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 85 The Bogatyrs Soska, Usynia, Gorynia, and Duginia Once there lived an old woman who had no children. One day she went out to collect wood chips, and she found a block of pine. She took it back home, went in, heated up her house, put the block on the stove, and said to herself,“Let it dry out, and it will make good splinters for light.” But the old woman’s house had no windows. Soon the chips started to burn, and the whole house filled with smoke. Suddenly the old woman heard what seemed like the pine block on the stove shouting,“Mother, it’s smoky! Mother, it’s smoky!” She said a prayer, went over to the stove and picked up the block, took a look, and—what marvel was this? The block of wood had turned into a little boy. The old woman rejoiced,“God has given me a little son!” And that boy began to grow not by the year, but by the hour, rising like yeasted dough. He grew up and started to go to the boyars’ yards and play bogatyr tricks. If someone grabbed his arm, he’d pull their arm off. If someone grabbed his leg, he’d pull their leg off. If someone grabbed his head, he’d pull their head off! The boyars started to complain to the old woman. She called her son and told him,“What’s the idea? Live a bit more quietly, sir.” But he answered her,“If I’m making things awkward for you, I’ll just go away!” He left the city and set out along the road. Toward him came the bogatyr Duginya; take any tree, he could bend it into a bow!50 Duginya asked, “Where are you going, bogatyr Soska?”51 “I’m following my nose!” “Take me along with you.” “Let’s go.” They set out together, and they ran into bogatyr Gorynya.52 “Where are you going?” “We’re following our noses!”  The Bogatyrs Soska, Usynia, Gorynia, and Duginia 86 “Take me along with you.” “All right, come along.” Another few vyorsts went by. They ran into the bogatyr Usynya beside a big river.53 He was sitting on the bank, with half his mustache stretched across the river, and people were walking across on his mustache. Horses were riding, wagons were driving, just as if it were a bridge. Usynya asked,“Where are you going, bogatyr Soska?” “I’m following my nose!” “Take me with you, too.” “All right, be our comrade.” So they walked along as a foursome, for a long time, for a short time, and they came up to the blue sea. They wanted to get to the other side, but how could they? They didn’t know. But bogatyr Usynya stretched out his mustache, and they all made it across to the other side on the mustache. They walked and walked and wound up in a deep, dark forest. “Stop, boys!”said bogatyr Soska.“Why should we go wandering through the whole world? Wouldn’t it be better to stay and live here?” They got to work, cut down logs for a house, and started to go out hunting . Every time, one of them would take turns staying home to make the dinner and to look after the housekeeping. The first day it was Duginya’s turn. He got food and drink ready and lay down on the bench to rest a bit. Knock-knock! In came a Baba Yaga. “Give me some dinner,” she said. “I want something to eat and drink.” Duginya put bread and salt and some roast duck on the table. She gobbled it all down and asked for more. “There’s nothing else,”answered Duginya.“We’re visitors here ourselves.” The Baba Yaga grabbed him by the hair and started to drag him across the floor. She dragged him and dragged him and left him barely alive. Hiscomradescamebackfromhunting.“Whyareyoulyingthere,Duginya?” “I got faint breathing the fumes from the smoke, brothers! It’s a new house, the wood is raw . . .” The next day the same thing happened with Gorynya, and on the third day with Usynya. It got to be bogatyr Soska’s turn. Baba Yaga came to see him and demanded ,“Give me something to eat and drink!” He put some bread and salt on the table and some roast goose. Baba Yaga ate it all and asked for more. “There’s nothing else, we’re visitors here ourselves...

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