, “we’ll get rid of such trouble.”

She whispered something with the cat, then sat on his back, and they swam across the sea. We swam to the castle. The cat hid in the garden, and the mouse crawled through the crack into the princess’s chambers.

She sat there for a long time, looking out for where the princess was hiding her snuffbox. And she did take a peek - in a wooden casket!

At night, as soon as the princess went to bed, the mouse gnawed through the little box, grabbed the snuffbox and ran to the cat in the garden.

“I found,” he says, “a golden snuff-box!”

So quickly sit on my back! - the cat ordered. - Let's swim back.

The mouse sat on his back, and the cat swam, snorting, through the waves.

They swam almost to the very shore. The cat asks the mouse:

Have you lost your snuff box?

No, says the mouse, here it is! She picked up the snuffbox to show it to the cat, but couldn’t hold it - the snuffbox ended up in the sea!

Oh, you bastard! - the cat got angry. - What have you done?

He swam ashore and grabbed the mouse by the back with his teeth:

I'll strangle you!

Yanka saw this and took the mouse from the cat. And when he found out what had happened, he sat down by the sea and became very sad - he felt so sorry for the snuffbox!

Suddenly a silver fish swam out of the sea:

What are you grieving about, man? Tell me - maybe I can help you with something, because you once saved me from death.

Yanko looked and recognized that same fish.

Eh! - he sighed heavily. - I have a great loss...

And he told the fish about his grief. The fish listened to him and said cheerfully:

What a problem! I have as many snuff boxes as you want here in the sea. I will throw them away, and look what yours is. Take yours and give mine back to me.

The fish splashed its tail and dived to the bottom of the sea. Soon she began to throw snuff boxes ashore - silver, gold, diamond. Yankee's eyes were filled with light from the snuff boxes. He began to look closely at them and finally saw his own. Yanka was delighted, threw extra snuff boxes into the sea and shouted to the fish:

Thank you, fish! You helped me out of trouble.

He took his golden snuffbox and went around the world with the cat and the mouse to look for the best people.

There lived an orphan Yanka, the son of a forester. His father and mother died, and there were no relatives. So he lived alone in the forest, in his father’s house. And to make it more fun, I kept a motley cat.

The cat got used to it. It used to be that wherever the owner goes, he goes there. Once Yanka went to collect brushwood. Well, of course, and the cat follows him. Yanka picked up a bundle of brushwood and carries it home, and the cat drags a dry twig after him. Yanka got tired, sat down on a tree stump to rest, thinking how hard it was for him to live in the world, and groaned loudly:

- Oh oh!..

And as soon as he said so, a little old man with a long beard jumped out from under the stump.

- Why did you call me, lad? Yanka looked at him in fear and said:

- No, grandfather, I didn’t call you.

- Why didn’t you call? – the old man argued. - I'm not deaf! You called twice

my name: Oh, Oh... Now you have to tell me what you will demand from me. Yanka thought and said:

- I don’t need anything. It's just that I'm very hungry. If you have a piece of bread, give it to me.

Oh ducked back under the stump and pulled out a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

“Here,” he says, “eat.” The orphan ate, fed the cat

And he bowed low to the old man:

– Thank you, grandfather, for lunch: I haven’t eaten such delicious food for a long time. He shouldered his brushwood and walked home cheerfully.

A day passed, a second, and again hunger overcame me. I remembered Yank about the old man. “I’ll go,” he thinks, “maybe he’ll feed me again.” He came to that very place, sat down on a tree stump and sighed:

The old man jumped out.

-What do you say, lad? Yanka bowed to him:

- I'm hungry, grandpa. Maybe you could give me a piece of bread? The old man immediately brought him a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

And so it went from then on: if Yanka wants to eat, he goes to the old man. Once the old man brought him a gold snuffbox instead of lunch.

“That’s it, lad,” he says, “don’t bother me anymore: I’m already old and it’s hard for me to carry lunch.” Take this snuff box. If you need anything, you open it, and my servant will instantly appear before you. He will do everything you order just as well as me.

Yanka took the golden snuff-box, thanked the old man from the bottom of his heart, and went dancing home. He opened a golden snuffbox at home - a little man jumped out of it, but not like grandfather Oh, but young and quick.

- What do you order? – the little man asks Iancu in a thin voice.

- Give me something to eat, brother.

And the little man instantly put a bowl of cabbage soup on the table, put a large slice of rye bread, and he jumped into the golden snuffbox and closed it.

Yanka lived like this for some time, and he wanted to go around the world, see people, show himself, otherwise he had never been anywhere except his forest.

He took the golden snuff-box, called the cat and set off. He walked around many villages and cities, saw many miracles and finally came to the blue sea. He sees a silver fish lying on the seashore. Apparently, she was thrown out by a wave during the surf. The fish flutters, hits the rocks, but can’t get back into the sea.

Yanka felt sorry for the poor fish. He took it slowly and threw it into the sea. The fish splashed its tail, took a sip of water, woke up, and then stuck its head out of the water and said in a human voice:

- Thank you, good fellow, for saving me from death. Maybe someday I will help you.

Yanka grinned:

“Why do I need your help, little fish? I don’t have such a helper in my pocket.”

But the fish no longer heard him.

Yanka felt sorry for the mouse. He was the kind of person who felt sorry for everyone: he remembered how difficult life had been for him before. He took the mouse, stroked it and put it in his pocket, and then took a crust of bread out of the bag and threw it there.

“Eat,” he says, “you must be hungry.” The mouse calmed down and began gnawing on the crust. He walks, walks along the seashore, and then evening comes - he needs to look for a place to stay for the night. He sees a large palace rising on the mountain. “No,” Yanka thinks, “they won’t let me in there.” He went further. Lo and behold, there is a small fishing hut by the sea. Yanka went into a fishing hut and asked to spend the night.

“Okay,” says the owner, “stay the night.” It will be more fun for me. Yanka talked with the owner.

– What kind of palace was this on the way? - he asks the owner.

“This is a royal palace,” says the owner. “The king himself lives there.” Yes, recently he had a misfortune: a sea serpent flew in at midnight, grabbed his daughter and took him to his enchanted island, where he could neither reach nor swim. The king is now tearing out the hair on his head. He announced throughout the kingdom: whoever, they say, returns his daughter to him will marry her and the whole kingdom

after his death he will write it down. Many different princes and princes came here, but no one could get to that island: the sea serpent raises such a wave that nothing can be done...

Yanka remembered his magical assistant from the golden snuffbox and said to the fisherman:

“Tell the king, if you can, that he will see his daughter before dawn tomorrow.”

The fisherman went and told the king about it. The king called Yanka to his place. He looked at him and shrugged. “Can it really be,” he thinks, “that this simple man will do what the princes and princes could not do? This cannot be!” The king wanted to see his daughter so much that he decided to try his luck again. So he asks Yanka:

“Is it true, lad, that you are undertaking to rescue my daughter from captivity?” Yanka bowed to the king and answered:

- True, sir. I don't know how to lie.

“Well, be careful,” says the king, “that my daughter is with me tomorrow before sunrise, otherwise I will order you to be torn to pieces with iron harrows.”

“Okay,” Yanka agreed. - Let it be your way.

He left the palace and opened the golden snuffbox. A nimble little man jumped out of it:

- What do you order?

- Do me a favor, brother: build an iron bridge overnight from the royal palace to the enchanted serpent island and place a golden carriage with a six-wheeler on it. Tomorrow at first light I will go to the island.

“Okay,” says the little man, “everything will be done as you ask.” Yanka returned to the fisherman and fell asleep. The next morning he got up before dawn, and lo and behold, an iron bridge had been thrown from the royal palace to the serpent island, and on the bridge stood a golden carriage, drawn by a six-man team, and near the horses stood his assistant with a whip.

Yanka approached his assistant, took out his snuffbox and said:

- Thank you, brother. Now go and rest, otherwise you’re obviously very tired.

The little man gave Yanka the whip, and he hid in the golden snuffbox. Yanka got into the carriage and went after the queen. He arrives on the island, sees a large dark castle standing there and the amazed princess looks out of the window. She had not seen people for a long time and was delighted with Yanka as if she were her own brother.

- Who are you? - asks. -And why did you come here?

“Don’t ask, lady,” Yanka answers, “but quickly get into the carriage.” Let's go to your father.

The princess rejoiced even more when she heard such words.

“But I can’t go out through the door, the damned snake is sleeping there.” He flies at night for prey, and during the day he rests at the door.

- So climb through the window.

Yank held up his hands:

- Jump!

The princess jumped out of the window and straight into his arms. Yanka grabbed her, put her in a carriage and rushed like lightning to the royal palace. The snake heard the rumble, jumped up, and lo and behold, there was no princess... He followed. He runs, the bridge is already trembling, fire is blazing from his mouth... Yanka looked around - the snake was chasing him with all his might.

It's about to catch up. Let the guy whip the horses then. They are torn

forward at full horse speed.

Yanka rushed to the shore, dropped the princess out of the carriage, then slowly opened the golden snuffbox and ordered his assistant to demolish the bridge. The man instantly demolished the bridge, and the starved snake fell into the deep sea and choked. Meanwhile, the king woke up, looked out the window - he couldn’t believe his eyes: Yanka was being led to the palace by his daughter!

The king ran out to meet her and began to hug and kiss his daughter. So happy, so glad.

“Well, boy,” he says to Yanka, “you made me happy.” For this I will give you my daughter as a wife, and after my death I will assign the entire kingdom to you. They celebrated a wedding, and the orphan Yanka became the princess’s husband. Everyone loved him, only one princess looked askance at him: she did not like the fact that she became the wife of a simple peasant. So one day she pestered her husband:

“Tell me, who built the bridge for you across which you brought me?” Yanka kept silent, refused, but his wife did not give him peace.

“I’ll die,” he says, “if you don’t confess.” What to do here - Yanka admitted and showed his wife the golden snuff box.

“Just swear,” he says, “that you will never take her in your hands without me.” The wife swore, and then said:

– I want to live with you in a castle on an island. Tell your assistant to build the bridge.

Yanka did not contradict her: he opened the snuff-box in front of his wife, told his assistant, and the bridge was built.

They moved to the snake castle. Wife says:

– Don’t remove the bridge: we will drive along it to the shore – to visit our father and wherever we want.

They lived for several days in the castle. Yanka wanted to go hunting. He took a bow, a cat and a mouse to make the journey more fun, and drove across the bridge. As soon as he went ashore, lo and behold, there was no bridge behind him! "What a miracle?" - thinks Yanka. Grab your pocket, but there’s no snuffbox there... He took the cat, he took the mouse, but he forgot the snuffbox...

Then he guessed everything. “Here’s the princess’s oath!” Yanka thought to himself. “I took pity on her, helped her out of trouble, and she repaid me with evil for my goodness. Now I’ll have to return to my hut again and starve as before.”

He sat down on the seashore and even cried out of resentment.

Suddenly he hears a mouse scratching in his pocket. She stuck her head out and asked:

- Why are you crying, good man? Yanka told her about his grief.

“It’s okay,” the mouse consoles him, “we’ll get rid of such trouble.” She whispered something to the cat, then sat on his back, and they swam across the sea. We reached the castle. The cat hid in the garden, and the mouse crawled through the crack into the princess’s chambers.

She sat there for a long time, looking out for where the princess was hiding her snuffbox. And she did take a peek - in a wooden casket!

At night, as soon as the princess went to bed, the mouse gnawed through the little box, grabbed the snuffbox and ran to the cat in the garden. “I found,” he says, “a golden snuff box!”

So quickly sit on my back! - the cat ordered. - Let's swim back. The mouse sat on his back, and the cat swam, snorting, through the waves. They swam almost to the very shore. The cat asks the mouse: -Have you lost your snuffbox?

“No,” says the mouse, “here she is!” She picked up the snuffbox to show it to the cat, but couldn’t hold it - the snuffbox ended up in the sea!

- Oh, you dumbass! - the cat got angry. - What have you done? He swam ashore and grabbed the mouse by the back with his teeth:

- I'll strangle you!

Yanka saw this and took the mouse from the cat. And when he found out what had happened, he sat down by the sea and became very sad - he felt so sorry for the snuffbox! Suddenly a silver fish swam out of the sea:

-What are you grieving about, man? Tell me - maybe I can help you with something, because you once saved me from death.

Yanko looked and recognized that same fish.

- Eh! - he sighed heavily. -I have a great loss...

And he told the fish about his grief. The fish listened to him and said cheerfully:

- What a problem this is! I have as many snuff boxes as you want here in the sea. I will throw them away, and look what yours is. Take yours and give mine back to me. The fish splashed its tail and dived to the bottom of the sea. Soon she began to throw snuff boxes ashore - silver, gold, diamond. Yankee's eyes were filled with light from the snuff boxes. He began to look closely at them and finally saw his own. Yanka was delighted, threw the extra snuff boxes into the sea and shouted to the fish.

There lived an orphan Yanka, the son of a forester. His father and mother died, and there were no relatives. So he lived alone in the forest, in his father’s hut. And to make it more fun, I kept a motley cat.

The cat got used to it. It used to be that wherever the owner goes, he goes there.

Once Yanka went to collect brushwood. Well, of course, and the cat follows him. Yanka picked up a bundle of brushwood and carries it home, and the cat drags a dry twig after him.

Yanka got tired, sat down on a tree stump to rest, thought how hard it was for him to live in the world, and groaned loudly:

Oh oh!..

And as soon as he said so, a little old man with a long beard jumped out from under the stump.

Why did you call me, lad? Yanka looked at him in fear and said:

No, grandpa, I didn't call you.

Why didn’t you call? - the old man argued. “I’m not deaf!” You called my name twice: Oh, Oh... Now you have to tell me what you will demand from me.

Yanka thought and said:

I don't need anything. It's just that I'm very hungry. If you have a piece of bread, give it to me.

Oh ducked back under the stump and pulled out a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

“Here,” he says, “eat.” The orphan ate his fill, fed the cat and bowed deeply to the old man:

Thank you, grandfather, for lunch: I haven’t eaten such delicious food for a long time.

He shouldered his brushwood and walked home cheerfully.

A day has passed, the second, hunger overcomes again. I remembered Yank about the old man. “I’ll go,” he thinks, “maybe he’ll feed me again.”

I came to that very place, sat down on a tree stump and sighed:

The old man jumped out.

What do you say, lad?

Yanka bowed to him:

I'm hungry, grandpa. Maybe you could give me a piece of bread?

The old man immediately brought him a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

And so it went from then on: if Yanka wants to eat, he goes to the old man.

Once the old man brought him a gold snuffbox instead of lunch.

That’s it, lad,” he says, “don’t bother me anymore: I’m already old and it’s hard for me to carry lunch.” Take this snuff box. If you need anything, you open it, and my servant will instantly appear before you. He will do everything you order just as well as me.

Yank took the golden snuff-box, thanked the old man from the bottom of his heart, and went dancing home.

He opened a golden snuffbox at home - a little man jumped out of it, but not like grandfather Oh, but young and quick.

What do you want? - the little man asks Ianku in a thin voice.

Give me something to eat, brother. And the little man instantly put a bowl of cabbage soup on the table, put a large slice of rye bread, and he jumped into the golden snuffbox and closed it.

Yanka lived like this for some time, and he wanted to go around the world, see people, show himself, otherwise he had never been anywhere except his forest.

He took the golden snuff-box, called the cat and set off.

He walked around many villages and cities, saw many miracles and finally came to the blue sea. He sees a silver fish lying on the seashore. Apparently, she was thrown out by a wave during the surf. The fish flutters, hits the rocks, but can’t get back into the sea.

Yanka felt sorry for the poor fish. He took it slowly and threw it into the sea.

The fish splashed its tail, took a sip of water, woke up, and then stuck its head out of the water and said in a human voice:

Thank you, good fellow, for saving me from death. Maybe someday I will help you.

Yanka grinned:

Why do I need your help, fish: I don’t have such an assistant in my pocket.

But the fish no longer heard him.

Yanka felt sorry for the mouse. He was the kind of person who felt sorry for everyone: he remembered how difficult life had been for him before. He took the mouse, stroked it and put it in his pocket, and then took a crust of bread out of the bag and threw it there.

“Eat,” he says, “you must be hungry.”

The mouse calmed down and began gnawing on the crust. He walks, walks along the seashore, and then evening comes - he has to look for a place to stay for the night. He sees a large palace rising on the mountain. “No,” thinks Yanka, “they won’t let me in there.” He went further. Lo and behold, there is a small fishing hut by the sea. Yanka went into a fishing hut and asked to spend the night.

“Okay,” says the owner, “stay the night.” It will be more fun for me.

Yanka talked with the owner.

What kind of palace was this on the way? - he asks the owner.

“This is a royal palace,” says the owner: “The king himself lives there.” Yes, recently a misfortune happened: a sea serpent arrived at midnight, grabbed his daughter and took him to his enchanted island, where he could neither reach nor swim. The king is now tearing out the hair on his head. He announced throughout the kingdom: whoever, they say, returns his daughter to him, will marry her off and give away the entire kingdom after his death. Many different princes and princes came here, but no one could get to that island: the sea serpent raises such a wave that nothing can be done...

Yanka remembered his magical assistant from the golden snuffbox and said to the fisherman:

Tell the king, if you can, that he will see his daughter before dawn tomorrow.

The fisherman went and told the king about it. The king called Yanka to his place. He looked at him and shrugged. “Can it really be,” he thinks, “that this simple man will do what the princes and princes could not do? This can’t be happening!” But the king wanted to see his daughter so much that he decided to try his luck again. So he asks Yanka:

Is it true, lad, that you are undertaking to rescue my daughter from captivity?

Yanka bowed to the king and answered:

True, Mister King. I don't know how to lie.

Well, look,” says the king, “so that tomorrow before sunrise my daughter will be with me, huh.” Otherwise I will order you to be torn to pieces with iron harrows.

Okay,” Yanka agreed. “Let it be your way.”

He left the palace and opened the golden snuffbox. A nimble little man jumped out of it:

What do you want?

Show me your mercy, brother: build an iron bridge overnight from the royal palace to the enchanted serpent island and place a golden carriage with a six-wheeler on it. Tomorrow at first light I will go to the island.

“Okay,” says the little man, “everything will be done as you ask.”

Yanka returned to the fisherman and fell asleep. The next morning he got up before dawn, and lo and behold, an iron bridge had been thrown from the royal palace to the serpent island, and on the bridge stood a golden carriage, harnessed by a six-wheeler, and near the horses stood his assistant with a whip.

Yanka approached his assistant, took out his snuffbox and said:

Thank you, brother. Now go and rest, otherwise you’re obviously very tired.

The little man gave Yanka the whip, and he hid in the golden snuffbox.

Yanka got into the carriage and went after the queen. He arrives on the island, sees a large dark castle standing there and the amazed princess looks out of the window. She had not seen people for a long time and was delighted with Yanka as if she were her own brother.

Who are you? - asks. “And why did you come here?”

“Don’t ask, lady,” Yanka answers, “but quickly get into the carriage.” Let's go to your father.

The princess rejoiced even more when she heard such words.

But I can’t go out through the door, the damned snake is sleeping there. He flies at night for prey, and during the day he rests at the door.

So climb through the window.

Yank held up his hands:

Jump!

The princess jumped out of the window and straight into his arms. Yanka grabbed her, put her in a carriage and rushed like lightning to the royal palace.

He heard the snake roar, jumped up, and lo and behold, there was no princess... He followed. He runs, the bridge is shaking, fire is blazing from his mouth...

Yanka looked around - the snake was chasing him with all his might. It's about to catch up. Then let him whip the horses. They rush forward at full horse speed.

Yanka rushed to the shore, dropped the princess out of the carriage, then slowly opened the golden snuffbox and ordered his assistant to demolish the bridge. The man instantly demolished the bridge, and the starved snake fell into the deep sea and choked.

Meanwhile, the king woke up, looked out the window - he couldn’t believe his eyes: his daughter was leading Yank to the palace!

The king ran out to meet her and began to hug and kiss his daughter. So happy, so glad.

Well, boy,” he says to Yanka, “you made me happy.” For this I will give you my daughter as a wife, and after my death I will assign the entire kingdom to you.

They celebrated a wedding, and the orphan Yanka became the princess’s husband. Everyone loved him, only one princess looked askance at him: she did not like the fact that she became the wife of a simple peasant. So one day she pestered her husband:

Tell me, who built the bridge for you across which you brought me?

Yanka kept silent, refused, but his wife did not give him peace.

“I’ll die,” he says, “if you don’t confess.”

What to do here - Yanka admitted and showed his wife the golden snuff-box.

Just swear,” he says, “that you will never take it in your hands without me.” The wife swore, and then said:

I want to live with you in a castle on an island. Tell your assistant to build the bridge.

Yanka did not contradict her: he opened the snuffbox in front of his wife, told his assistant, and the bridge was built.

They moved to the snake castle. Wife says:

Don’t remove the bridge: we will drive along it to the shore - to visit our father and wherever we want.

They lived for several days in the castle. Yanka wanted to go hunting. He took a bow, a cat and a mouse to make the journey more fun, and drove across the bridge.

As soon as he went ashore, lo and behold, there was no bridge behind him! “What a miracle?” - thinks Yanka. Grab your pocket, but there’s no snuffbox there... He took the cat, he took the mouse, but he forgot the snuffbox...

Then he guessed everything. “Here’s the princess’s oath! - Yanka thought to himself. “I took pity on her, helped her out of trouble, and she repaid me for my goodness with evil.” Now I’ll have to go back to my hut again and starve as before.”

He sat down on the seashore and even cried out of resentment.

Suddenly he hears a mouse scratching in his pocket. She stuck her head out and asked:

Why are you crying, good man?

Yanka told her about his grief.

It’s okay,” the mouse consoles him, “we’ll get rid of such trouble.”

She whispered something with the cat, then sat on his back, and they swam across the sea. We reached the castle. The cat hid in the garden, and the mouse crawled through the crack into the princess’s chambers.

She sat there for a long time, looking out for where the princess was hiding her snuffbox. And she did take a peek - in a wooden casket!

At night, as soon as the princess went to bed, the mouse gnawed through the little box, grabbed the snuffbox and ran to the cat in the garden.

“I found,” he says, “a golden snuff-box!”

So quickly sit on my back! - the cat ordered. - Let's swim back.

The mouse sat on his back, and the cat swam, snorting, through the waves.

They swam almost to the very shore. The cat asks the mouse:

Have you lost your snuff box?

No, says the mouse, here she is!

She picked up the snuff-box to show it to the cat, but couldn’t hold it: the snuff-box fell and splashed into the sea!

Oh, you bastard! - the cat got angry. - What have you done?

He swam ashore and grabbed the mouse by the back with his teeth:

I'll strangle you!

Yanka saw this and took the mouse from the cat. And when he found out what had happened, he sat down by the sea and became very sad - he felt so sorry for the snuffbox!

Suddenly a silver fish swam out of the sea:

What are you grieving about, man? Tell me: maybe I can help you with something, because you once saved me from death.

Yanka looked and recognized that same fish.

Eh! - he sighed heavily. “It’s a great loss for me...

And he told the fish about his grief. The fish listened to him and said cheerfully:

What a problem! I have a sea of ​​snuff boxes here, as many as you want. I will throw them away, and look what yours is. Take yours and give mine back to me.

The fish splashed its tail and dived to the bottom of the sea.

Soon she began to throw snuff boxes ashore - silver, gold, diamond. Yankee's eyes were filled with light from the snuff boxes. He began to look closely at them and finally saw his own. Yanka was delighted, threw extra snuff boxes into the sea and shouted to the fish:

Thank you, fish! You helped me out of trouble.

He took his golden snuffbox and went around the world with the cat and the mouse to look for the best people.

There lived an orphan Yanka, the son of a forester. His father and mother died, and there were no relatives. So he lived alone in the forest, in his father’s house. And to make it more fun, I kept a motley cat.
The cat got used to it. It used to be that wherever the owner goes, he goes there.
Once Yanka went to collect brushwood. Well, of course, and the cat follows him. Well, of course, and the cat follows him. Yanka picked up a bundle of brushwood and carries it home, and the cat drags a dry twig after him. Yanka got tired, sat down on a tree stump to rest, thinking how hard it was for him to live in the world, and groaned loudly:
- Oh oh!. .
And as soon as he said so, a little old man with a long beard jumped out from under the stump.
- Why did you call me, lad?
Yanka looked at him in fear and said:
- No, grandfather, I didn’t call you.
- Why didn’t you call? - the old man argued. - I'm not deaf! You called my name twice: Oh, Oh... Now you have to tell me what you will demand from me.
Yanka thought and said:
- I don’t need anything. It's just that I'm very hungry. If you have a piece of bread, give it to me.
Oh ducked back under the stump and pulled out a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.
“Here,” he says, “eat.” The orphan ate his fill, fed the cat and bowed deeply to the old man:
- Thank you, grandfather, for lunch: I haven’t eaten such delicious food for a long time.
He shouldered his brushwood and walked home cheerfully.
A day passed, a second, and again hunger overcame me. I remembered Yank about the old man. “I’ll go,” he thinks, “maybe he’ll feed me again.”
He came to that very place, sat down on a tree stump and sighed:
- Oh!
The old man jumped out.
- What do you say, lad? Yanka bowed to him:
- I'm hungry, grandpa. Maybe you could give me a piece of bread?
The old man immediately brought him a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.
So from then on it went: if Yanka wants to eat, he goes to the old man.
Once the old man brought him a gold snuffbox instead of lunch.
“That’s it, lad,” he says, “don’t bother me anymore: I’m already old and it’s hard for me to carry lunch.” Take this snuff box. If you need anything, you open it, and my servant will instantly appear before you. He will do everything you order just as well as me.
Yanka took the golden snuff-box, thanked the old man from the bottom of his heart, and went dancing home. He opened a golden snuffbox at home - a little man jumped out of it, but not like grandfather Oh, but young and quick.
- What do you order? - the little man asks Iancu in a thin voice.
- Give me something to eat, brother.
And the little man instantly put a bowl of cabbage soup on the table, put a large slice of rye bread, and he jumped into the golden snuffbox and closed it.
Yanka lived like this for some time, and he wanted to go around the world, see people, show himself, otherwise he had never been anywhere except his forest.
He took the golden snuff-box, called the cat and set off.
He walked around many villages and cities, saw many miracles and finally came to the blue sea. He sees a silver fish lying on the seashore. Apparently, she was thrown out by a wave during the surf. The fish flutters, hits the rocks, but can’t get back into the sea.
Yanka felt sorry for the poor fish. He took it slowly and threw it into the sea.
The fish splashed its tail, took a sip of water, woke up, and then stuck its head out of the water and said in a human voice:
- Thank you, good fellow, for saving me from death. Maybe someday I will help you.
Yanka grinned:
“Why do I need your help, little fish? I don’t have such an assistant in my pocket.”
But the fish no longer heard him.
He went further. Suddenly a gray mouse runs out of the hole.
The cat grabbed her behind the back and wanted to eat her.
Yanka felt sorry for the mouse. He was the kind of person who felt sorry for everyone: he remembered how difficult life had been for him before. He took the mouse, stroked it and put it in his pocket, and then took a crust of bread out of the bag and threw it there.
“Eat,” he says, “you must be hungry.” The mouse calmed down and began gnawing on the crust. He walks, walks along the seashore, and then evening comes - he needs to look for a place to stay for the night. He sees a large palace rising on the mountain. “No,” Yanka thinks, “they won’t let me in there.” He went further. Lo and behold, there is a small fishing hut by the sea. Yanka went into a fishing hut and asked to spend the night.
“Okay,” says the owner, “stay the night.” It will be more fun for me.
Yanka talked with the owner.
- What kind of palace was this on the way? - he asks the owner.
“This is a royal palace,” says the owner. “The king himself lives there.” Yes, recently he had a misfortune: a sea serpent flew in at midnight, grabbed his daughter and took him to his enchanted island, where he could neither reach nor swim. The king is now tearing out the hair on his head. He announced throughout the kingdom: whoever, they say, returns his daughter to him, will marry her off and give away the entire kingdom after his death. Many different princes and princes came here, but no one could get to that island: the sea serpent raises such a wave that nothing can be done...
Yanka remembered his magical assistant from the golden snuffbox and said to the fisherman:
“Tell the king, if you can, that he will see his daughter before dawn tomorrow.”
The fisherman went and told the king about it. The king called Yanka to his place. He looked at him and shrugged. “Can it really be,” he thinks, “that this simple man will do what the princes and princes could not do? This can’t be happening!” The king wanted to see his daughter so much that he decided to try his luck again. So he asks Yanka:
“Is it true, lad, that you are undertaking to rescue my daughter from captivity?”
Yanka bowed to the king and answered:
- True, sir. I don't know how to lie.
“Well, be careful,” says the king, “that I have my daughter with me before sunrise tomorrow, otherwise I will order you to be torn to pieces with iron harrows.”
“Okay,” Yanka agreed. - Let it be your way.
He left the palace and opened the golden snuffbox. A nimble little man jumped out of it:
- What do you order?
- Do me a favor, brother: build an iron bridge overnight from the royal palace to the enchanted serpent island and place a golden carriage with a six-wheeler on it. Tomorrow at first light I will go to the island.
“Okay,” says the little man, “everything will be done as you ask.”
Yanka returned to the fisherman and fell asleep. The next morning he got up before dawn, and lo and behold, an iron bridge had been thrown from the royal palace to the serpent island, and on the bridge stood a golden carriage, harnessed by six, and near the horses stood his assistant with a whip.
Yanka approached his assistant, took out his snuffbox and said:
- Thank you, brother. Now go and rest, otherwise you’re obviously very tired.
The little man gave Yanka the whip, and he hid in the golden snuffbox.
Yanka got into the carriage and went after the queen. He arrives on the island, sees a large dark castle standing there and the amazed princess looks out of the window. She had not seen people for a long time and was delighted with Yanka as if she were her own brother.
-Who are you? - asks. - And why did you come here?
“Don’t ask, lady,” Yanka answers, “but get into the carriage as soon as possible.” Let's go to your father.
The princess rejoiced even more when she heard such words.
“But I can’t go out through the door, the damned snake is sleeping there.” He flies at night for prey, and during the day he rests at the door.
- So climb through the window.
- Afraid.
Yank held up his hands:
- Jump!
The princess jumped out of the window and straight into his arms. Yanka grabbed her, put her in a carriage and rushed like lightning to the royal palace.
He heard the snake roar, jumped up, and lo and behold, there was no princess... He followed. He runs, the bridge is shaking, fire is blazing from his mouth...
Yanka looked around - the snake was chasing him with all his might.
It's about to catch up. Let the guy whip the horses then. They rush forward at full horse speed.
Yanka rushed to the shore, dropped the princess out of the carriage, then slowly opened the golden snuffbox and ordered his assistant to demolish the bridge. The man instantly demolished the bridge, and the starved snake fell into the deep sea and choked.
Meanwhile, the king woke up, looked out the window - he couldn’t believe his eyes: his daughter was leading Yank to the palace!
The king ran out to meet her and began to hug and kiss his daughter. So happy, so glad.
“Well, boy,” he says to Yanka, “you made me happy.” For this I will give you my daughter as a wife, and after my death I will assign the entire kingdom to you.
They celebrated a wedding, and the orphan Yanka became the princess’s husband. Everyone loved him, only one princess looked askance at him: she did not like the fact that she became the wife of a simple peasant. So one day she pestered her husband:
- Tell me, who built the bridge for you across which you brought me?
Yanka kept silent, refused, but his wife did not give him peace.
“I’ll die,” he says, “if you don’t confess.” “What can I do here?” Yanka admitted and showed his wife the golden snuff-box.
“Just swear,” he says, “that you will never take her in your hands without me.” The wife swore, and then said:
- I want to live with you in a castle on an island. Tell your assistant to build the bridge.
Yanka did not contradict her: he opened the snuff box in front of his wife, told his assistant, and the bridge was built.
They moved to the snake castle. Wife says:
“Don’t remove the bridge: we’ll go across it to the shore—to visit our father and wherever we want.”
They lived for several days in the castle. Yanka wanted to go hunting. He took a bow, a cat and a mouse to make the journey more fun, and drove across the bridge.
As soon as he went ashore, lo and behold, there was no bridge behind him! “What a miracle?” - thinks Yanka. Grab your pocket, but there’s no snuffbox there... He took the cat, he took the mouse, but he forgot the snuffbox...
Then he guessed everything. “Here’s the princess’s oath! - Yanka thought to himself. “I took pity on her, helped her out of trouble, and she repaid me for my goodness with evil.” Now I’ll have to go back to my hut again and starve as before.”
He sat down on the seashore and even cried out of resentment.
Suddenly he hears a mouse scratching in his pocket. She stuck her head out and asked:
- Why are you crying, good man? Yanka told her about his grief.
“It’s okay,” the mouse consoles him, “we’ll get rid of such trouble.”
She whispered something to the cat, then sat on his back, and they swam across the sea. We reached the castle. The cat hid in the garden, and the mouse crawled through the crack into the princess’s chambers.
She sat there for a long time, looking out for where the princess was hiding her snuffbox. And she did take a peek - in a wooden casket!
At night, as soon as the princess went to bed, the mouse gnawed through the little box, grabbed the snuffbox and ran to the cat in the garden.
“I found,” he says, “a golden snuff box!”
- So quickly sit on my back! - the cat ordered. - Let's swim back.
The mouse sat on his back, and the cat swam, snorting, through the waves.
They swam almost to the very shore. The cat asks the mouse:
-Have you lost your snuffbox?
“No,” says the mouse, “here it is!” She picked up the snuffbox to show it to the cat, but couldn’t hold it - the snuffbox ended up in the sea!
- Oh, you bastard! — the cat got angry. - What have you done?
He swam ashore and grabbed the mouse by the back with his teeth:
- I'll strangle you!
Yanka saw this and took the mouse from the cat. And when he found out what had happened, he sat down by the sea and became very sad - he felt so sorry for the snuffbox!
Suddenly a silver fish swam out of the sea:
-What are you grieving about, man? Tell me - maybe I can help you with something, because you once saved me from death.
Yanko looked and recognized the same fish.
- Eh! - he sighed heavily. -I have a great loss...
And he told the fish about his grief. The fish listened to him and said cheerfully:
- What a problem this is! I have as many snuff boxes as you want here in the sea. I will throw them away, and look what yours is. Take yours and give mine back to me.
The fish splashed its tail and dived to the bottom of the sea. Soon she began to throw snuff boxes ashore - silver, gold, diamond. Yankee's eyes were filled with light from the snuff boxes. He began to look closely at them and finally saw his own. Yanka was delighted, threw extra snuff boxes into the sea and shouted to the fish:
- Thank you, fish! You helped me out of trouble.
He took his golden snuffbox and went around the world with the cat and the mouse to look for the best people.

There lived an orphan Yanka, the son of a forester. His father and mother died, and there were no relatives. So he lived alone in the forest, in his father’s house. And to make it more fun, I kept a motley cat.

The cat got used to it. It used to be that wherever the owner goes, he goes there.

Once Yanka went to collect brushwood. Well, of course, and the cat follows him. Yanka picked up a bundle of brushwood and carries it home, and the cat drags a dry twig after him. Yanka got tired, sat down on a tree stump to rest, thinking how hard it was for him to live in the world, and groaned loudly:

Oh oh!..

And as soon as he said so, a little old man with a long beard jumped out from under the stump.

Why did you call me, lad?

Yanka looked at him in fear and said:

No, grandpa, I didn't call you.

Why didn’t you call? - the old man argued. - I'm not deaf! You called my name twice: Oh, Oh... Now you have to tell me what you will demand from me.

Yanka thought and said:

I don't need anything. It's just that I'm very hungry. If you have a piece of bread, give it to me.

Oh ducked back under the stump and pulled out a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

“Here,” he says, “eat.” The orphan ate his fill, fed the cat and bowed deeply to the old man:

Thank you, grandfather, for lunch: I haven’t eaten such delicious food for a long time.

He shouldered his brushwood and walked home cheerfully.

A day has passed, the second, hunger overcomes again. I remembered Yank about the old man. “I’ll go,” he thinks, “maybe he’ll feed me again.”

I came to that very place, sat down on a tree stump and sighed:

The old man jumped out.

What do you say, lad?

Yanka bowed to him:

I'm hungry, grandpa. Maybe you could give me a piece of bread?

The old man immediately brought him a piece of bread and a bowl of cabbage soup.

And so it went from then on: if Yanka wants to eat, he goes to the old man.

Once the old man brought him a gold snuffbox instead of lunch.

That’s it, lad,” he says, “don’t bother me anymore: I’m already old and it’s hard for me to carry lunch.” Take this snuff box. If you need anything, you open it, and my servant will instantly appear before you. He will do everything you order just as well as me.

Yank took the golden snuff-box, thanked the old man from the bottom of his heart, and went dancing home. He opened a golden snuffbox at home - a little man jumped out of it, but not like grandfather Oh, but young and quick.

What do you want? - the little man asks Ianku in a thin voice.

Give me something to eat, brother.

And the little man instantly put a bowl of cabbage soup on the table, put a large slice of rye bread, and he jumped into the golden snuffbox and closed it.

Yanka lived like this for some time, and he wanted to go around the world, see people, show himself, otherwise he had never been anywhere except his forest.

He took the golden snuff-box, called the cat and set off.

He walked around many villages and cities, saw many miracles and finally came to the blue sea. He sees a silver fish lying on the seashore. Apparently, she was thrown out by a wave during the surf. The fish flutters, hits the rocks, but can’t get back into the sea.

Yanka felt sorry for the poor fish. He took it slowly and threw it into the sea.

The fish splashed its tail, took a sip of water, woke up, and then stuck its head out of the water and said in a human voice:

Thank you, good fellow, for saving me from death. Maybe someday I will help you.

Yanka grinned:

Why do I need your help, fish: I don’t have such an assistant in my pocket.

But the fish no longer heard him.

The cat grabbed her behind the back and wanted to eat her.

Yanka felt sorry for the mouse. He was the kind of person who felt sorry for everyone: he remembered how difficult life had been for him before. He took the mouse, stroked it and put it in his pocket, and then took a crust of bread out of the bag and threw it there.

“Eat,” he says, “you must be hungry.” The mouse calmed down and began gnawing on the crust. He walks, walks along the seashore, and then evening comes - he has to look for a place to stay for the night. He sees a large palace rising on the mountain. “No,” Yanka thinks, “they won’t let me in there.” He went further. Lo and behold, there is a small fishing hut by the sea. Yanka went into a fishing hut and asked to spend the night.

Okay, says the owner, spend the night. It will be more fun for me.

Yanka talked with the owner.

What kind of palace was this on the way? - he asks the owner.

This is a royal palace,” says the owner. - The king himself lives there. Yes, recently he had a misfortune: a sea serpent flew in at midnight, grabbed his daughter and took him to his enchanted island, where he could neither reach nor swim. The king is now tearing out the hair on his head. He announced throughout the kingdom: whoever, they say, returns his daughter to him, will marry her off and give away the entire kingdom after his death. Many different princes and princes came here, but no one could get to that island: the sea serpent raises such a wave that nothing can be done...

Yanka remembered his magical assistant from the golden snuffbox and said to the fisherman:

Tell the king, if you can, that he will see his daughter before dawn tomorrow.

The fisherman went and told the king about it. The king called Yanka to his place. He looked at him and shrugged. “Can it really be,” he thinks, “that this simple man will do what the princes and princes could not do? This cannot be!” But the king wanted to see his daughter so much that he decided to try his luck again. So he asks Yanka:

Is it true, lad, that you are undertaking to rescue my daughter from captivity?

Yanka bowed to the king and answered:

True, Mister King. I don't know how to lie.

Well, be careful,” says the king, “that my daughter is with me before sunrise tomorrow, otherwise I will order you to be torn to pieces with iron harrows.”

Okay,” Yanka agreed. - Let it be your way.

He left the palace and opened the golden snuffbox. A nimble little man jumped out of it:

What do you want?

Show me your mercy, brother: build an iron bridge overnight from the royal palace to the enchanted serpent island and place a golden carriage with a six-wheeler on it. Tomorrow at first light I will go to the island.

“Okay,” says the little man, “everything will be done as you ask.”

Yanka returned to the fisherman and fell asleep. The next morning he got up before dawn, and lo and behold, an iron bridge had been thrown from the royal palace to the serpent island, and on the bridge stood a golden carriage, drawn by a six-man team, and near the horses stood his assistant with a whip.

Yanka approached his assistant, took out his snuffbox and said:

Thank you, brother. Now go and rest, otherwise you’re obviously very tired.

The little man gave Yanka the whip, and he hid in the golden snuffbox.

Yanka got into the carriage and went after the queen. He arrives on the island, sees a large dark castle standing there and the amazed princess looks out of the window. She had not seen people for a long time and was delighted with Yanka as if she were her own brother.

Who are you? - asks. - And why did you come here?

Don’t ask, lady,” Yanka answers, “but get into the carriage as soon as possible.” Let's go to your father.

The princess rejoiced even more when she heard such words.

But I can’t go out through the door, the damned snake is sleeping there. He flies at night for prey, and during the day he rests at the door.

So climb through the window.

Yank held up his hands:

Jump!

The princess jumped out of the window and straight into his arms. Yanka grabbed her, put her in a carriage and rushed like lightning to the royal palace.

He heard the snake roar, jumped up, and lo and behold, there was no princess... He followed. He runs, the bridge is shaking, fire is blazing from his mouth...

Yanka looked around - the snake was chasing him with all his might.

It's about to catch up. Let the guy whip the horses then. They rush forward at full horse speed.

Yanka rushed to the shore, dropped the princess out of the carriage, then slowly opened the golden snuffbox and ordered his assistant to demolish the bridge. The man instantly demolished the bridge, and the starved snake fell into the deep sea and choked.

Meanwhile, the king woke up, looked out the window - he couldn’t believe his eyes: his daughter was leading Yank to the palace!

The king ran out to meet her and began to hug and kiss his daughter. So happy, so glad.

Well, boy,” he says to Yanka, “you made me happy.” For this I will give you my daughter as a wife, and after my death I will assign the entire kingdom to you.

They celebrated a wedding, and the orphan Yanka became the princess’s husband. Everyone loved him, only one princess looked askance at him: she did not like the fact that she became the wife of a simple peasant. So one day she pestered her husband:

Tell me, who built the bridge for you across which you brought me?

Yanka kept silent, refused, but his wife did not give him peace.

“I’ll die,” he says, “if you don’t confess.” What to do here - Yanka admitted and showed his wife the golden snuff-box.

Just swear,” he says, “that you will never take it into your hands without me.” The wife swore, and then said:

I want to live with you in a castle on an island. Tell your assistant to build the bridge.

Yanka did not contradict her: he opened the snuffbox in front of his wife, told his assistant, and the bridge was built.

They moved to the snake castle. Wife says:

Don’t remove the bridge: we will drive along it to the shore - to visit our father and wherever we want.

They lived for several days in the castle. Yanka wanted to go hunting. He took a bow, a cat and a mouse to make the journey more fun, and drove across the bridge.

As soon as he went ashore, lo and behold, there was no bridge behind him! "What a miracle?" - thinks Yanka. Grab your pocket, but there’s no snuffbox there... He took the cat, he took the mouse, but he forgot the snuffbox...

Then he guessed everything. “Here’s the princess’s oath!” Yanka thought to himself. “I took pity on her, helped her out of trouble, and she repaid me with evil for my goodness. Now I’ll have to return to my hut again and starve as before.”

He sat down on the seashore and even cried out of resentment.

Suddenly he hears a mouse scratching in his pocket. She stuck her head out and asked:

Why are you crying, good man? Yanka told her about his grief.

It’s okay,” the mouse consoles him, “we’ll get rid of such trouble.”

She whispered something with the cat, then sat on his back, and they swam across the sea. We reached the castle. The cat hid in the garden, and the mouse crawled through the crack into the princess’s chambers.

She sat there for a long time, looking out for where the princess was hiding her snuffbox. And she did take a peek - in a wooden casket!

At night, as soon as the princess went to bed, the mouse gnawed through the little box, grabbed the snuffbox and ran to the cat in the garden.

“I found,” he says, “a golden snuff-box!”

So quickly sit on my back! - the cat ordered. - Let's swim back.

The mouse sat on his back, and the cat swam, snorting, through the waves.

They swam almost to the very shore. The cat asks the mouse:

Have you lost your snuff box?

No, says the mouse, here it is! She picked up the snuffbox to show it to the cat, but couldn’t hold it - the snuffbox ended up in the sea!

Oh, you bastard! - the cat got angry. - What have you done?

He swam ashore and grabbed the mouse by the back with his teeth:

I'll strangle you!

Yanka saw this and took the mouse from the cat. And when he found out what had happened, he sat down by the sea and became very sad - he felt so sorry for the snuffbox!

Suddenly a silver fish swam out of the sea:

What are you grieving about, man? Tell me - maybe I can help you with something, because you once saved me from death.

Yanko looked and recognized that same fish.

Eh! - he sighed heavily. - I have a great loss...

And he told the fish about his grief. The fish listened to him and said cheerfully:

What a problem! I have as many snuff boxes as you want here in the sea. I will throw them away, and look what yours is. Take yours and give mine back to me.

The fish splashed its tail and dived to the bottom of the sea. Soon she began to throw snuff boxes ashore - silver, gold, diamond. Yankee's eyes were filled with light from the snuff boxes. He began to look closely at them and finally saw his own. Yanka was delighted, threw extra snuff boxes into the sea and shouted to the fish:

Thank you, fish! You helped me out of trouble.

He took his golden snuffbox and went around the world with the cat and the mouse to look for the best people.