For a Bast Shoe - a Hen, for a Hen - a Goose

A fox was walking along the path and found a little bast shoe. She came to a man and asked:

"Master, let me stay the night." He replied:

"There's no room, little fox! It's too cramped!"

"But I don't need much space! I'll sit on the bench myself, and tuck my tail under it."

They let her stay the night. Then she said:

"Put my little shoe next to your chickens." They did so, but during the night the fox got up and threw her shoe away. In the morning, when everyone got up, she asked for her shoe, and the hosts said:

"Little fox, it's gone missing!"

"Well, then give me a chicken for it."

She took the chicken and went to another house, asking them to put her chicken with their geese. At night, the fox hid the chicken and got a goose for it in the morning.

She came to a new house, asked to stay the night, and said to put her goose with the sheep. Again, she tricked them, took a sheep for the goose, and went to yet another house.

She stayed the night and asked them to put her sheep with their calves. At night, the fox stole the sheep, and in the morning demanded a calf in exchange for it.

She killed all of them—the chicken, the goose, the sheep, and the calf—hid the meat, and stuffed the calf's hide with straw. Then she placed it on the road.

A bear and a wolf were walking by, and the fox said:

"Go steal a sleigh, and let's go for a ride."

So they stole the sleigh and a harness, hitched the calf to it, and all got into the sleigh. The fox took the reins and shouted:

"Giddy-up, giddy-up, little calf, straw-filled barrel! The sleigh is someone else's, the harness isn't ours, drive on—don't stop!" But the calf didn't move. She jumped out of the sleigh and yelled:

"Stay here, you fools!"—and ran off.

The bear and the wolf were delighted with their catch and started tearing into the calf. They tore and tore, but all they found was a hide stuffed with straw. They shook their heads and went back home.

More fairy tales

• The Prophetic Dream
• About the Pike with Sharp Teeth
• The Golden Cockerel
• The Fox and the Black Grouse
• The Bean Seed