“The Thief." The falcon under the hat: Russian merry tales and fairy tales, Selected and translated by Guy Daniels, New York: Funk & Wagnalls; 1969, pp. 56-60.

Tale Summary

There was once a boy named Klimka, whose parents decided he should be apprenticed to a master thief. Klimka learned how to seal so well that the only thing he did not know how to do was steal eggs from a magpie’s nest. The master thief told him he would show him how, and he would have shown him, too, how to steal the pants of a living man, but even he did not know how. As he climbed the tree, Klimka stole the pants right off him. Because there was nothing left to teach him, Klimka went back to live with his parents, and supported them with his thievery. One day all the peasants had a meeting and complained about him to the barin, who decided to test his boldness. He summoned Klimka and asked if he could steal a ram for him. Klimka agreed, and the barin ordered his shepherds to guard his rams closely as they drove them to pasture. Klimka made a clever noose which you could put around your neck and appear to be hanged. He ran ahead of the shepherds, tied the noose to a tree, and pretended to be hanged there, so that when they saw him they were sure he was dead and let their guard down. When they left he ran ahead again and played the same trick so that they argued amongst themselves about who they saw hanging before, made a bet, and left the rams. Klimka grabbed one and headed to the tavern. The next morning the barin asked if he had succeeded, and Klimka said yes, he sold the ram for money and used the money to buy drinks. The barin dared him to steal his cashbox and all the money inside it, which had been purposefully placed by the window, with servants waiting, aiming their guns and swords. Klimka stole a goat, stuck its head through the window so that everyone fell over frightened, and took the box. The next day the barin asked if he succeeded, and Klimka replied yes, he broke it but used the money inside to gamble and buy drinks. He then dared him to steal his horse, which was closely guarded by stable boys, one holding it by the tail, another by the bridle, and a third sitting on its back, with two others guarding the door. Klimka dressed himself up and pretended to be the barin, giving the boys vodka until they were very drunk. He placed the one on the horse’s back onto a crossbeam, gave a handful of straw to the one supposed to be holding the tail, and a rope to the one holding the bridle, then tied the two guarding the door together by their hair and made off with the horse. The barin went to Klimka and asked if he stole his horse. Klimka said yes, he sold it for money and used it to gamble and buy drinks. The barin told him to go to the Devil.