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Then Iliya went into the palace, and seated himself near the stove; and close by sat the idolator, who called for food and drink. Thereupon the attendants brought him a whole roasted ox, which he ate up, bones and all; and seven-and-twenty men brought him a barrel of beer, which he emptied at a draught. Then said Iliya of Murom: "My father had once a greedy horse, which ate so much that he burst."
But the eldest daughter eyed Iliya more closely, and fell to weeping bitterly, exclaiming: "Nay, that is not our father, but some strange man, bringing our father prisoner." Then they called aloud to their husbands, beseeching them to ride out and meet the stranger, and deliver their father.
"It was strange that none of us could sleep; we all were in a state of feverish excitement, and I attribute this to an indistinct fear; once asleep we might perhaps not awake again, as we had seen it happen a thousand times. "The longer we remained at Iliya the more comfortable we felt, and we decided to stay there all day and wait for news.
Then Iliya of Murom went straight up to the nest, which was built upon twelve oaks, and the Robber Nightingale looked forth upon the Russian hero, whistled with all his might, and tried to slay him. But Iliya took his strong bow, and laying an arrow upon it, shot straight into the nest and hit the Robber Nightingale in his right eye; whereupon he fell down from the tree like a sheaf of oats.
Thereupon he rode on toward Kiev, and going straight to the palace, prayed to God and saluted the nobles. And the Prince of Kiev said to Iliya, "Tell me, brave youth, what is your name, and whence do you come?" "My lord," replied Iliya, "my name is Iliyushka, and I was born in the city of Murom."
Toward 8 o'clock in the morning we perceived a church tower. That is Molodetchno, we all cried with one voice. But to our disappointment we learned on our arrival that it was only Iliya, and that we were only half-way to Molodetchno. "Iliya was not completely deserted by the inhabitants, but the troops that had passed through it before us had left almost nothing eatable in the place.
Then the citizens came out to meet him, headed by the governor and nobles, and offered him thanks for their deliverance; whereupon they conducted Iliya to the palace and gave him a grand banquet.
When Iliya came into the open fields, he rode into the Brianski forest, passing over swamps, on bridges of elder, to the river Smarodienka. Then the Robber Nightingale, seeing him approach at a distance, sounded his robber whistle. The hero's heart quailed not, but when he was within ten versts the Nightingale whistled so loud that Iliya's steed fell down upon his knees.
At this the idolator knight fell into a violent rage and exclaimed: "How dare you provoke me with such talk, you miserable cripple? Are you forsooth a match for me? Why, look ye, I could set you on the palm of my hand, and squeeze you like an orange. You had indeed a valiant hero in your country, Iliya of Murom, with whom I would fain wage a battle; but you indeed !"
"Here stands Iliya of Murom!" exclaimed the cripple; and so saying, he took off his hat, and struck him a blow on the head, which, although not hard, drove it through the wall of the palace. Then Iliya took up the body, and flung it into the courtyard. And the Prince rewarded Iliya richly, and retained him at his court as his boldest and bravest knight.
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