Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/394

 358 Collectanea.

" Long live the King ! " they answered. " There is left a certain stranger who lives with a poor old woman (outside the city)."

" Go fetch him ! " commands the King.

They fetch him, and the maiden cries, — " Behold, this is he ! " And she shows them the blood stain which she had imprinted upon his back.

"Make known your wishes," the King commands. "You deserve the maiden whom you rescued, and you shall have whatever else you wish to have."

The Prince replies, — " Long live the King ! God grant your daughter good fortune (kismet), and you the enjoyment of your riches ! All I wish is that you furnish me with forty skins of wine and forty ram's tails, in order that the eagle may carry me to the Land of Light."

Then the King grants the Prince his request, and he takes the things and carries them to the eagle.

The eagle says, — " Load them upon my wings, and seat your- self upon my neck. When I say " Poo ! " give me wine, and when I say " Goo " give me fat."

First the Prince goes and kisses the hand of the old woman, and receives her blessing. Then the eagle takes him on her wings and flies upwards. When the eagle cries " Poo," he gives her a wine-skin, and when she cries "Goo," he gives her a ram's tail. She soars and soars until she reaches the Land of Light, and on till they reach the land of his father. Just then the eagle cries "Goo." In his excitement the Prince hurries, and drops the one remaining tail. But he thrusts his sword into the side of his leg, and cuts off a piece of that instead to give the eagle. The eagle knows from the taste that it is human flesh, and she holds it under her tongue. They reach the end of their journey. The eagle sets the Prince on the ground. " Now let us see you walk," she says.

" No," replies the Prince. " You may go, and then I will go on. My feet are numb."

The eagle continues to urge the Prince, and finally he tries to rise, but he cannot walk. Then the eagle takes out the flesh which she has kept under her tongue, and fastens it in its place,