Page:Russian Wonder Tales.djvu/164

128 "I perceive a calamity, master," replied the horse. "Tzarevich Alexis has been here and has ridden away with thy Maria Morevna."

"Canst thou overtake them?" asked the Wizard.

And the horse answered: "Thou mayest strew a measure of flax-seed, wait till it is ripe, and pick, clean and card it. Thou mayest spin thread, weave cloth, sew a garment, and wear the garment into shreds, and even then I should be able to overtake them."

Kastchey made him gallop and at length overtook the Tzarevich. "Twice I gave thee thy life," he said, "but this third time thou shalt die." He killed his horse with a blow of the sword, dragged the Tzarevich to the Castle, put him in a cask barred and hooped with iron, and threw the cask into the sea-ocean, while Maria Morevna again he took to himself.

Now the Hawk, the Eagle and the Crow used often to look at the silver spoon, the fork and the snuff-box, and wonder how their brother-in-law fared in his search. One day, looking, they saw that the three pieces of silver were turning black, and they said to themselves: "Our little brother-in-law is in peril of his life." The Hawk flew at once to the Eagle, and together they sought the