The Red Fairy Book, Andrew Lang [book club recommendations txt] 📗

mares are all collected. But when you

get home, don’t let the Baba Yaga set eyes on you, but go into the

stable and hide behind the mangers. There you will find a sorry

colt rolling in the muck. Do you steal it, and at the dead of night

ride away from the house.’

 

Prince Ivan arose, slipped into the stable, and lay down behind

the mangers, while the Baba Yaga was storming away at her mares

and shrieking:

 

`Why did ye come back?’

 

`How could we help coming back? There came flying bees in

countless numbers from all parts of the world, and began stinging

us on all sides till the blood came!’

 

The Baba Yaga went to sleep. In the dead of the night Prince

Ivan stole the sorry colt, saddled it, jumped on its back, and galloped

away to the fiery river. When he came to that river he

waved the handkerchief three times on the right hand, and suddenly,

springing goodness knows whence, there hung across the river, high

in the air, a splendid bridge. The Prince rode across the bridge and

waved the handkerchief twice only on the left hand; there remained

across the river a thin, ever so thin a bridge!

 

When the Baba Yaga got up in the morning the sorry colt was

not to be seen! Off she set in pursuit. At full speed did she fly

in her iron mortar, urging it on with the pestle, sweeping away her

traces with the broom. She dashed up to the fiery river, gave a

glance, and said, `A capital bridge!’ She drove on to the bridge,

but had only got half-way when the bridge broke in two, and the

Baba Yaga went flop into the river. There truly did she meet with

a cruel death!

 

Prince Ivan fattened up the colt in the green meadows, and it

turned into a wondrous steed. Then he rode to where Marya

Morevna was. She came running out, and flung herself on his

neck, crying:

 

`By what means has God brought you back to life?’

 

`Thus and thus,’ says he. `Now come along with me.’

 

`I am afraid, Prince Ivan! If Koshchei catches us you will

be cut in pieces again.’

 

`No, he won’t catch us! I have a splendid heroic steed now;

it flies just like a bird.’ So they got on its back and rode away.

 

Koshchei the Deathless was returning home when his horse

stumbled beneath him.

 

`What art thou stumbling for, sorry jade? Dost thou scent any

ill?’

 

`Prince Ivan has come and carried off Marya Morevna.’

 

`Can we catch them?’

 

`God knows! Prince Ivan has a horse now which is better

than I.’

 

`Well, I can’t stand it,’ says Koshchei the Deathless. `I will

pursue.’

 

After a time he came up with Prince Ivan, lighted on the

ground, and was going to chop him up with his sharp sword.

But at that moment Prince Ivan’s horse smote Koshchei the Deathless

full swing with its hoof, and cracked his skull, and the Prince

made an end of him with a club. Afterwards the Prince heaped up

a pile of wood, set fire to it, burnt Koshchei the Deathless on the

pyre, and scattered his ashes to the wind. Then Marya Morevna

mounted Koshchei’s horse and Prince Ivan got on his own, and they

rode away to visit first the Raven, and then the Eagle, and then

the Falcon. Wherever they went they met with a joyful greeting.

 

`Ah, Prince Ivan! why, we never expected to see you again.

Well, it wasn’t for nothing that you gave yourself so much trouble.

Such a beauty as Marya Morevna one might search for all the

world over—and never find one like her!’

 

And so they visited, and they feasted; and afterwards they went

off to their own realm.[3]

 

[3] Ralston.

THE BLACK THIEF

AND KNIGHT OF THE GLEN.

 

IN times of yore there was a King and a Queen in the south of

Ireland who had three sons, all beautiful children; but the

Queen, their mother, sickened unto death when they were yet very

young, which caused great grief throughout the Court, particularly

to the King, her husband, who could in no wise be comforted.

Seeing that death was drawing near her, she called the King to her

and spoke as follows:

 

`I am now going to leave you, and as you are young and in

your prime, of course after my death you will marry again. Now

all the request I ask of you is that you will build a tower in an

island in the sea, wherein you will keep your three sons until they

are come of age and fit to do for themselves; so that they may not

be under the power or jurisdiction of any other woman. Neglect not

to give them education suitable to their birth, and let them be

trained up to every exercise and pastime requisite for king’s sons to

learn. This is all I have to say, so farewell.’

 

The King had scarce time, with tears in his eyes, to assure her

she should be obeyed in everything, when she, turning herself in

her bed, with a smile gave up the ghost. Never was greater

mourning seen than was throughout the Court and the whole

kingdom; for a better woman than the Queen, to rich and poor,

was not to be found in the world. She was interred with great

pomp and magnificence, and the King, her husband, became in

a manner inconsolable for the loss of her. However, he caused

the tower to be built and his sons placed in it, under proper

guardians, according to his promise.

 

In process of time the lords and knights of the kingdom counselled

the King (as he was young) to live no longer as he had done,

but to take a wife; which counsel prevailing, they chose him a rich

and beautiful princess to be his consort—a neighbouring King’s

daughter, of whom he was very fond. Not long after, the Queen

had a fine son, which caused great feasting and rejoicing at the

Court, insomuch that the late Queen, in a manner, was entirely

forgotten. That fared well, and King and Queen lived happy

together for several years.

 

At length the Queen, having some business with the hen-wife,

went herself to her, and, after a long conference passed, was taking

leave of her, when the hen-wife prayed that if ever she should come

back to her again she might break her neck. The Queen, greatly

incensed at such a daring insult from one of her meanest subjects,

demanded immediately the reason, or she would have her put to death.

 

`It was worth your while, madam,’ says the hen-wife, `to pay me

well for it, for the reason I prayed so on you concerns you much.’

 

`What must I pay you?’ asked the Queen.

 

`You must give me,’ says she, `the full of a pack of wool, and I

have an ancient crock which you must fill with butter, likewise a

barrel which you must fill for me full of wheat.’

 

`How much wool will it take to the pack?’ says the Queen.

 

`It will take seven herds of sheep,’ said she, `and their increase

for seven years.’

 

`How much butter will it take to fill your crock?’

 

`Seven dairies,’ said she, `and their increase for seven years.’

 

`And how much will it take to fill the barrel you have?’ says

the Queen.

 

`It will take the increase of seven barrels of wheat for seven

years.’

 

`That is a great quantity,’ says the Queen; `but the reason

must be extraordinary, and before I want it, I will give you all you

demand.’

 

`Well,’ says the hen-wife, `it is because you are so stupid that

you don’t observe or find out those affairs that are so dangerous

and hurtful to yourself and your child.’

 

`What is that?’ says the Queen.

 

`Why,’ says she, `the King your husband has three fine sons he

had by the late Queen, whom he keeps shut up in a tower until

they come of age, intending to divide the kingdom between them,

and let your son push his fortune; now, if you don’t find some

means of destroying them; your child and perhaps yourself will be

left desolate in the end.’

 

`And what would you advise me to do?’ said she; `I am

wholly at a loss in what manner to act in this affair.’

 

`You must make known to the King,’ says the hen-wife, `that

you heard of his sons, and wonder greatly that he concealed them

all this time from you; tell him you wish to see them, and that it

is full time for them to be liberated, and that you would be desirous

he would bring them to the Court. The King will then do so, and

there will be a great feast prepared on that account, and also

diversions of every sort to amuse the people; and in these sports,’ said

she, `ask the King’s sons to play a game at cards with you, which

they will not refuse. Now,’ says the hen-wife, `you must make a

bargain, that if you win they must do whatever you command them,

and if they win, that you must do whatever they command you

to do; this bargain must be made before the assembly, and here

is a pack of cards,’ says she, `that I am thinking you will not

lose by.’

 

The Queen immediately took the cards, and, after returning the

hen-wife thanks for her kind instruction, went back to the palace,

where she was quite uneasy until she got speaking to the King in

regard of his children; at last she broke it off to him in a very

polite and engaging manner, so that he could see no muster or

design in it. He readily consented to her desire, and his sons were

sent for to the tower, who gladly came to Court, rejoicing that they

were freed from such confinement. They were all very handsome,

and very expert in all arts and exercises, so that they gained the

love and esteem of all that had seen them.

 

The Queen, more jealous with them than ever, thought it an age

until all the feasting and rejoicing was over, that she might get

making her proposal, depending greatly on the power of the hen-wife’s cards. At length this royal assembly began to sport and play

at all kinds of diversions, and the Queen very cunningly challenged

the three Princes to play at cards with her, making bargain with

them as she had been instructed.

 

They accepted the challenge, and the eldest son and she played

the first game, which she won; then the second son played, and

she won that game likewise; the third son and she then played the

last game, and he won it, which sorely grieved her that she had not

him in her power as well as the rest, being by far the handsomest

and most beloved of the three.

 

However, everyone was anxious to hear the Queen’s commands

in regard to the two Princes, not thinking that she had any ill

design in her head against them. Whether it was the hen-wife

instructed her, or whether it was from her own knowledge, I cannot

tell; but she gave out they must go and bring her the Knight of

the Glen’s wild Steed of Bells, or they should lose their heads.

 

The young Princes were not in the least concerned, not knowing

what they had to do; but the whole Court was amazed at her

demand, knowing very well that it was