Page:Russian Wonder Tales.djvu/364

314 I give mine own life!" he answered. "Never fear that I could ever forget thee!"

"Harken, now," she said. "When thou comest to the last of the Wizard's Palaces, thou wilt see that it lies in a garden which is surrounded like a wall by an enormous serpent coiled with its tail in its mouth. Take this bundle of herbs and when thou comest into the open field about the Palace, choose a spot whence the wind doth blow from thee toward the serpent, and there build a fire and throw some of the herb into the flame. Mind that thou dost not use it all and that thou thyself stand behind the wind. The smoke will cause the serpent to fall asleep and thou mayst then climb over its body and enter the Palace."

Tzarevich Petr bade her farewell and set out, and when he had traveled a day he came to a Palace which rose dazzling white from the midst of a green garden, and all about the garden lay coiled a huge snake, a living, scaly wall. He went into the meadow, built a fire and threw upon it some sprigs of the herbs, and from it arose a great volume of smoke which the wind drove toward the serpent, causing it to fall asleep. He then climbed over it and entered the Palace of pearl.

He passed through room after room till he came