one day he was sitting in his golden armchair looking out of the window lost in thought. he had gazed for quite a while before he noticed foreign sailors landing opposite the imperial palace. the sailors ran their ship up to the wharf, reefed their white sails, threw the heavy anchor into the sea and prepared the plank ready to go ashore. before them all walked an old merchant; white was his beard and he had about him the air of a wise man. an idea suddenly occurred to the tsar: "sea merchants generally are well informed on many subjects. if i ask them, perchance i shall find that they have met somewhere a princess, beautiful and clever, suitable for me, the tsar archidei."