Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/223

Rh The king fetched a whole pail of water, and gave it to the skeleton, who at once finished every drop, and asked for more.

"One pailful will not quench my thirst, good king. Give me more!"

King Vladimir brought another, which vanished as quickly as the first.

"Give me more!" cried the skeleton.

When the creature had finished the third pailful his strength seemed to return to him. He shook the twelve iron chains, and with one wrench forced them all asunder, and the skeleton was free once more.

"Thank you, King Vladimir," he said; "but now you will see your Marie-Marevna no more."

And, with a tremendous jump into the air, the skeleton sprang out of the window and flew away, leaving the unfortunate young king in a very unhappy state of mind. But how much greater was his grief when, on looking out of the window into the garden below, he saw the skeleton seize his beautiful queen, Marie-Marevna, who had just returned home from the war, and fly away with her.

After crying bitterly for some time, King Vladimir at last decided to go in search of his queen. "Come what may," he thought, "I must find her again."

Away he went, not forgetting to take his silver spoon, fork, and snuff-box. He walked on and on for two days without resting, and on the dawn of the third he came to a splendid palace, in the grounds in front of which stood an old oak-tree, on which sat a big falcon. As soon as the bird saw