Page:The Russian story book, containing tales from the song-cycles of Kiev and Novgorod and other early sources.djvu/121

 On the next day he rose very early and washed himself very white in clear water from the spring. Then he took his stout bow in his hand and slung his quiver of gleaming arrows upon his back. He wandered on through the streets and narrow lanes and came at length to a certain little lane where he found the palace of the Princess Marina. It was finely built and richly adorned, while in the window of one apartment sat a mated pair of dark-blue doves cooing lovingly with yellow bill to yellow bill and wing enfolding wing. Then Nikitich fitted a flaming arrow to his stout bow and shot at the cooing doves, but as the shaft was leaving the string his left foot slipped and his right hand shook so that the arrow missed the loving birds, went singing through the lattice-window and slew the favourite of the Princess Marina who was known as the Son of the Dragon and was known for nothing good.

"If I go into the palace," said Nikitich to himself, "I shall lose my head. If I do not go, I shall lose my arrow." So he called to his page, who always walked or stood three paces behind him, and sent him into the palace to seek for the arrow.

"Thou witch and sorceress," said the bold page to the Princess, "return to us our burning arrow."

"Nay," said Marina, "let him who sent it come to ask for it." And when this was told to Nikitich he ran quickly into the courtyard of the palace and from thence to the apartment of the Princess Marina and took the shaft from the body of the Son of the Dragon. Marina lay upon a couch which was