Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/539

Rh Give me food and lodging." She said: "I have little, but it is yours," and took him in and gave him bread to eat. As he sat eating, he asked her where he was, and she told him: "In this kingdom is a beast with seven heads, who lives at the spring and will not let the water run unless he has a maiden to eat every day. Now all the other maidens have been eaten, and to-morrow it is the turn of the king's daughter." Next day the prince started off for the well-head, where he found the princess waiting for the beast to come and eat her. She begged him to leave her to her fate, but he stood by. In a little while the monster appeared, and he cut off his seven heads and cut out the tongues. When the people in the town saw the streams running blood, they said: "The princess is dead; what shall we do?" But in a little while came the prince, leading the princess safe and sound, and with the beast's tongues.

The king wished to make him his son-in-law, but he said: "No, that cannot be. Only send me back to the upper world." "First," said the king, "you must kill for me the pig which has three pigeons inside it and bring them to me." Off went the prince and killed the pig, and took the three pigeons. On his way back night overtook him, and he lay down to sleep under a plane-tree. On this plane-tree all the birds of heaven roosted at night, and a beast used to come every night and kill some. The prince was awakened in the dead of night by the hissing of the monster come for his prey. He slew it, and in the morning the birds out of gratitude promised to take him up to the upper world. "But you must bring," they told him, "seven skins of wine, forty loaves of bread, and a roast ox; for the way is long." He returned to the king, and gave him the three pigeons, and begged to be supplied with these things. When they had been got ready, he started on his journey, carried by the birds; but before they reached the journey's end, the provisions were done, and the eagle he was riding on was hungry. The prince cut a piece out of his leg and gave it to the eagle; but the eagle knew it was human flesh, and kept it in his mouth without eating it. When they arrived, he asked the prince: "Is anything of yours missing?" "No," said the prince, "nothing." "Yes," said the eagle, "something is missing;" and letting fall from his mouth the piece of leg he put it back in its place.

Now we must return to his brothers. The eldest brother en-