Crimean Legend - Healing lakes

Hey, you, strong horses, Cossack horses! Rush along quicker than acute Tatar arrows, pass the wind! Carry on wounded slaves to cherry gardens, to native dawns and waters of Dnepr...

Brave Zaporozhian Cossacks rushed along Crimean steppe, burn't by the broiling sun. And anxious thoughts were flying back. There, near foul Gezliov fire was still hooting, died sworn brothers had not got cold yet. A lot of them had lied down that day in the city of grief, the city of slavery.

But the majority had broken free. Here they were on horses side by side. They were weak and starving men who did not believe their happiness.

Horses were skipping...They skipped...

But how long did they bear this wild hurry? Would everyone of them manage to hide from Tatar pursuit?..

And Cossack ataman said:

"There is no way out of here for all of us, my brothers-Cossacks. Let's give our best horses to saved people. Let them skip with guides passing salt lakes to the Ukraine. But we'll stay here and stop infidels.

It was not a black cloud flying in the sky, it was Khan army rushing along the steppe. Each rider had three or four horses on rein. For everyone to feel more terror, for everyone to be afraid - it was Tatar horde rushing!

As falcons fell on their preys like stones, so Zaporozhian Cossacks rushed from ambush like a sharp knive they cut into army of infidels.

Cossacks' sabres began whistling, Tatar arrows began singing death songs...

And enemys wavered.

But Zaporozhian Cossacks did not know that a new detachment hurried to help the Tatars.

The horde pressed the Zoporozhian Cossacks to salt lakes.It was the last fight there...

The evening dawn cryed flooding steppe and salt lakes with blood light. On the bank Cossacks were lying as dark mounds. Cossacks kept silence dispersing their white arms in death dream.

Bitter tears would not be cried for them by their old mothers - only steppe crows would be croaking over. Their eyes would not be closed by a native hand - crows would peck them out.

At dawn ravens flied together...

But heralds of death had not managed to have a feast!

Suddenly Cossacks began to return to live, began to get up. They were surprised: what had happened to them? They saw with their own eyes how their friends had been killed with sabres or had fallen killed from their horses...

They began to look closely at each other, look around. And they saw that the wounds which had touched black waterside silt disappeared! Those wounds had skinned over, cicatrized.

Then Cossacks realized that their native soil is always mother for its children. It would not ever leave them in trouble, it would always help!

Fighting men got to the lake, washed their faces with salt water and gathered marvellous soil in their caps. Then they found their escaped horses and skipped towards steppe - to bring a severe news about fight with the Tatar horde and about healing Crimean soil to the Ukraine.

Saki's lake - the lake which is situated near Saki. On the bottom of the lake there is a layer of dirt which is famous for its healing qualities.