1 the fight between the forest sprites and the water sprites.
2 a poor votyak went to hire hisself out as a farmhand.
3 on the way he met a forest sprite.
4 the forest sprite asked him: "where do you go?" "i'm going to hire myself out."
5 the forest sprite said: "come, i engage you!" "all right!" then the forest sprite gives him a big stick and says: "go that way across the swamp! there you will find a little house; go inside and wait for me!" the votyak obeyed him, found a little house in the forest, went inside and set down to wait for the forest sprite.
6 after sitting a while, the forest sprite comes back; he said to the votyak: "let's go together and fight against the water sprites!" "all right!"
7 they go.
8 the water sprites started to root the forest up and to beat the water sprites (with the cane).
9 some of the forest sprites escaped into the water, others went to the other side (of the river). 
10 with the same cane, with what the farmhand beat the forest sprites, he put also the water in blow: the water split; there (where the water splits) you could walk across.
11 when the forest sprites stoped beating the water sprites, the farmhands's master said: "well, thank you! you made a good job. now you can go home!"
12 the forest sprite gave the farmhand his horses for the journey.
13 he told the farmhand to turn back the horses with their heads in the direction of the forest and to whistle afterwards; "then the horses turn back by themselves", he said.
14 the votyak has hardly sat down (into the carriage), the horses were carry him home.
15 the farmhand got off the carriage, turned back the horses with their heads in the direction of the forest and whistled: the horses went back home.
16 afterwards the votyak started gradually to became rich.