Page:Russian Wonder Tales.djvu/168

132 He walked one day, he walked two days, he walked three days, without either food or drink. When he was like to die from hunger he came upon a bird with her fledglings. One of these he caught, when the mother bird, flying near, said: "Tzarevich, do not, I pray thee, eat my little one. If thou wilt set it free, one day I will serve thee a service."

The Tzarevich let the fledgling go, and soon thereafter, in a forest, he found a wild bee's hive. He was about to eat the honey when the Queen Bee said: "Tzarevich, do not take the honey, since it is food for my subjects. Leave it to me, and one day, in return, I will serve thee a service."

The Tzarevich left the honey, and went on till he came to the sea-ocean, and on the sand he caught a crayfish. When he was about to eat it, however, the crayfish begged for its life. "Do not eat me, Tzarevich," it said, "and one day I will serve thee a service." So he let the crayfish go also, and went on his way, so tired and hungry that he could scarcely crawl.

Whether he went a long way or a short way, he came at length, at daybreak, in a forest, to the hut of the old Baba-Yaga, turning round and round on hens' legs. About the house were planted