Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/193

Rh horse, and rode off on it as swiftly as the wind into the forest where the real princess was waiting.

Meanwhile, at the palace the wedding feast was getting ready, and, according to custom, King Alphonso was about to kiss his young bride, but he had hardly bent down to do so, when the wolf gave a little jump and bit his nose off; while the king, instead of seeing his bride before him, saw, to his horror, a grey wolf.

The wolf, however, did not stand long upon ceremony, but striking his tail against the king's legs, made off through the door, while everybody began calling out as loud as ever they could,—

"Stop him! stop him! Seize him! seize him."

But the cunning wolf had long reached the prince and princess. Prince John got on the wolf's back while Princess Helen sat on the golden horse, and away they flew through the air. At last they came to the kingdom of King Dalmat, owner of the golden cassowary.

"Now I shall change myself into the likeness of the golden horse," said the wolf, "so that you need not part with him either. You must take me to King Dalmat and receive the cassowary in exchange."

Princess Helen was told to go on before them with the golden horse, while the prince took the grey wolf, in the form of the golden horse, to King Dalmat who was delighted with the splendid animal, and gave the cassowary to the prince.

King Dalmat at once ordered the horse—or wolf—to be harnessed, and rode off on it to a hunt. N