Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/234

218 "Well, then, you must go into the blue sea to-morrow."

In the morning the bad fairy sent King Vladimir to look after the horses.

"Mind you don't lose any of them, or your head shall be stuck on the twelfth pole."

But as soon as the king opened the stable doors, and let the horses out, the creatures at once galloped off before King Vladimir knew what had happened, and ran straight into the blue sea, and were covered up to their necks with water. King Vladimir could do nothing, so he seated himself on a stone to think, where he very soon fell asleep.

"Get up, King Vladimir," said a voice, and on waking up the young king saw the old bee, whose acquaintance he had made in the forest three days ago.

"Get up; the horses are all safe. Go back; but do not enter the hut, or let the fairy see you. Go into the very last stable, where you will find a mangy pony, lying on some hay in a corner; take it, and at midnight ride away on it as hard as you can."

King Vladimir thanked the bee, and went into the stable, where he hid himself behind some hay until midnight. He had hardly done so, when he heard the old fairy begin scolding the horses in the other stables.

"What made you return, you brutes?"

"We could not help ourselves, for when we had got into the sea a number of bees flew down upon us, and began stinging us so severely that we had to get out of the water, and run home as hard as we could."