ONCE upon a time there was a poor peasant who had one son. And it came to pass that his wife said to him: "He should learn some trade, for when he is separated from thee, what will he do if he is left ignorant like thee?" The wife importuned him; she gave him no rest. So the peasant took his child, and went to seek a master for him. On the way they were thirsty. He saw a rivulet, drank eagerly till his thirst was quenched, and when he lifted up his head he cried out: "Ah! how good thou art!"1 On saying this, there came forth from the water a devil in the form of a man, and said to the peasant: "What dost thou want, O man! I am Vakhraca; what troubles thee?" The peasant told him all his story. The devil, when he learnt this, said: "Give me this son of thine: I will teach him for one year, then come hither; if thou knowest him, it is well, he will go with thee; if not, he is mine and mine alone, he shall be lost to thee."PART I GEORGIAN FOLK TALESI Master and PupilII The Three Siste
rs and their StepmotherIII The Good-for-nothingIV The Frog"s SkinV FateVI Ghvthisavari (I am of God)VII The Serpent and the PeasantVIII Gulambara and SulambaraIX The Two Brother
