Narrative Text : The Ox of Straw

The Ox of Straw

THERE was once on a time an old man and an old woman. The old man worked in the fields as a pitch-burner, while the old woman sat at home and spun flax. They were so poor that they could save nothing at all; all their earnings went in bare food, and when that was gone there was nothing left. At last the old woman had a good idea.
       "Look now, husband," cried she, "make me a straw ox, and smear it all over with tar."
       "Why," said he, "what's the good of an ox of that sort?"
       'Never mind," said she, "you just make it. I know what I am about."
       He set to work and made the ox of straw, and smeared it all over with tar.
       The night passed away, and at early dawn the old woman took her distaff, and drove the straw ox out into the steppe to graze, and she herself sat down behind a hillock, and began spinning her flax, and cried,

"Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax!
Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax!"

While she spun, her head drooped down, and she began to doze, and while she was dozing, from behind the dark wood and from the back of the huge pines a bear came rushing out upon the ox and said,
       "Who are you? Speak up and tell me!"
       The ox said, "A three-year-old heifer am I, made of straw and smeared with tar."
       "So!" said the bear, "stuffed with straw and smeared with tar, eh? Then give me of your straw and tar, that I may patch up my ragged fur again!"
       "Take some," said the ox, and the bear fell upon him and began to tear away tar. He tore and tore, and buried his teeth in it till he found he couldn't get it off. No matter how he tugged and he tugged, it was no good.
       The ox dragged him off, goodness knows where. Then the old woman awoke and there was no ox to be seen.
       "Alas! old fool that I am!" cried she, "perhaps it has gone home."
       Then she quickly caught up her distaff and spinning board, threw them over her shoulders, and hastened off home. When she arrived, she saw the bear which the ox had dragged up to the fence. In she went to the old man.
       "Dad, dad!" she cried. "Look! The ox has brought us a bear. Come out and kill it!"
       Then the old man up, tore off the bear, tied him up, and threw him in the cellar.
       Next morning between dark and dawn, the old woman took her distaff and ox into the steppe to graze. She herself sat down by a mound, began spinning, and said,

"Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax!
Graze away, little ox, while I spin my flax!"

While she spun, her head drooped down and she dozed. And, lo! From the dark wood, from the back of the huge pines, a grey wolf came rushing upon the ox and said,
       "Who are you? Come, tell me!"
       "I'm a three-year-old heifer, stuffed with straw and trimmed with tar," said the ox.
       "Hm, trimmed with tar, are you? Then give me of your tar to tar my sides, that the dogs tear me not!"
       "Have some," said the ox.
       And with that the wolf fell upon him and tried to tear off tar. He tugged and tugged, and tore with his teeth, but could get none off. Then he tried to let go, but couldn't. No matter how he tried, it didn't help.
       When the old woman woke, there was no heifer in sight.
       "Maybe my heifer has gone home!" she cried; "I'll go home and see."
       When she got there she was surprised, for by the palings stood the ox with the wolf still tugging at it. She ran her old man, and her old man came and threw the wolf into the cellar also.
       The third day the old woman again drove her ox into the pastures to graze by a mound and dozed off. Then a fox came running up.

       "Who are you," asked the fox.
       "I'm a three-year-old heifer, stuffed with straw and daubed with tar."
       "Then give me some of your tar to smear my sides with, for dogs tear my hide!"
       "Do have some," said the ox.
       Then the fox fastened her teeth in him and couldn't get them out again, and then the same thing happened. The ox took the fox home and the old woman told her old man. He took and cast the fox in the cellar in the same way.
       And after that they caught a hare - the Pussy Swift-foot.
       After the old man had got all these animals safely, he sat down on a bench in front of the cellar and began sharpening a knife. The bear said to him, "Tell me, daddy, what are you sharpening your knife for?"
       "To flay your skin off, that I may make a leather jacket for myself and a pelisse for my old wife."
       "Oh! don't flay me, daddy dear! Rather let me go, and I'll bring you a lot of honey."
       "Very well, see you do it," and he unbound the bear and let him go.
       Then he sat down on the bench and again began sharpening his knife. And the wolf asked him, "Daddy, what are you sharpening your knife for?"
       "To flay off your skin, that I may make me a warm cap against the winter."
       "Oh! don't flay me, daddy dear, and I'll bring you a whole herd of little sheep."
       'Well, see that you do it," and he let the wolf go.
       Then he sat down and began sharpening his knife again. The fox put out her little snout and asked him, "Be so kind, dear daddy, and tell me why you are sharpening your knife!"
       "Little foxes," said the old man, "have nice skins that do very well for collars and trimmings, and I want to skin you!"
       "Oh! don't take my skin away, daddy dear, and I'll bring you hens and geese."
       "Very well, see that you do it!" and he let the fox go
       The hare now alone remained, and the old man began sharpening his knife on the hare's account. "Why do you do that?" asked the hare, and the old man replied:
       "Little hares have nice little soft warm skins, which will make me gloves and mittens against the winter!"
       "Oh, daddy dear! don't flay me, and I'll bring you kale and good cauliflower, if only you let me go!"
       Then he let the hare go also.
       Then they went to bed, but very early in the morning, when it was neither dusk nor dawn, there was a noise in the doorway.
       "Daddy, cried the old woman, "there's someone scratching at the door, go and see who it is!"
       The old man went out, and there was the bear carrying a whole hive full of honey. The old man took the honey from the bear, but no sooner did he lie down than again there was banging at the door once again. The old man looked out and saw the wolf driving a whole flock of sheep into the yard. Close on his heels came the fox, driving before her geese and hens and all manner of fowls; and last of all came the hare, bringing cabbage and kale and all manner of good food.
       And the old man was glad to know that these animals could be trusted, and the old woman was glad too. The old man got so rich that he needed nothing more. As for the straw-stuffed ox, it stood in the sun till it fell to pieces.