Page:Russian Fairy Book (N. H. Dole).djvu/96

 Then the Gray Wolf sprinkled the Water of Death over Prince Ivan; his dead body grew whole again. He sprinkled him with the Water of Life; Prince Ivan got to his feet and demanded: "Have I been asleep long?"

In reply the Gray Wolf said to him: "Yes, Prince Ivan, you would have slept an eternity if it had not been for me. You see your brothers killed you, and took for themselves the beautiful Queen Helena and the gold-maned horse and the Magic Bird. Now make haste as quickly as possible to your home. Your brother Vasili is going to marry your bride to-day—the beautiful Queen Helena. And in order that you may get there as quickly as possible, you had better mount me—mount the Gray Wolf; I will take you home."

Prince Ivan mounted, the Gray Wolf galloped with him to the realm of the Tsar Vuislaf, and after he had been a long or short time on the way he took him to the city. Prince Ivan dismounted from the Gray Wolf, hurried into the city, and going to the palace he learned that his brother Prince Vasili had returned with the queen from the wedding ceremony and was sitting at table.

Then Helena the beautiful caught sight of