Page:Russian Wonder Tales.djvu/162

126 was of no avail and at length he dried his tears and at daybreak on the morrow rode again to the Wizard's Castle.

Kastchey was once more gone hunting, and the Tzarevich, finding Maria Morevna in the garden, said: "Come, mount with me and let us fly."

"Gladly would I," she answered, "but the Wizard will overtake us, and I fear he will slay thee."

"At least we shall have had some hours together," said Tzarevich Alexis, and taking her up before him, put spurs to his steed.

In the evening Kastchey returned from the hunt, and as he neared his Castle his horse staggered. "What dost thou, starveling hack!" he said. "Art thou underfed, or dost thou scent some evil?"

"I scent an evil, master," the horse answered. "Tzarevich Alexis has been here, and has borne away thy Maria Morevna."

"Canst thou overtake them?" asked the Wizard.

The horse replied: "Thou mayest scatter a measure of barley, wait till it is high, cut it, thresh it, and of the grain brew beer. Thou mayest drink the beer till thou art tipsy and sleep till thou art sober, and still I should be able to overtake them."

The Wizard put his horse to a gallop and before