THE HORSE AS AN EPIC CHARACTER 



ance heralds the approach of Ak Khan's heroic steed. 

 After six years' wanderings through twelve lands, he 

 has discovered the water of life. He brings the children 

 back to life, and then goes in search of his master's body. 

 The colt now hears the trampling of Katai Khan's bull; 

 it seizes the children, places them on its back, and runs 

 off so rapidly that it escapes an arrow shot by the 

 furious Katai. In its flight, it comes to the White Sea, 

 where it finds an old friend of Ak Khan, Jebet KJian, 

 whom it persuades to fight with Katai. Jebet is killed. 

 A similar appeal is made to Alten Kus, with the same 

 result. Over nine mountains the colt races, and finally 

 it comes to one that towers so high into the clouds that 

 even birds are unable to fly above it. The colt bows to 

 the sun, then to the moon, and begs their help. Next 

 it tells the boy to take a birch twig and beat it hard. 

 The boy obeys, and the colt reaches the summit. Here 

 there is a hot spring, out of which the boy drinks and 

 falls into a deep and most untimely sleep, for Katai 

 and the bull are following close behind. To wake the 

 boy, the colt is obliged to give him a kick, which sends 

 him seven fathoms from his sleeping-place. In the 

 terrible fight which ensues, the boy puUs Katai off the 

 bull and succeeds in throwing him to the ground. See- 

 ing this, the bull is on the point of attacking him, when 

 the colt picks up two swords and cuts him in half. 

 Katai is killed; the boy drinks once more of the hot 

 spring, sleeps seven days, and then wakes to find him- 

 self a hero and his colt a heroic steed. 



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