Page:Russian Fairy Book (N. H. Dole).djvu/145

 colt. Steal him and in the deep dead of night leave the place."

Prince Ivan got up, went to the stable, and crept behind the stalls. The Baba Yaga was storming and crying to her mares: "Why did you return home?"

"Why shouldn't we return home? A swarm of bees flew from somewhere out of the whole world and stung us all about till the blood came."

The Baba Yaga went to sleep, and that very night Prince Ivan stole from her the scurvy colt, saddled him, mounted him, and galloped off to the fiery river. As soon as he reached the fiery river he waved the handkerchief three times to the right, and lo and behold! no one knows how, a lofty, splendid bridge arched the river. The prince crossed the bridge and waved the handkerchief onlv twice toward the left, and lo! a small slender bridge remained over the river.

In the morning the Baba Yaga woke up and she could not see her scurvy colt anywhere. She flew into a fury. With all her might and main she leaped into her iron mortar, whipped it up with her pestle, and swept away the tracks with her besom. She galloped up to the fiery river, looked at it, and said to herself: "A fine bridge!"