Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/187

Rh to the king and told him that the robber had not been. But another apple was missing!

The next night Prince Peter went, sat down under the apple-tree, and likewise found himself in dreamland. When noon came he went to his father, saying that the robber was not to be seen. Yet another apple was gone!

On the third night Prince John went into the garden and sat under the apple-tree watching for the robber. He looked all round him, and took care to keep wide awake. When midnight came he saw the garden begin to shine as if with lightning. Rapidly from the east came flying a golden cassowary like a fiery star burning in the heavens, making the night as clear as day.

Prince John crept nearer and nearer to the apple-tree, he hardly dared to breathe, but waited to see what would happen next.

The golden cassowary alighted upon the apple-tree, and began its work plucking off the apples.

Prince John got up gently from the grass and seized the cassowary by the tail, but the bird would not be caught so easily; it dropped the apples on the ground, tore itself out of the prince's hands, and flew away, only leaving one of its feathers behind, and, when the prince held it up, the whole garden shone like fire.

As soon it was day the prince went to the king, his father, telling him that the robber had been discovered at last, and that it was a bird and not a man, as was first supposed, and to prove the truth of his story he showed the king the feather. His